Show ATTORNEY GENERAL BONAPARTE r ON CRIMES OF CORPORA CORPORATIONS b S h ire Fines May A Act ct as a De Deterrent terren t Head 0 of f Justice DepartS Department Depart Depart- S ment Believes Actual Imprisonment of Wealthy t q Malefactors Would Be More EffectiveS Effective I i I S SOME THINGS MR ROCKEFELLER n DONT DON'T NT KNOW S St Zi Plans in Near F Future to Thoroughly Reorganize and Readjust i i Governments Government's System of Prosecutions s So as to i Secure Better Tactical Position S lri fl 5 I S S New eo York S pt i. i ln In in an int Ini in- in i t l tel cW by hr Charles J. J Bonaparte attorney at- at i.- i. torne torney general ot of the United Stat States S in the Hotel Aspinwall at Lenox S Mass today he hf made the these striking Statements r Fines FineR mR may b be a deterrent toward S. S continued lawlessness IC of oC great corporation corporations corpo corpo- rations ration but the tho Imprisonment of or a n. S proven en malefactor from the thc realms of oC S high finance would be a beacon beaconS light of oC warning and anel have ha a better hetter S S moral oct effect than much litigation S however howe successful n against corporate entitle S The department of ot justice as i t. t S equipped today Is s adI adly deficient in inmany 5 r many essentials to carr carry on successful success success- t- t t ful prosecutions of or the man many ca cases 8 S. S S that b by or adduced l e 1 dence clence demand vigorous action In S my next report I shall urge a It- It S of or the department yes department yes a 1 t l drastic readjustment that readjustment that that will place placer r 1 t the tho department of or ju justice In a better 7 YA tactical position for Us its work The TheS The'S S 'S I p 4 dot a I is of oC what I propose I cannot discuss nt at this Ull time as ns they must b be beS S formulated In an nn orderly manner and S S f then worked out to Insure a II high do- do Q- Q gree of ot efficiency t S S t j li d. Mr 11 Bonaparte's utterances s and his hisS S attitude indicated plainly that Instead S 1 of r recession In tho campaign 3 against t. t lawbreaking corporations there I is to toj j bo bo-an bo an even e more vigorous warfare S J Xo So Sidi Intention J t I S There Ther Is a rumor Tumor that you are arc soon J to resign was suggested f Yes J I saw Raw that said the attorney i-I i and ani the 1110 laughing eyes cye re re- re reI re-I I j. j c ted mirth nut Hut I 1 must say Nay that m i In my nn Information on lie tho subject 1 has come eom rain t tHO o papers Personally Person Person- all ally Ily I X have no Intention of or resigning L S or CU one breadth f tho t it Juts boon been l urpo o t or r J 1 wo j te Ct E f at s ta Js t 4 taken my Ya Washington h for fot S another year datin dating daling from October OC 1 1 S and 1 I expect ct to lo occupy It General It wits was suggested do fY you OU think the pro prosecutions that have e l a been waged so far to a 8 successful ul i conclusion such as the Standard OH on S cases tho the sugar cases CS the thc paper trust trustS j S o and so on 00 have aroused the corporalS corporations corpora corpora- 5 S lions to a a. realization of oC the menace menaceS lS- lS S t S of oC continued practices of ol the kind hind and I Caused a reformation S I think bald sar the attorney general genera S with a a. smite smile in which tho the Irony o otho of S tho the remark was beautifully mum ilium S S that In the matter of or T rebate Tates ates a reform has been worked The Th practice IH used to Lo be he the rule rather rathe ratherS S S S the exception Now I think 1 It than tan than the rule is Iff the exception rather S The undertaking Is 18 too hazardous an and qS few are willing to tol take the chanceS chance chance- S but In some other othel lines of or illegal nC 1 the tho men in control of oC the corporations corporations cor cor- are alO the same minded high S z able and anel philanthropic captains of or in- in 1 stry that they have always been S Standard OH on Flue Fine Taking up the tho matter of the flue fine of or Impo imposed e upon the theS 5 Standard Oil company Mr Bonaparte S was asked what he thought of the re remark re- re 1 mark attributed to John D D. Rockefeller Rocke feller that tho the lr present generation generationS generation'S S would have havo all nil passed away before the S 'S fine fino was paid Mr Ir Rockefeller is a Q wise vise man S and tho the attorney general hesitated I slightly and anti from published stateS statements state state- 5 ments from his physician ho is to toS S enjoy man many more years cars of life fre on this S shall see what we shall earth bin we S see sec Maybe Rockefeller does dos not know S everything e I I i What if iC any criminal prosecutions in the future 5 will be undertaken I S was asked oF That Thal I cannot tO say ray replied Mr Hr Bonaparte Suffice It to say MY that 4 S under advisement S I 7 ninn ninny matters are arc I Those questions must naturally bo ho of or ofa f f t a a more or 01 le less s private character until Is to such a time as the government S 55 r ready to make an nn announcement nl MyS My Ly S a assistant Mr 11 Purd Purdy is duo hack back hero week He has from Europe this and antI as us the cases 1 charge of preparing 1 a. a his desk special S soon oon as aa he gets get l back bacle to 5 5 0 cial olal matters mutters will be taken promptly S 5 S SS T TI I. I Tills Is not always an easy matter t S Now ou spoke of oC the United J. J OW you report t S and a n S. S l Metals Selling company 4 I bey bos' bos bo- bo be prosecuted to that it s was ws s' s y t Jle e that we were advised ae that there thero octopus there there that that it T S was a n hidden 7 was guilty of pC f every ery crime In the tile cal cal- S We were to drag It from Its S. S 1 lair Jail and arid gibbet it Well eU when we the man who wio was said s. to 0 went vent to know all about its malefactions we wo S found out that he did dill not know lenow a I single definite thing and here Mr 11 Bonaparte chuckled led audibly This was af nn an indirect sla slap at nt Thomas ThomasW YV W Lawson In a recent advertisement advertise advertise- m mont ment nt Lawson blazoned to the world the fact tact that the government was about to dissolve e the United Metals Selling company compan the distributing a- a agency agency agen an ncy n- n cy of oC the copper trust It Is understood that when the law Jaw officers of the CO appealed to Lawson for r 1 0 evidence evi dence lence he could not supply one tangible tangi tangi- blo ble fact What hat individuals do you vou think should be in Jail as a n result of or Infractions of the trust anti law Jaw This leading question was parried neatly b by the he attorney general who ho said I 1 have han heard man many complaints that criminal pro prosecutions against tho the trust magnates and sentences of or Imprisonment imprisonment imprison Imprison- ment meat for them have been infrequent It Is perfectly true that in my opinion at nt least a 1 better moral err effect ct would bo ho produced by sending a n few tew prominent prominent prominent nent men to jail than limn b by a n great deal of litigation however howe successful aJ against the corporations ol they control J. J You x Sou mu must muRt t realize that mat it is om only successful pro prosecutions that count an and that a prosecution resulting non con non con clu would hurt rather rathel than help Some time Ume ago ngo two corporations wit with I their presidents Jointly were Indicted indictee for infractions of oC the criminal provisions pro vio vl visions lons of the trust anti lal law Jaw lalIt It WOUld be bt hard for the lay Jay mInd to discover or how tow how If Jf Or the corporations are guilty guilt the he executive h heads ad- ad can cnn be innocent yet ct tile the II jury jur in tie case cuse convicted UIO tilO corporations and acquitted d their I dents I Ill titi t ion of Department tIt t. t It If Js is the a avowed t p d Intention of or th the department o of t to criminally I I r n giu fi J 1 ir TV hi d. d thaT promIses n t reasonable certainty or of suc- suc ce srul termination to the lion on It IK It not m my desire to plo prosecute and nd bring about the conviction of mere merc underlings s whom lon everyone l knows are arc acting under 1 the orders of or superior officers If we wo can get a n good case against any of or tho the superiors superiors-a a. a case that jus- jus titles a good attorney in expecting a favorable verdict we will ill act promptly prompt- prompt ly y antI and with 1 vigor ol I I I Announcement that the tho department of justice I is to be he reorganized and built along broader anti and more morl efficient lines will be of great groat interest to tho those e who ire are watching the th corporation regulating Ing ng campaign There is no doubt Jt that thai the number of or cases demanding attention attention at at- Is far beyond the capacity of or orthe the Ie 1 present nt organization Within thin the thelast thelast thelast last two years Francis J J. J Honey Hency Inthe in inthe the thC land fraud frami cases and A Attorneys Kellogg and Severance Se in the trust cases have act acted d tl as ns special attorneys for the tho government So Ilen honey y is now Unavailable unavailable un Un- available owing to hl his work worl In San Francisco Kellogg it is IF known was wn wason wason on the verge of oC a n breakdown early In Inthe inthe th the summer owin owing to excessive work worl while 1111 Severance Se was little better Lter off The Tho work has piled up amazingly and andIs andIs Is 19 far behind I Ve We are ale doing things piecemeal said th the tho attorney general turn turning Ins Ins- to this phase of or the tho situation A ne new condition of ot affairs h has iVos ari arisen en and we weare weare weare are not prepared for tor It We e have ha gone on along in a makeshift manner and done the be best l we we- could In Tn fact it is wonderful wonderful won won- what lies has b been n e-n achieved considering const con eon st erins the handicap Just now tho the need is iN so Imperative that It Is time something was waw done I have worked the matter over ovet In my mind generally and have ha consulted consult consult- f ed d with others but as nS yc yet m my riy program I is Js uncompleted It will vill take falc sometime sometime some time to lO work out all the details for forit forit it is a great task but I will soon be beIn beIn bein In shape hape to make my recommendations for a larger more flexible and belt better l' l equipped department and I have hove a reo reasonable hope of or having at least a n part of ot my sus suggestions made effective p It is understood that the plan of the attorney Y general I Is to establish a number number num nun ber of or bureaus with special counsel to tos s systematize the tha work and antI carr carry it on in an orderly and more rapid manner At present m many ny cases are retarded b by sheer physical Inability to handle them When rhen we wo have this problem worked out said Nail the attorney general I 1 think we can coan quote General Grants Grant's maxim and add to It b by saying S Let no guilty man or corporation es escape es- es cape cap |