Show Whirligig U. U US U.S. S. S Ignores Gamblers Gamblers' Lawbreaking B By Ray y Tucker V WASHINGTON The The ASHINGTON-The The adminIstrations adminIstration's administrations administration's admin admin- apparent indifference toward the problem of nationwide nationwide nationwide nation nation- wide racketeering and alleged use of improper influence at Washington ton will be attacked from a fresh angle when Attorney Attorney Attorney At At- torney General J J. J Howard McGrath McGrath McGrath Mc- Mc Grath and his aids appear be before before before be- be fore Senate House appropriations committees to justify in increased increased increased in- in creased funds for the justice de de- Treasury Secretary John W. W Snyder will be bc subjected to the same sort of examination cross in view o of disclosures that big- big time gamblers and notorious underworld characters g o 0 t tawa away awa with murder as Ro Senator Senator Senator Sena Sena- tor Estes Kefauver notes In evasion or underpayment of income in income income in- in come taxes Peculiar Immunity Two of the most successful gambling operators and income tax evaders evaders the the late Jimmy La Fontaine and Sam Beard Beard- conducted their business inside and on the outskirts of the capital Although now charged with having having- defrauded the gov- gov government of more than in taxes both seem to have enjo enjoyed enjoyed en en- jo joyed ed a peculiar immunity for their gambling and financial op op- op- op Beard was molested twice serving a total of or six years rears in two stretches Despite this evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence of his activities he is now being sued by the government for a total of in taxes interest and penalties The La Fontaine estate recently turned over of unpaid unpaid unpaid un un- un- un paid taxes The dates in these chapters of crime and punishment are arc inter inter- esting La Fontaine defrauded the government from 1932 to 1950 according to the official figures The checkup on him was not made until last year or almost a year after Senator I Kefauver began to reveal the extent o of the alliance between organized crime and organized poli politics tics Served 18 Months Beard served eighteen months for tor income tax evasion and paid a fine but that was back in 1933 and the case against him was made during the last year of or the Hoover administration administration administration ad ad- ministration according to the records In 1936 he served 53 months for a gambling conspiracy con con- The current action covers the years 1944 1947 Both men were relatively small shots compared to bigger big game wounded by the Kefauver investigators I Attorney General M McGrath Grath will ill undoubtedly argue on Capitol Capitol Capitol Capi Capi- tol Hill as he has in the past that the violations uncovered by the Kefauver committee re related related related re- re to local or state laws and that they did not fall within his jurisdiction He took that attitude when he hurriedly called a conference of local and state officials here in inan inan inan an attempt to head off creation of the Senate committee But every speaker at that powwow including mayors governors governors governors gov gov- and police officers warned him of the Interstate character of the gambling syndicates syndicates' syndicates syndicates' syndicates syndicates' syndi syndi- cates' cates operations and their use of interstate facilities to conduct conduct conduct con con- duct their operations out of New NewYork NewYork NewYork York New Jersey Miami Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago Kansas Cit City St. St Louis Los Angeles etc Mr tr McGrath's conferees also emphasized that an orgy of crimes of a definite federal nature nature nature na na- na- na ture had been spawned spa by the conditions they described They referred to gang killings income tax frauds briberies of public officials divisions of evil territory territory terri terri- tory Illicit liquor deals interference interference interference inter inter- ference with federal elections They told him that they were helpless to cope with the situation situation situation situa situa- tion because it was a national rather than a local problem But the only result of their analysis of the nationwide crime wave was a McGrath proposal for an slot anti-slot machine law Hoovers Hoover's Role Few members blame J. J Edgar Hoover director of or the federal bureau of ot investigation for the administrations administration's failure in this field They recognize being political themselves that he must take orders from the at attorney attorney attorney at- at torney general and that he cannot cannot cannot can can- not initiate action which might prove politically embarrassing to the The attorney general can al always always always al- al ways ask the FBI F B I to Investigate Investigate Investigate gate conditions which even re remotely remotely remotely re- re suggest that federal laws are being violated Mr Hoovers Hoover's agents associate with underworld stool pigeons and all the time in pursuit of or other activities They have known for years of the facts which Senator Kefauver has brought to the surface Instead F FBI B I agents have been chasing bank robbers robber and tracking down d o 0 w n Communists While this Is important In view ot of the tremendous increase inthe inthe In Inthe the number of ot agents and appropriations appropriations appropriations ap ap- for this bureau it still had plenty of men for getting getting get get- ting the goods on the criminals fingered by the legislative tive branch of the government |