Evening journal., 1918-04-16
CAN'T PROVE Spies
SET EVEN one FIRE
Gregory Writes That Re-
ports of Enemy Aliens
Activities Exaggerated
LACK OF LAW
AGAINST SEDITIoN

WASHlNGIONt ApIll ~ -i'piVito va
enemy activities in the United states
are grossly exaggerated, says Attorney |
General Gregory In a letter TO hepre- |
sentative Currie lMich.l, made public |
last night by Mr.. Gregory.
Replying TO a letter from MT. Currle |
SAYING that a strong feeling exists
through the country that the Govern |
ment Is dealing too leniently with spies
and dangerous enemies. the Attorney
/ General explained at length the eNten-
( sive work Of the Department Of Justice
In policing the country under war con
dltions.
/ lie emphasized the difficulties under
which the department is laboring, in
cludlng the lack Of necessary laws
under which to punish offenders.
"The public assumes" Mr.. Gregory
wrote, that there is a great deal Of
enemy activity going on in this country,
and II is but natural that vague rumors
are magnined into definite and sensa-
tional stories. The talk Of damage done
by enemy aliens IN causing lncendiary
fires Is an illustration Of this Repeat
edly both. I'm reputable newspapers and
I'm publications got out by citizen so
. cieties exaggerated statements are made
as TO the amount OF damage.
! statistics show that considering the
vastly increased value OF merchandise
! and plants, the actual fire loss to prop
! erty of an descriptions In 1917 was not
appreciably larger than that df the year
% OF 1918 Likewise. the report recently
81 made by the National Board Of Fire
. Underwriters shows in substance that
during the past year not one fre has
been clearly proved to be the work Of
- alien enemies.
AT recent conference In the Treas
Jury Department Of all Of the men in
all departments, charged with protection
Of plants and supplies IL was stated
without dissent that no instance was
known Of a fire caused within the past
v year by alien enemies"
The AttOrney-General suggested thai
1.-THE very necessity for keeping secrei
many Of the activities Of the department
, undoubtedly contributes 20 the i'm
y Il preston Of which you have complain
ed" and added:
1T would be absurd to say tina
~ every hostile act has been successful,
run down and the offender brought Il
7, punishment or that every enemy agen
Il or propagandist at work IN this coun
try has been discovered 4 do, however
y assert that every possible effort is be
l. Ing made 10 ferret out and punish ac
3 tlvitics OF this character and that tai
work in other departments as we'll a
&c my own is being done from day to da
~ with constantly increasing efficiency.
q, Long before we entered the war tn
~ Department recognized the necessity
IT, an efficient system for the preventio
Tx as well as the detection OF enemy a.
tivities and began at that time
so strengthen and build up its bureau
N, Investigation, which now for loI
re-. time has been operated on a war Dasi
s. In addition to this, the pepartmel
r. has accepted the services and to
)s, great extent surpervises the actviti
n az more than 100000 citizens
.ul proved loyalty, Systematically orga
lied throughout tho country as
IN. auxiliary TO the work Of the Depar
.ss ment II is a fair statement to 81
IN that the country has never been
M thoroughly pollced In Its history by u
ar Federal authorities as II is today.
In connection with enemy alien q
,ig tivltles you VIII recall that under q
M most conservative estimate there a
he I'm this country today more than 45
,,1 600 Germans. 6O0OOO Austrians and 40
-, 900 Hungarian enemy aliens, !. e.. u
|..
~, naturalized males upward OF Ia yea
-. of age. Estimating three to a fam
~ there would be within the Unit
i states about 100000 persons who
- either male enemy aliens or memb'
n. Of their families.
~ III You will bear in mind that
- have quite as much II not moro trc
~ bic with native and naturalized Anne
iOi cans as we have with enemy aliens y
'lll- VIII get some idea Of the magnitude
es- the work which daily confronts q
.,,5 department.
.lrd Most OF the disorder throughout
one country Is caused by the lack Of la
relating 20 dlsloyal utterances @
les gress did not pass the original espi
en- age act in the form in which my
b' partment prepared II, and section 3
tAe The law as passed by Congress
been the only weapon with which
Lay Government cold attack this danger'
on evil.
st ALTHOUGH the only clause OF sect
at 8 which has been Of value Is the
aimed 10 prevent obstruction OF
1ea listment and recruiting, my departm
1t 3 has succeeded under that one clause
lion securing the conviction Of more q
one 80 Offenders in different parts OF
res country ana IN obtaining lue imp
tion Of sentences. in some cases. OF
at teen and twenty years imprisonm
an 1T Is earnestly hoped that Cong
ran will act favorably upon legislation
lite, before it which will give the Cow
in ment adequate weapons with whicf
prevent the spread OF fragrant
the loyalty. ,
,am- Another serious deiect IN ule
j OF situation is the fact that there IS
law providing for the control Of
partures from or entries into
United states by persons other
those who are alien enemies.
"I need not say that so long as
AM Federal Government is impotent to
Avn press Industrial treason and disl
utterances. Just so long there vii
Doys danger Of disorder and there VIII
Deen steady increase in the feeling an
cam. the irresponsible Of disrespeet
iold- legally constituted authority"
r In
one DFAT MVNCTQEI MIIC