The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-12-06
ATTORNEY GENERAL
ISSUES STATEMENT
SHOWS WHAT OFFICE ACCOMP-
LISHED SINCE WAR WITH
GERMANY BEGAN

WASHINGTON.-The story of how
enemy agents have been caught, dis
loyalty suppressed, draft slackers appre-
hended, dangerous Germans interned,
explosions and other sabotage prevented,
was given to the public today in Attorney
General Gregory's annual report
Referring to enforcement of the espion-
age act, Mr.. Gregory said
This department has proceeded upon
the general principle that the constitu
tional right of free speech. free assembly
and petition exist in war time as in peace,
and that the right of discussion of gov
ernmental policy and the right of politi
cal agitation are the most fundamental
rights in a democracy"
The attorney general disclosed that
only 5000 enemy aliens have been arrest
ed on presidential warrants and exam
ined with a view to internment and that
"a considerable number of these have
been placed in internment camps admin
istered by the army The balance were
paroled Most enemies interned were
German men and there were comparative
ly few German women or AustroH Hun
garians About 100000 Germans have
been registered in the nation wide census
10000 men and 10000 women
Up to last July |, department of just
ice Investigators had rounded up Z3,43o
draft evaders, causing their induction
into the service. More than 10000 cases
of men who had failed to file question
naires or appear for physical examina-
ton were Investigated.
War activities claimed the principal
portions of the report, and after referring
to the growth of the departments secret
service to six times its size in 1916, and
the efficient organization of the Ameri-
can Protective league of 25O,0OO citizen
volunteers, Mr.. Gregory said
"It is safe to say that never in its
history has this country been so thoroly
policed as at present.
"When it becomes possible, through
the lapse of time, to disclose fully the
activities of these various secret services
their work will stand out as one of the
substantial achievements of the war
Hints Of an American espionage sys-
tenn were given in>-the statement that
the secret services ''have given protec
tion, not only to the civilian population,
but to the armed forces and some of
their activities have also resulted in di-
rect damage to the enemy forces abroad"
Great stress was laid on the sufficiency
of normal civil processes "and the need
lessness of attempting to invoke the use
of military tribunals in this country.
The department has been hampered in
propaganda, said the attorney
general, by "self-appointed committees
or associations of citizens who, ignorant
or dissatisfied with the scope of the led
eral laws or jurisdiction, have sought to
them by extra legal measures
of intimidation and punishment
Another hampering influence was the
of hundreds of unfounded
reports relating to use of poison gas by
enemy agents, ground glass in food and
damage to Red Cross supplies.
Referring to difficulties with members
of the l. w. W., socialists and similar
bodies, the attorney general said: "It
has been the policy of this department |
that no person should be prosecuted or
interned solely by reason of his member
ship in any such organization; that guilt
is always personal and that under no
should any organization
or body Of men be prosecuted as such.
Mr. Gregory's recommendations pro-
pose legislation to make federal war
rant run to any part of the United States,
SO that indicted individuals cannot escape
trial so easily; retirement of federal
udge at the age of TO- if they have served
10 years or more; legislation to make it
an offense to send through the mail let
.ers threatening life or property; tighten
ing up of bankruptcy laws; and fegisla
ton making it possible to sue a corpora
ton in any district in which it, transacts
business