Norwich bulletin., 1918-06-18
Startling Exposure
 of War PrOfiteering
MAY FOLLOW RAIDS MADE BY
 FEDERAL AGENTS
WIDE CONSPIRACY
Raids Were Made on Hundreds of Manufaeturers' Business Offices, In- cIuding Some in Hartford, New Britain, Bridgeport, Danbury, Meri- den and MddIetown.

Washington, June r. = A tation wide conspiracy between manufactur- .ers and contractors agents in Wash inGton to solicit government war or ders under an agreement to pay com missions illegally to the agents was disclosed today by the department of justice.
 Hundreds of Raids Made.
 Simultaneously with the announce ment, raids were made on hundreds of manufa cturers' business offices throughout the United States n search Of papers showing the scope of the il- legal practice, and four Boston busi- ness men were indicted in Washington on charges of acting as contingent fee agents.
 Even before the results of the raid were fully reported here tonight, of ficials indicated they had evidence that scores, perhaps hundreds of contracts, have been made with manufacturers who were under pledge to turn over i to contract commission agents in i Washington and New York and else- where a percentage of their profits. Agents Claimed Special Influence. Officials said the manufacturers were 1 led to enter into the agreements by as- surances of the agents that they had
 special influence with army officers or
 others in charge of letting contracts
 and under threat to use that influence
 against the manufacturers. Evidence was said to have been secured that some of the agents already have made their thousands in comm. ssion fees.
 Baker to Investigate.
 This development led to investiga- | nf bn lot hot -f1i
 army officers and these agents and al-
 though there is no definite indication that these officers are knowingly in-
 volved in the conspiracies, Secretary Baker is making a thorough investiga
 ton in cooperation with the depart
 ment of justice ond tonight authorizef
 the statement that he would go to tht
 bottom of suspicious cases. Secretary
 Daniels also is keeping in close toucl / with the investigation and the whol'
 situation has been called to the atten ton, of President Wilson and his cab ' inet.
 Contracts May Be AnnulIed.
 The commission agents guilty 9 these illegal practices will be prose cuted under conspiracy statutes, an,
 all contracts made by them or wit their aid are subject to annuinent b , the government
 II Ramif1cations of the plot may lea , i shortly to. other disclosures as sensa tional as those of today, when secre l | agents of the department of justice 7 bureau of investigation entered office F of several hundred business firm!
 showed their badges of authority an ) spent several hours going through let } ter files searching for document
 which might shed light on contingen r fee contracts. Eleven offices in Wash ) ington were raided at the same tim f and a great mass of papers of contrac g agents was carried away.
 : Raids in Connecticut. Other cities in which raids wer : made include New York, Boston, Jer
 sey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgl , Providence. Hartford, Conn. Ne !, Britain, Bordertown, N. J.. Bridgepor - Camden, N. J., Danbury, Conn.,, Farm
 i ingdale, N j., Freedom. Pa, FNullerto
 Pa, Hagerstown, Md. Harrison, N. ]
 hferiden, Conn.,. Mddletown, Conn e Middletown, Pa.
 t Indictment Returned. { At almost the same hour that tF s raids that the raids were made fec . eral grand jury in Washington It e turned indictments charging conspirs CJ tO OUldlH COHlIdClS uuu0E IH6 s contingent fee plan, against Joh O Fleming. former water commissions q of Boston; John T Cavanaug
 Eugene Sullivan and Joseph Kohn, a
 of Boston. These men, it is charge
 worked together in a mysterious il ,< volved manner, persuading manufat ' turers to pay them commissions ( contra cts they obtained, representa- X that, they had special influence wi
 certain unnamed army officers. and
 some cases actually procuring the col Y. tracts and receiving their fees. :, At Liberty Under Bonds. |, It was officially announced tn h these men were detected in their n h gotiations with B. A. Bittan. preside L. of the Quaker City Rain Coat Con .- pany, Philadelphia, who worked wi " government agents in gathering ev l. dence against them. They were arres s7 ed in Washington recently and a 1r now at liberty under bond. The go r. ernment will make theirs a test cas 4. meanwhile taking action against ot ,e CTS susected of similar tactics. $.
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