The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1922-10-30
Government
ill Push
L lol Suits
w.
.dornc, General Declare.
Intention Of Prosecuting
War Transactions Which
We're Dishonest.
Millions Are Involved
By GRAFTON WILCOX.
Untsbn lee I,sassd NIf,,


General Daughery declared that the
government purposes TO prosecute TO
the limit every one of the war trans.
actions IN which fraud or dishonesty
have been practiced. but appealed for
public patience while the government
s making sure of its evidence upon
which to take the war crooks into
eouu.
The attorney general made hs an.
nounecmont when there had been
presented 10 him memoranda from
The heads Of the various units Of the
war transaction section Of the De.
partmcnt Of Justice indicating that
preliminary Investigations into 425
wartime contracts had disclosed eVl.
dence upon which the government
must take action.
Many Suits Necessary.
In every one Of these i25 cases IL
was officially declared. either civll or
criminal suits must be brought by the
government. and IN many cases both
viii be necessary II the government
is TO recover even u part OF the fab
ulous sums paid out ~ n result Of
fraudulent or improperly executed
contracts
The cuscs of Questionable trans.
actions" as the Department Of jus.
/ tIce refers 10 them. are now being
worked up by special attorneys at
! tached TO the war transactions sec-
/ ton or by United states attorneys In
various parts Of the country.
4 The majority of them, approx.
mately $50 cases, were said 10 have
/ originated IN the War department,
while the Navy department trans.
mItted 10 the Department OF Justice
nearly 70 cases. the shipping board
4 80 and something like 30 cases came
from miscellaneous federal agencies
and bureaus which functioned during
/ the war.
/ Legal Action Planned.
Attorney General Daugherty, who
with members Of the advisory council
OF the war transactions section, Judge
! Charles Kerr, Judge i. M. Bigger and
former Senator Thomas and the six
assistant attorneys general, had exH
amined and re.examined the evidence
thus far accumulated by those Of
llcials who have spent months inyes.
/ tigating the various cases, said to-
night:
Legal civil action will be taken In
every case In which 1t has been dis
covered that fraud, collusion and dis
honesty were praeticed. While great
numbers OF cases indicate on their
face the worst kind Of fraud and
thievery, the government cannot, OF
course, go into court until it has es-
tabllshed absolutely on the face of
records In It's possession that its case
will stand the acid test. The govern
ment must be fair to itself and fair
To those whom it would brand az
crooks and profiteers, yet every sin
gle individual, firm or corporation, in
volved in the cases not within the pos
session Of the department, must salts
fy the governments claims to the last
penny
Pushing Work.
A memorandum to Mr.. Daugherty
from the advisory council signed by
Judges Kerr and Bigger and Senator
Thomas stated:
THE advisory council feels it has,
in the short time since it was organ
zed pushed the work, over which it
has had supervision, with all possible
celerity. At the outset there We're sub
mitted to us. approximately 400 cases
growing out of war transactions.
Practically all Of these cases have
been digested under our direction. We
have placed ourselves, in addition, in
communication with the various dis
trict attorneys throughout the United
States and have ascertuined the exact
status of each claim growing from the
war which has been hitherto trans
terred To them.
In addition To this work, We have
been IN constant consultation with the
attorneys ln these sections having in
charge a large number Of important
actions. civil and criminal and as
result of our joint eud,avors quito "a
number ~ suits. involving many ul
lions ot dollars have been instituted
lu various Jurisdictions and quite "a
large number ~ like importance ART
now IN process u preparation aud Will
suon be filel Meantime sattlsments
have been made in quite few iH.
stances vithmt sn,tf and adjustments
made In actions altady pending the
totals amoWline to svN,a hnuafd
thou-aud dnlltrs tn Tie Hssrrstfv