The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-06
WORK OF DEPARTMENT OF
 JUSTICE REVEALED
Gregory Tells How Big Job of Policing Nation Dur ing War Period Has
 Been Accomplished

Washington, December 5.-The story of disloyalty suppressed, draft slackers ap- prehended, dangerous Germans interned, explosions and other sabotage prevented, and enemy secrets ferretted out for use against their armies abroad, was given to the public today in Attorney General T. w. Gregory's annual report. Through a great corps of department of justice civil officers, secret agents and citizen volunteers, this big job of policing has
 been accomplished, said the Attorney General, with a minimum disturbance to the normal life of communities, and with constant effort to avoid encroach- ing on freedom of speech, action and political criticism.
 Referring to enforcement of the espi- onage act, Mir. Gregory said:
 This department throughout the war has proceeded upon the general principle that the constitutional right of free speech, free assembly and petition exist in war time as in peace time, and that the right of discussion of governmental policy and the right of political agita- tion are the most fundamental rights in democracy
 At the same time, the Attorney Gen. eral explained, the department had tried to deal severely with propaganda hav- ing for a deliberate purpose the disin- tegration of the country's war strength
 One of the distinct achievements of the American people," he said. "has been the maintenance of order the compara- tive failure of enemy activities and speaking broadly. the general self-con- trol and self-restraint exhibited through out the country in critical situations.
 5000 ALIENS ARRESTED
 The Attorney General disclosed that only 6oo0 enemy aliens have been arrest ed on presidential warrants and exam ined with view to internment, and that "a considerable number" of these have been placed in internment camps by the army. The balance were paroled. Most enemies interned were German men, and there were compara lively few German women or Austro- Hungarians. About 4S0,0O0 Germans have been registered in the nationwide cen sus-260,0O0 men and 22o,0O0 women.
 Up to last July 1 department of justice had rounded up 23, 3,439 young men who sought to escape the draft, and had caused their induction into the service. More than 22o,00O cases of men who for some reason or other had failed to file questionnaires or to appear for physical examination were investigated.
 Looking forward to peace conditions the Attorney General makes a number of recommendations for reform of judi cial processes. Although he referred to the difficulty of pushing antitrust prose- cutions during the war, since the govern ment itself has been in the business of competition, he made no sug- fpr antitrust 1pUiSia tinD which Congress is expected to undertake soon.
 War activities claimed the principal portions of the report, and after refer ring to the growth of the departments secret service to six times tits size in 1916, and the efficient organization of the American Protective league of 25o,- 900 citizen volunteers, MT. Gregory said.
 THOROUGHLY POLICED
 Tt is safe to say that never in its history has this country been so thor oughly policed as at the present time.
 When it becomes possible, through the lapse of time, to disclose fully the ac- tivities of these various secret service their work will stand out as one of the 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"
 Tt has been the view of this depart ment,'' the Attorney General said, that every act of arbitrary and unnecessary with the life, habits and oc- cupation of the citizen would lessen eff iciency, disturb order and weaken pub lie confidence in the American stand ards of justice"
 He added that he had emphasized this view on other government departments Ion a number of occasions in encroachments upon the juris- aiction of the civil tribunals of the coun- try"