New Britain herald., 1921-08-26
WAR BROTHERS
 MAY ESCAPE LAW
Statute of Limitations, Unless Ey-
 tended, Bar to Prosecution

Washington, Aug. 26.-The admin istrations plan to prosecute the war profiteers as announced more than two months ago is in danger of col lapse by operation of the Statute of Limitations, which bars procedure in certain criminal cases after three years from the time of commission of the offense
 Legislation to meet the situation has been sought by Attorney General Daugherty. It is believed that most of the co ses in which action was con- templated occurred while the war was in progress. Comparatively few contracts were entered into after the armistice and those were unimpor- tant.
 Among cases which were recom- mended by the congressional investi- gating committee on war expenditures for action was that of the Standard Steel Car company, in which Secre- tary of the Treasury Mellon was for merly a leading director. It is not yet . definitely known if this is one of the cases in which the statute of Hnita- tions is already operative.
 Ire Graham committee recon- plended action also in regard to con tracts for the construction of Nitro, w. Va, and for furnishing toluol, salmon and other supplies. MT. Daugherty wants the statute of 1 limitations in criminal cases in creased from three to six years to | Gpplyi generally. Representative Gra- | ham (Rep., Ill.) introduced a bill Monday and the House Judiciary | Committee reported it favorably I Tuesday, but it failed of enactment | There is little chance now that it will 1 become law before Nov. II, and per naps not until the regular session in | December.
 The reason that no cases have been started it is said, has been the ina oility of the Department of Justice to get it's evidence together in tino~ '1,- following proviso is -pron~aco m the | Graham bill to bo added to the pres i ent law :
 sThat =n any offenses involving the defra,,4Ang or attempt to defraud the lTn.~od States or any agency thereof, whether by conspiracy or not, and in any manner and now indicta ble under any existing statute, the period of limitation shall be six years and, shall not begin to run until the fraudulent transa ctions' are known to this government. This act shall | apply to all offenses or transa ctions when the existing statute of limita- tions has not yet fully run up, but this provision shall no+. apply to acts, offerscs or transa ctions which are already jarred by the provisions of existing law
 According to MT. Graham there is the possibility that many cases are barred already, although he has not ! been informed as to their real status by the department
 If an Offense was committed after
 the' war begun and up to the time
 of the armistice it will be barred on
 Noy. IT, he said. fIf it arose after
 then and the extension of the law is
 adopted it will not be barred All cases that occurred before Aug 25
 1918, are now barred. They cannot
 be prosecuted The purpose of ex-
 tending this statute six years is no1
 for war crimes alone, but for al E crimes
 We could not go back with this
 amendment to cases that are already
 barred. Any law that would at.
 tempt to make the violators subject
 to punishment would be an expos 5 facto law, and therefore unconstitu- tional."