The Connecticut labor news., 1922-05-12
Investigator Who Probed Loot ing of Treasury by Contractors and Others Comes Back at Chief in Caustic Terms Follow ing Discharge.
By CHARLES M. KELLEY.


 of the nastiest messes uncovered al
 Washington for some time has to do with the Department of Justice
 From it cmerges the ghost of war grating, which, like the ghost at the banquet, refuses to stay put"
 The circumstances, as they have developed, are about as follows: Certain members of Congress, notably Representative Woodruff, of Michigan, and Representative John l son, ot South Dakota, have not been | sat1shed with the way cases against men and corporations who arc charged with having footed the gov ernment are being handled by the Department of Justice. Conducting an investigation in their own behalf, 1 they have unearthed, as they claim, a very serious and quite discreditable state of apathy on the part of federal prosecuting officers toward persons of prominence who, if they were given their deserts, according to Woodruff and Johnson. would now be serving long terms in pententi- 1 aries.
 Recently Woodruff and Johnson | laid before Congress what they said was clear-cut case of neglect of the public interest. They made allega- ] tions affecting the department of Alt tions affecting the department of At ] torney General Daugherty that made the members gasp with amezement These were to the effect that big crooks were getting immunity and 1 that conspiracy was afoot to keep l the public from getting the facts. Attorney General Daughertys only to summarily fire an agent of his de- partment, Maj w. o. Watts, who is said to have supplied information to Representatives Woodruff and John son uponwhich they made their pre- sentation to Congress. Attorney Gen eral Daugherty justified this action with the statement that 1t was flor the good of the service" and declared that Watts had been guilty of dis loyalty" Representative Johnson took occasion to bring this incident to the attention of Congress. He said that Watts had served his coun- try jn three wars, and that some time ago, while employed with the De- partment of Justice, "he was offered commission as major in the army if he would ct up with certain prose- cutionS."
 It seems that Watts is not the ct up kind. His reply to Attorney Gen eral Daugherty is about as pointed rebuke as a. former subordinate ever administered to superior.
 If you are at all informed on the departtmental affairs of your high office" said Watts to Daugherty, you facts that I have devoted more than two years to loyal and faithful efforts to protect the interests of the gov ernment, when a combination of cer- tain government officials and other common crooks have been assaulting and raiding the public treasury on a scale so gigantic as to be almost un- believable."
 Watts said that he was required by oath to protect the public interest when 1t was assailed by crooks of big and little degree, and that he offered no apologies for having lived up to his obligation. "The record is clear" he added, 'and will show that organ ized interests are footing the govern ment, and no man can charge me with a breach of trust so far as the interests of the people are concerned"
 The records seems to be perfectly clear that Watts was not discharged for "disloyalty to the government" but for "disloyalty to the service" He had talked to members of Congress and given them information that placed the Department of Justice in an embarrassing situation. He had revealed some facts of the stupendous grating that was rife during and since the war, and his prompt re- moval probably will be a warning to other subordinates that it IS the wise course to keep still tongue on this taboo subject
 Watts offending was in giving Congressman Woodruff and Johnson evidence gathered by him tending to prove:
 I. That hundreds of contractors had overcharged the government, i'll many instances getting away with millions of dollars
 ?. That army officers had assisted in the footing process, and that many whose guilt could not be questioned had been retained in the service and promoted.
 3. That in the sale of surplus sup plies after the war there is reason to | believe the governments losses may be reCkoned by hundreds of milloins, l and that much of this is directly 1 traceable to army officers who had l charge of the transactions.
 4. That the facts proving these l statements have been turned over to l the Harding administration.
 5. That up to date Daugherty has | done practically nothing to prosecute | the guilty.
 An Old Tale.
 The tale is an older one than it l seems, and there is much more back | of the dismissal than appears on the 1 surface.
 Some understanding of Major Watts real position may be had when 1t IS recalled that he is the man re sponsible for exposing the abuses in connection with army sales contracts. l As an army officer he tried in the |