Show Jt nj al' War ar Fraud Contract ip oi a year or moro more Congress through its Us committees 1 FOR has hns been investigating the tho conduct of the tho ho war anti and from time to time lime reports of these committees have bavo contained revelations ro of the most startling nature of ot fraudulent illegal and nud swindling operations carried earned on under the inefficient careless and methods meth ineth- methods ot or tho the administration The committees have o hayo exposed exposed ex ex- posed glaring instances of frauds perpetrated in the cantonment contracts under the cost plus system where the cos cost costi and tho the plus were both oth inordinately ly padded and have hn laid b bare ro many gross examples of or favoritism fa and und nepotism through which thc the government go was tho the irretrievable loser To ro all such sueh allegations tho p policy licy of the administration tion through its department heads has hns been heen to deny hut but n not noli t defend to minimize but not go 0 into to Wo We Yo the tho gloss over o but avoid oid candid explanation won war var didn't didn t we we has been the arrogant nt reply of or administration administration ad ad- ministration spokesmen to every criticism Now however howe the attorney general A. A Mitchell Palmer head hend of the department of justice member of or orthe the cabinet and trusted right-hand right man of tho the administration administration administration admin admin- announces that investigation by his own department de de- has hns II uncovered cred illegal transactions involving involving ing millions of dollars and that through civil and criminal prosecutions now under way large sums willbe will willbe willbe be saved the government He announces that questionable questionable ques ques- vouchers in in ono one class of contracts alone have resulted in the withholding of payments by the tho government government gov So amounting to approximately 4 and that the bureau of investigation has bas fifteen large larse fraud cas cases s before it involving largo large sums Congratulations by tlc tic people for this awakening of or their department of justice are arc somewhat belated because the announcement of the thc effort is a n. year and anda a half hal behind time but thc they will bo ho e none the the less sincere sincere sincere sin sin- cere if the thc prosecutions are arc vigorous and determined Vb Whether ner the motive behind Mr Palmer is to curry eurry the tho favor of the voters in an election year or whether it is isto isto isto to perform the duties of his great office ly lj- and fearlessly the tho public will welcome tho action and support the departments department's crusade crusado a against tho the oP or fenders If is one thing that causes the re red blood of ot Americans to boil more than another it is the thc knowledge knowl knowledge knowl- knowl e edge ge that men claiming to bo loyal to their country were in reality reaching their hands bands into its treasury to steal the funds which the 0 people by their self lice ice and patriotism had provided pro |