Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-05-29
BUREAUCRATIC
SENATOR TO AID ATTY,
GENERAL IN FRAUDS

Washington, May Is Attorney
General Daugherty announced today
the appointment of former Senator
Charles S. Thomas of Colorado. a
Democrat, as one of the special
assistants to the attorney general to
aid in the prosecution of 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
constitute a board of review, Ito de-
termine whether to proceed with or
abandon suits according to the prob
ability of success.
MIR. Thomas, the attorney general
said, will sit with him on this tri-
bunal together with such other
special counsel as have been or may
be employed in the different cases as
they come up for consideration, SO
that there will be at all times COM
plete and thorough cnertlization or
departmental knowledge with re-
spect 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 /.
Mr.. Hoover will be associated with
United States Attorney Peyton Cord
Of the District of Columbia and in
effect will be a second district at
torney ION account of the double
work in the District Of Column ia re-
quirink an additional grand jury and
additional court service, and two
court attorneys"
Mr.. Hoover and Mr.. Gordon. the
announcement said will work on the
fraud cases with equal authority.
Mr.. Thomas will bring to the de-
, partment of justice, Mr.. Daugherty
said, IAN unusual and exact eXper-
fence 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 aspects
District Attorney Gordon and Mr..
Hoover will coordinate their actlvl-
ties in lyaying before the special war
frauds grand jury cases which fall
within the VENUE of the District of
Columbia, Mr.. Daugherty said.
There are criminal cases growing
out of some of these war contracts,
while others have only the civil
phase" Mr.. Daugherty's statement
said. I'm connection with cases hay
ing both civil and criminal phases.
Mr.. Gordon will have charge of the
criminal side and will assist in the
civil cases where they interlock. In
this connection, Assistant Attorney
General John w. II. Grim, who has
charge of the criminal branch as as
sistant attorney general of the Unit
cd States, will also participate"
Concerning the creation of the de-
partment's board of review, Mr..
Daugherty said
In reaching decisions as to pro-
Ceeding with cases or abandoning the
claims. the government will proceed
only in those cases in which it has
reasonable expectation of winning, in
order that no excessive cost of liti-
cation may be incurred. 1t is the
intention Of the department to re-
duce litigation as much as possible,
to prepare all the cases as thorough
~ as possible, and to expedite the
business. The preparation of the
cases will, of course, be exceedingly
important, as the department ma
turally realizes that the government
will have arrayed against it some
of the greatest lawyers in the Unit
cd States. XN X. All of the crimi-
nal cases will be most carefully pre-
pared and discussed before this board
from the point of view of the pro-
liability of conviction.