The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-13
GREGORY TELLS
SECRET SERVICE
WAR ACTIVITIES
Attorney General Tells How
Foe Agents Were Caught,
DiSlOyalty Suppressed and
Dangerous Germans Held.


Dangerous Germans Held.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.-The story
Of how enemy agents have been caught,
disloyalty suppressed. draft slaCkeTs
apprehended, dangerous Germans in
termed. explosions and other sabotage
prevented. and enemy secrets ferreted
out for use against their armies abroad, |
was given to the public today in At
report. Through a great corps OF de
partment Of justice civil officers. secret
agents and citizen volunteers, this big
job OF policing has been accomplished, |
said the encouragement, with a mini
mum disturbance to the normal life OF
communities, and with constant effort |
10 avoid enCroachinR on freedom OF
speech, action and political criticism.
Referring TO enforcement OF the
espionage act, Gregory said;
This department throughout the wal
has proceeded upon the general prln-
ciple 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 gov
, eNmental policy and the right Of polit-
icaS agitation are the most iunda-
mentN rights In a democracy.
At tNe same time, the attorney gen. |
eral exclaimed, the department. had
tried to deal severely with propaganda
having 6f a deliberate purpose IhG
ulelnLNETtAlbA Va NV N'NbN 81 '''
"One Of the distinct achievements Of
the American people he said, has
, been the maintenance of order, the
comparative failure OF enemy activities
and. sheakinE broadly. the general self. |
control ann self-restam N exhibited
throughout the country in critical STU
atoms" 49,,
only 5000 energy aliens have been ar
rested on presidential warrants and
examined with n view to ~ihternineht
and that "a co Osiderable number OF
these have been placed In internment
camps administers by the army, The
balance were pa plled. Most enemies
interned were Ger man men, and there
were comparatively, few German women
or Austro- Hungaripns, About 4So,Voo
Germans have been registered In me
nationwide census -26D ,OOU men ana
gao, 900 women.
Round Up SlaclSers.
lin 10 last July /, department Of JUS
tice Investigators had rounded up 2J,-
439 Young men who sought To escape
the draft, and had eau ed Their ihduc-
ton into the service. More mar wv,
600 cases of men who itOr some reason
or other had failed to- file question
MARES or to appear for physical exam
q nation were investigated.
Looking forward to peace conditions,
the attorney-general makes u muInpTl
Of recommendations lor reform OF Judl-
cial processes, Although. he referred 10
the difficulty Of flushing anlltFuSl
prosecutions during The war since me
government itself has been IN the pus'-
ness OF Fuppressing competition, ne
made no suggestions for new antitrust
legislation which com Gress IL expected
TO undertake soon.
War activities CLAIM led the principal
p~ortions Of the repot {, and aiter re
ferring to the growul Of the depart
ment's secret service to SIX times us
size in 1916. and tho efficient organ
iEation OF tho Amg rican Protective
Gregory said: ia
N is safe to say that never IN its
history has this counAry been so thor
oughly policed as at the present time
IN. lapse OF time. 10 a lsclose fully the
actiyities of these van Gus secret ser
vices. their work will F and out as one
Of the substantial acht4' vements OF the
war"
Hints Of AN American espionage sys
tenn were given in the statement thai
the secret services IA ve given pro
lection not only to the Civilian popula1
tion. but TO the armad forces, ana
some OF their activities have also re-
suited in direct damage to the enemy
forces abroad
Courts Sufficient.
Great stress was laid on the sui
ficiency Of normal civil processes ana
the needlessness OF attempting TO in
woke the use OF military trlouiS''s III
this country
ment, &" the at~torney-generpl said, that
every net Of arbitrary and unnecessary
Interference with the life, habits AND
occupation Of the citizen, would lessen
efficiency. disturb order and wetken
public confidence IN the American
standards OF justice,
He added that he had emphasized
this view on other government Depart
mentg, resulting ION n number or oc-
CaHIons in preventing enCtoachnrents
upon the Jurisdiction Of the civil
tribunals of the country.
This was considered sig niftcant In
view Of the United states Ehiltty to
maintain the normal functioping OF or
binary government machinery 70, a
much greater extent than other bellig-
erents. ~
The governments internmEnt policy
also has been more lenicnt Nhan those
OF England and France, the attorney
%aenerai stated, and the efficacy of tho
methods and principles are evidenced
by the good order generally maintained.
"SystematiC dtsloyal propaganda be.
came a failure during the first year ol
the war" he said, shortly after our
entry into the war this propaganda,
supported chiefly by those Influences
and organizations which 4 opposed
the declaration Of war, manifested itsel
in distinct opposition to the adoption
and operation of the selective service
act, but this type Of propaganda waS
almost Immediately suppressed and de
atroyed. II was followed by NANTES
tatIons Of propaganda of AN econoGnit
and social character, clearly supported
in the main, by sympnthiEerT WITH tht
enemy powers. This general typa O
~prcpaganda reached Ms height in tn,
autumn of 1917, but gained, no grea
Roadway and was declining ny Jan. |
1918. Various other types of propa
Canda have appeared systematically, bu
none Of them have gained amy substan
ttial footing, aud II may be carly salt
that prior to July |, 1918, theN effort o
German sympathizers in tho field o
disloyal propaganda had almost com
,rietely failed
bCitizens Hinder Work,
The department has been hampere
IN suppressing propaganda, said tn
acknowledgement. by self appointe
lcommittees or associations o citizens
who, ignorant of or dissatisfied %it
the scope OF the federal laws, or 1urts
diction. have sought to supplemer
them by extra-legal measures Of intin'
idation and punishment. Another ham
pering influence was the Disseminate
Of hundreds of unfounded reports re
lating to use of poison gas by enem
aRents, ground glass in food and dan
are TO Red Cross supplies,
Referring to difficulties with men
hers OF the l. W. W, ~pseudo socia.
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