Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-06-16
WAR OPENING ON
THE WAR CRATER
NEW DIVISION IN DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE BEGINS ITS I'M.
MENSE TASK.
SPECIAL GRAND JURY MEETS
rirms' Corporations and individuals
Who Attempted to Defraud he Gov.
eminent Are Now Due to Be Ex-
posed and Punished.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

BY EDWARD 8. CLARK
WaShjngton.-The new war contract
division organized in the Department
of Justice has begun its work. Its
duty will be to investigate and, where
Tie evidence is sufficient, to prosecute
cases against what briefly and PERTAINS
graphically may be called war graft
eTS.
A special grand jury has just met
il Washington To consider the eases
oil grating protteers. The country
Knows by this time what the attorney
general has promised To do about the
prosecution of firms, corporations and
individuals against which and whom
there is evidence leading TO fair pre-
sumption that they attempted to de
fraud the government during the prog
resS Of the war.
Virtually every official in the cap
ital today realizes. and says so. that
there would be no necessity for pros
ecution Of war protiteers, FOR would
there be any bonus bill to worry the
country if logical course had been
f'"hHtSA az iAiC IlittG men TIE uE1ll
law was framed Men, regardless of
politics, say today that If capital la
hor. and everything and everybody
else had been conscripted, just as the
soldiers were conscripted, the financial
ana court troubles of the United States
would be less today by ut least IS
per cent.
There is q vast amount Of work TO
be done by the new war contract divi-
sion of the attorney generals Office
All sorts OF frauds against the govern
ment have been charged. Il is said
thar concerns Of various kinds made
enormous profits. not only by over
charges but by skimping work and by
doing other things which not only
robbed the country, but imperiled the
lives Of its soldiers
Some Profteers Can't Be Reached.
There are profiteers of other kinds
Who probably cannot be reached by
the hand of the law There were men
and concerns who took advantage Of
TIE general war conditions to over
charge the ordinary consumers OF the
land for the necessaries of life, and
also for its Injuries. for during the
time of high wages for American work
men and low wages for American
fighters, persons who never INDUCED
in luxuries before struggled to get
piaces at the sales counters.
Tie writer of this was told at one
time by n merchant that he had sold
thousands of luxuries 10 girl workers
In munition factories. and that his
business had been booming, and that
therefore he felt he could afford AT
last to take life extremely easy, at
least for a season. 1t may not have
been that this man was a protIeer in
the ordinary sense, for possibly he
made small profit only on each drti-
Gle sold, but the fact that high wages
were paid enabled certain workers 10
buy for themselves many .uyuries,
some Of which probably were useless.
After every war seemingly there
must be a harvest Of scandal. In the
old days the country heard of wormy
biscuits, shoddy blankets, embamed
beef and various other commodities
for which the taxpayers paid in money
and the soldiers paid in priyations.
1t seems likely that before the at
torney generals Office gets through
with its work this land Will have
learned much about what some of its
citizens did to feather their nests while
other citizens We're going up against
machine gun nests in the forest of
the Argonne.
Disclosures May Be Startling.
Washington does not know whether
or not a harvest of results is TO be
reaped by the hands of the attorney
general and of his many new prosecut-
ing assistants, but the promise has
been made that wherever the evidence
is sufficient to present a case for
grating against the government, the
case will be presented and prosecuted
to the limit.
The country may as well make IT.
self ready to receive some highly in
teresting disclosures. The charges Of
graft and 2rofiteering have been made
daily since the country entered the
war in April, 1917 It now is to be
learned probably If the charges have
been justified by the facts The sol
diers who fought at a dollar day
are particularly Interested in learning
whether the gentlemen who took their
ease at home also were taking their
toll ont Of the peoples purses.
1t is recognized generally that the
nIeanest CRATER is the war CRATER.
Every time that he puts out bad arti-
Gle when he is supposed to put out
good one, and is paid for good one
he puts in jeopardy not only the
safety Of his country, but the lives Of
its soldiers. PROTECTING, ms the word
suggests. was profitable, It now il to
be found ont whether or not It Is 70
be unpunishable,
Literary Gem From a Consul.
1t is not the custom today. as