New-York tribune., 1922-05-18
Terms Appointment Blum.
der and Advises Govern
ment to Get Real Law.
ycrs to Push Fraud Cases
Calls New Round-J7n
Joke to the Crooks
Charges Attorney General
Fritters Away Evidence
of OfLOckwOod Committee

ihe worst plunder made by Pres;-
dent Harding was the appointment Of
Harry NJ. Daugherty as Attorney Cen
era, Samuel Untermyer, counsel 10
the Lockwood housing committee as
serted last night in an address before
the Dunwoodie Lodge of Freemasons at
Masonic Temple in Yonkers.
Mr. Untermyer spoke on the subject
OF Law Enforcement Against Big and
Little Criminals severely criticizinp
the Administration for what he charac-
terized as its "incAicency" in hunting
down and prosecuting the "bg Grim
nals'-trusts and war contract prof
iteers.
"If, under the guidance Of the At
torney General.' said Mr.. Untermycr,
these war frauds are exposed as rap
idly and effectively as he has acted in
the trust cases that have been handed
to HIM, the sooner the Administration
employs real lawyers and selects an
other agency for the purpose the
better.
Calls Him "Hopelcssly Unfit
"He is hopelessly untitled by training
ard temperament for that great Office,
which is in many respects the most i'm
portant. a 8 it is the most powerful, in
the government next to that Of the
President. Ii peculiarly requires a
great lawyer, q trained executive and
man free from political contact or
environment
"The idea Of placing at the head of
that department, Of all others, a
political manager as connecting link
business fairly makes ones blood boil.
no matter who the man may be. 1t is
above all others the place that should
not have been used to pay political
debts or to reward the claims Of friend
ship or in recognition of personal con-
fidence or good will, A President who
is lawyer would not have done it,
That appointment has put its stamp
on the present Admin istration.'
Referring to the sase with which
g called Mig 1igals" slip through
the clutches OF The law, he said it wss
mot an exaggerated figure of speech
tice has broken down." adding that
the reproach Of the unequal enforce
mtnt OF the laws as between rich and
poor is not without an element Of
justice"
MI. Urtermycr drew the parallel be-
tween the hasty treatment Of the Glow
ly criminal" during the recent prey
alence of violent CRIME and the tyne
of justice metcd out TO the wealthy
person or corporation. He cited the
case Of New York judge. who boasted
OF having imposed sentences aggregnt-
ing 230 years "as days work we'll
IL 4 4
ord Of the ocal]cd sugar trust case"
in which & dissolution decree has Just
been entered about twelve years after
the suit was begun.
Charges Federal Delay
1t was during his discussion Of the
so-called open-price trade associa tions
uncovered by the Lockwood committee
curing its investigation Of the housing
situation that the Attorney General
drew the fire Of the counsel Mr.. I'm
termyer told how muoil evidence with
respect to some OF the "big criminals"
involved had been handed over 10 the
Department Of Justice for action
."1t is more than year since these
cases were brought to the attention Of
the Department of Justice" he said.
The preliminary proofs in support OF
them had been gathered by the COM
E
less than p half dozen Of them. There
are dozen or more important ones on
which the department has taken no
action whatever.
"Meantimc. the statute Of limitations
is running against these offcnses; the
witnesses and proofs are scattering,
and the chances OF successful action
are diminishing day by day.
II DO not mean by this attack on
these so-called trade associations to
include tho honest, legitimate ones.
The latter constitute, should say,
about 60 per cent Of all trade asso-
Citations and have been of great aid
TO honest competitive business.
Good Ones Need No Guidance
"-rhe distinguishing feature Of these
laudable and public-sririted channels
q cooperative effort Is that their
i4a',tc, s',io :s no confined to par
'tct'9S irAystlF. I. * necessary for
them to invoke the aid or advice of
tue Secretary Of Commerce or OF the
department OF Justice or Of any other
public body TO determine what they can
or cannot lawfully do to keep them
'prayerfully within the Law OF 10 guide
them through the twilight zone be-
tween legality and illegality. nor is 1t
proper for Cabinet officer to assume
Continues pas. four