The Washington times., 1922-06-23
Alien CHIEF IS .
UNDER ATTACK
DE- WOODRUFF
.. o. P. Congressman Flags
Rule Of Custodian Miller
for Delay IN Inquiry.
~ UnivsrsaI service,

Charging that much OF the NAL
odorous scandal of the alien prop,
erty custodian's office, under A.
Mitchell Palmer and Francis p.
Garvan, ID continuing under Col.
Thomas w. Miller, the present
custodian, Congressman Roy o.
Woodruff (Repl of Michigan de-
nianded in the House yesterday an
investigation Of the entire admin
istration of the office.
Calls Facts ShamfuL
Congressman woodruff was CO.
author with his ex-service colleague.
Congressman Royal G. Johnson. Re
publican, OF South Dakota, OF the
recent resolution for an investiga-
ton Of war frauds. The Republican
leaders In the House killed that ef-
fort. or the new fight. woodruff
said: ~ tI
There is only one, good reason
that occurs to me Ut this time why
we should not investigate these mat
ters, and that is that the facts are
too shameful to be, exposed TO pub
lie view"
sReciting numerous instances of
alleged rnaladrntnistration by the
former custodlans. the Michigan sol.
dier -Congressman added.
".It was the duty Of the present
custodian when he took office to-
inquire into alleged inaladmiuistra-
tion Of the trust estate and to seek
20 have appropriate proceedings TAX
en- to restore to the trust estate
all properties which had been frand.
uientiy or illegally disposed Of, and
al illegal or excessive payments
made out of the trust funds.
Although in office upward OF q
year, he has taken no steps or pro.
ceedings to investigate the alleged
frauds In connection with the admin
istration Of his predecessors, or to
restore to the trust estate any prop,
critics Illegally or frauduleutly trans.
ferred or funds improperly disbursed.
Op the contrary. when the German
peace resolution was before Con!
labpred to persuade the Foreign AZ
fairs Committee of this House 70
write into the peace resolution q
provision which woulud have con.
firmed, ratified and made incontest-
ible at law all seizures. sales and
other transactions OF his predeces.
sors and all like transactions by him
self
/tIt has also been charged that the
present custodian has authorized
and paid to certain lawyers exces-
sive fees, that many lawyers who In
the recent past have represented
the Alien Property Custodian in the
seizure ,and administration of prop
critics are now representing claim
ants to the said properties before the
alien property custodian, and that
the present custodian still permits
and tolerates such a practice"
The Chemical Foundation Com.
pany and the Bosch Magnetic cases,
Congressman Woodruff declared, are
typical instances Of the most fla
grant sort of maladministration OF
the trust property calling for swift
and drastic action" - ,.t
f5One of the important matters de-
nanding an Investigation. Woodruff
said is an apparent discrepancy of
nearly q quarter of q billion dollars
IN the value of properties held by
the custodian. He read from a re.
port of the custodian in 1919 and
added and subtracted seizures and
nauidations since that time. which,
he calculated, showed total of $780,.
100000. But In a statement before
the House Appropriation Commit
tee in December last, he continued.
Colonel Miller gave the value as
S575, 900. .
Declaring that Col. Miiler's recent
report to the Senate, in response to
o Senate resolution, revealed an
"extsaordinary and scandalous situa-
tion." Congressman Woodruff said:
Scores of lawyers who were en-
49,. Arfxr
todian have represented in the past
20 property In the hands Of the Alien
Property Custodian"
The report showed, according to
. Woodruff, that five of these lawyers
received $897.oo0 from the Alien
Property Custodian. One received
$4,000, another s137. .o00s, another
s135,000, two or three more each an
amount exceeding 100000 and stu
Others from $4,000 up to SIS, 200.
The speaker continued:
T'Every one of these lawyers who
received the large fees repeatedly
represented claimants bfore the office
OF the Alien PROPERTY Custodian, and
In q number of instances, at the very
time they were employed by the
custodian. ... ...
y. Lawyers Under Fire. =
There are instances disclosed by
the report where the lawyers who
represented the custodian In con-
nection with the seizure and ADMIN
istration Of enemy-owned property
passed over to the other side and
successfully represented claimants
IN securing a release of such prop.
erty, and It is of more than passing
significance that many of these
same lawyers to whom big fees were
paid have been unusually successful
IN pursuading the custodian TO re-
lease enemy property.
ut has been stated upon excellent
authority that \some OF these law
yers who have been the recipients
OF such generous favor at the hands
OF the custodian have In turn re.
ceived fees running into hundreds
of thousands Of dollars In securing
the return OF property from the GUS
todian, and that such services hive
been rendered upon contingent Zee
contract, a species OF employment
which to my mind, under the cir
cumstances is open to the most Sc
rious criticism.
And the recent report of the Gus
-.