Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1922-11-03
j. s. WILL ACT
IN WAR FRAUDS
ATToRNEY-GENERAL DAuoHERTY
PROMISES TO PROSECUTE
SUITS TO LIMIT
REExAMINES ALL EVIDENCE
Investi cations In 425 Contracts Reveal
connivn5 Efforts to Rob Govern
ment, Says Daugherty-Push
Criminal Suits.

Washington. - Attorney General
Daugherty declared that the govern
ment purposes to prosecute to the
limit everyone of the war transac-
tions in which fraud or dishonesty
has been practiced. but appealed for
public patience while the government
is making sure of it's evidence upon
which to take the war crooks into
court.
The attorney general made his an
nouncement when there had been
presented to him memoranda from
the heads OF the various units OF the
war transaction section of the de-
partment of justice indicating that
preliminary Investigations into AIS
war time contracts had disclosed evi-
dence upon which the government
must take action.
In every one of these 425 cases it
was officially declared, either civil
or criminal suits must be brought by
the government, and in many cases
both will be necessary if the gov
ernment is to recover even a part OF
fabulous sums paid out as result
of fraudulent or improperly executed
contracts.
1.-THE balance of questionable" con-
tracts, as the department Of justice
refers to them, are now being work
ed up by special assistants to the
| war transactions section or by United
States attorneys in various parts Of
the country.
The majority of them approximate
| ly $50 cases, were said to have orig
| mated in the war department, while
the navy department transmitted to
the department of justice nearly 20
cases the shipping board so, and
something like 80 cases came from
miscellaneous federal agencies and
bureaus which functioned during the
war.
Attorney General Daugherty, who
with members of the advisory council
of the war transactions section, Judge
Charles Kerr. Judge T. M. Bigger
and former Senator Thomas and the
six assistant attorney generals. had
examined and re-examined the evil
dence thus far accumulated by those
officials who have spent months in
vestigating various cases, said
Legal civil action will be taken in
every case ia which it has been dis
covered that fraud collusion or dis
honesty was practiced. while great
numbers of cases indicate on their
face the worst kind OF fraud and
thieyery, the government, of course,
cannot go into court until it has ss-
| tablisheG absolutely on the face OF
records in its possession that its case
will stand the acid test. The govern
ment must be fair to ITSELF and fair
| even to those whom 1t would brand
as crooks and profiteers; yet every
single individual, firm or corporation
involved in the cases now in the pos.
session of the department must sat
isfy the governments claim to the
last penny.
"In addition to this work, we have
been in constant consultation with the
attorneys in this section having in
charge large number Of importan'
actions. civil and criminals. and as q
result of our own joint endeayors
l'quite a number OF suits, involving
many millions Of dollars. have beer
instituted in various jurisdictions ant
quite a large number Of like impor
tance are now in process of prepare
ton and will soon be filed. Mean
time settlements have been made il
quite few instances. without suit
and adjustments made in actions al
ready pending the totals amountin,
to several hundred thousand dollars
in the aggregate"