Norwich bulletin., 1922-05-29
Tribunal Fol Mar
Fraud Prosecution
Appointed to Decide Whether
to Proceed With or Aban-
don Suits, According to
Probability of Success.

Washington, May 2S.-Attornev-Gen-
erai Daugherty announced TODAY the an
pointment of former Senator Charles s.
Thomas, of Colorado, a DEMOCRAT. as
one OF the special assistants to the at
rney-general to aid in the prosecution
or war frauds together with that of
George P. Hoover, Of this city. At the
same time Mr.. Daugherty announced the
creation of "a special tribunal within the
department of justice, which will consti-
tute board of review" to determine
whether to proceed with or abandon suits
according to the probability of sue
cess.
Mr.. Thomas. the attorney general said,
will sit with him on this tribunal, "to-
gether with such other special counsel
as have been or may be employed in the
different cases as they come up for con-
sideration, SO that there will be at all
times a complete and thorogh central
ization of departmental knowledge with
respect to every step that is taken, or
is contemplated, in the preparation of
these war contract cases" The former
| senator will begin his duties June l.
Mr.. Hoover will be associated with
United States Attorney Peyon Gordon
of the District of Columbia, and in effect
will be a second district attorney "on
account of the double work in the Dis
trlct Of Columbia requiring an addition
al grand jury and additional court SER
vice, and two court attorneys" Mr..
Hoover and Mr.. Gordon. the announce
ment said, will work on the fraud cases
with equal authority.
/ Mr.. Thomas will bring to the depart
ment of justice, Mr.. Daugherty said
"an unusual and exact experience in
| precisely those matters which will now
come before him in his new capacity,
some OF the most important phases Of
his work while in the senate having dealt
with these matters in some of their as
pects.
'Thehe are criminal cases growing out
of some of these war contracts, while
others have only the civil phase Mr.
Daugherty's statement said. IN connec
tion with cases having both civil ant
criminal phases Mr.. Gordon will hay,
charge of the criminal side and will as
sist in the civil phases. Mr. Gordon vii
have charge of the criminal side ant
viii assist in the civil cases where the.
interlock In this connection. Assistan
Attorney General John W. H Grim whiel
ireputation has lorg been established i
criminal cases and who has charge of tll
criminal branch as assistant district at
Etorney general of the United States, al
. / O will participate. He has done mucl
work for several months past in con
nection with several of the more import
ant cases. He will also assist in tn
!, |. presentation of the various cases befor
the grand juries in the District of Colun
bia and in some important cases else
! where
Concerning the reation of the de
), partment's S board of review, Mr.. Daugh
t erty said:
o. I'm reaching decisions as to proceed
e ings with cases or abandoning the claim
the government will proceed only in thos
; cases in which it has reasonable es
t. pectation of winning, in order that n
a excessive cost of litigation may be incul
: red It is the intention of the depart
+ lment to reduce litigation as much a
3 possible to prepare all the cases q
i thoroughly as possible and to expedit
i the business. The preparation Of tt
cases will of course be exceedingly in
e porSant as the department naturally
8 realizes that the government will hay
:, arrayed against it some of the greatel
o lawyers in the United States.
e All of the criminal cases will be mo
carefully prepared and discussed befol
u thf board from the point of view OF Il
probe bility of conviction.
"All of the assistant attorneys gner
now in the department have from time
time been more or less connected wit
7 J some phases OF. the work upon whit
u u the department is now engaged. Tht
will work with the attorney-general al
= Senator Thomas in connection with tho
. cases with which they have been mo
Z | closely identified
Z I'm addition to being a constructs
,e statesman and lawyer Of widely. re
" ognized ability, Senator Thomas posses
Il es an intimate knowledge of the mo
< important phases Of the war contrae
-e cases.
p, AS a member Of the military atfal
committee of the United States SCI
m ate he was chairman of asub-committ
rs which conducted a separate Investigate
e .:.-.-o ~ -1rod1JefinU