Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-16
SPY SCARE MAGNTFTED,
DECLARES GREGORY
Attorney General Declares En-
aggeration Marks Reports
on Enemy Activities
LITTLE DAMAGE DONE
Legal Head Deplores Lack of Laws
Under Which to Punish
Offenders

Washington, April &c.
Attorney General Gregory asserted
that reports Of enemy activities in the
United States are grossly exaggerated.
in a letter to Representative Cmric. Of
Michigan. made public by Mr.. Gregory.
Replying 70 letter from Mr.. Curric
saying THAI strong rocluE exists
through the country that tho Govern
ment is dealing too lcnient'y with spies
and dangerous enemies. the Attorney
General explained at lcng:h tho cNtcn-
sivc work Of the Department " Justice
i'm policing tho country uudcr war condi'
tons. lie emphasized the dulicutcs
under which the department, is laborng'
including tho lack OF necessary laws
under which TO punish offenders.
THE public assumes Mr Gregory
wrote. that there is a great deaf Of
enemy activity going Or j." this country
and it Is but natural that yagu" rumors
are magufcd into dcGuttc aud scnsa-
Nonal stories. TN" tHllS of damag" done
by enemy aliens i'm causing inccndiarE
fires Is an Illustration of this. Repeatedly.
both I'm reputable ucV Spapors and i'm pub
lications got out 10y citizen societies,
exaggerated statements are made as to
the amour; Of damage.
Quotes Tirc statistics
statistics show that. considering the
vastly increased value Of mvrChaudis"
and plants. tho actual fire loss to prop
crty OF all descriptions in 1917 was not
apprccably larger than that Of the year
Of 1913. Likewise. tho report recently
made by the National Board of Fire TN
derwriterS shows iu substance that
during the last year not one lire had
been clearly proven To- he the work Of
alien enemies, ana AZ recent confer
oucc IN tho Treasury Department of all
of the men in an departments charged
with protection Of plants and supplies
IL was stated without dissent that uu
instance was known Of fire caused
within tho last year 10y alien enemies
The Attorney General suggested that
the very necessity fDr keeping secret
many of IN" activities or the depart
mcnt undoubtedly contributes TO the
impression ot which You have COM
planned and added.
1T would be absurd to -ay that every
hostile act has been successfully run
down and tho offender brought tu puu-
lshnsnt or that every enemy agent or
nropag agaudist at wOrl, iu this country
has been discovered do. however.
assert that every possible effort r. being
made to ferret out and punish activities
Of this character and that this work iu
other departments as we'll as my own is
being done from day to Gty with cun-
ttantIy increasing efficiency.
Prepared Before WAR
Long before We entered the val this
department recognized the necessity q!
an efficient system for the prevention
rs well as the detection Of enemy actiyl-
tics and began at that time 10 strengthen
aud build up its bureau of Investigation.
which now for a long timr has been
operated on war basis. In addition ia
this, the department has accepted IN,
services and to a great c'trut suurr-
NtScs the activities of moro than zoe. .OU0
citizens Of proven loyalty aystcmatiraIIv
orGaul2cd throughout the country as an
auxiliary TO the work of the department.
II is a fair statement to say that the
country has never hccu so thoroughly
poliocd in its history 10y the Federal
authorities As 10 is today
In connection with enemy aricu ar-
it,ittC- YOU Will recall that under tho
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front. this dcnartn,ort
Lack q Ia" '"uscs disorders
Most Of the disorder throughout tho
country is caused by the lack Of laws
relating 10 disloyal utterauccs Con
gross ala not pass the original espionage
act in the form in which my department
prepared IT, ana Section of the law a.
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