4 D
ibs
THUHSDAY. JUNE 27. 1963
MEOFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON
Police ESevecoll iasoair Sftyimtis tio Uob Umicle Sam
Editor's Not: It U fact,
not fiction, that the tex
colltcting Interne! Revenue
Service (IRS) hires I spe
cial police force to keep its
employees ho n tit. even
though a vest majority ere
persona of scrupulous recti
tude. Tha reasons tor main
taining the force are out
lined in the following dispatch.
By JOSEPH D. HUTNYAN
United Press International
Washington - OJPli - A tele
phone rings in the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) bu
reau. A jealous woman demands
to know how an Internal Rev
enue agent living in her
neigborhood can afford to
drive a fancy sports car, send
his children to a private
school and buy his wife a
mink coat with his small sal
ary.
A convicted embezzler has
rosy dreams of working
where cash is stacked in big
bundles. So he applies for a
job with the IRS.
A plumber working on a
sloppcd-up toilet in an IRS of
fice unhooks the pipe and
finds the trouble. It is clogged
with crumpled pieces of in
come tax returns torn up by
a dishonest IRS employee.
A taxpayer being Inter
viewed by an IRS auditor
leans back in his chair, non
chalantly blows cigar smoke
toward the ceiling, and coos:
"can't we make a little deal
here."
IT'S YOUR LAW
ttnpttl for Law Main rVwy fill
Editor's notei The following
article was prepared as a
public service by the Oregon
State Bar and is not intended
to be legal advice. Persons
having a legal problem should
consult an attorney.
WHAT IS A TORT?
A "tort" is a legal wrong or
Injury committed upon the
person or properly of an
other. Examples are assault,
battery, false imprisonment,
libel, slander, malicious pros
ecution, ulicnation of affec
tions, and negligence causing
personal injuries or property
damage.
The remedy provided by
law to persons against whom
a tort is committed la an ac
tion for money damages. Lia
bility arises from a breach of
duty primarily fixed by law.
In soma cases, the person
wronged may have the addi
tional remedy of Injuctlon or
of specific restriction of
property. The1 Injured party
must act in a timely manner,
since the statutes Impose lim
itations on the time within
which he may begin suit.
A breach of contract Is not
a tort. Neither is a tort nec
essarily a crime, although In
some Instances the same act
limy be both a tort and a
crime. For example, If one
mun slushes another with a
knife, he may be prosecuted
criminally. He may' also be
sued In a civil action for the
injuries caused by the assault
and battery.
Not Static
The law of torts Is not sta
tic. It grows with the growth
of society. In some instances
it takes an net of the legisla
ture to keep pace with the
changing attitudes of society.
I In other situations, new torts
I are developed by the courts.
For example, the invasion of
a person's right of privacy
has come In many states to
be recognized as a remedial
wrong - that is, a wrong for
which the law provides a rem
edy by way of money dam
ages. Texas has not yet adopt
ed this view.
Torts . aro sometimes clas
sed as follows:
1. Inlontiomii wrongs, such
as trespass to land, assault
and battery, false imprison
ment and covcrsion of per
sonal property. In all of these
cases the act must be Inten
tionally done. j
2. Negligence, such as care
less operation of a motor ve
hicle causing Injury to an
other, '
3. Strict liability, such as
the keeping of dangerous ani
mals, or the doing of a poten
tially dangerous thing, which
Is not a matter of common
usage, such as blasting. '
I he law of torts, built up
over a period of many years
by the process of court de
cisions and legislative enact
ment, forms a silent but
strong protection necessary
In an orderly society.
OSU Summer Session
Enrollment Near 2,500
Corvallis -llll'll - Enrollment
mont at Oregon Stulo univer
sity's summer session is
climbing toward the 2, SOU
mark. The registrar's oftlcc
said at the close of the first
week registrations totaled 2,-
2(14, an Increase of 17 per
cent over last year.
Of those registered, 1,225
were graduato students.
Dennis the Menace
TT-irTTT I II -1 VI
None of these situations is
common among the huge
corps of IRS workers who
handle the billions of income
tax dollars that U. S. taxpay
ers send to the Treasury each
year-but each has I occurred
and could again.
Pushes Button
When-it does, it pushes a
button in the investigative
machinery of the Internal
Revenue Inspection Scrvicc
a unique enforcement agency
The inspection force patrols
the IRS from within. To put
it another way, it polices the
policemen and audits the au
ditors.
The agency is completely
independent and answerable
only to the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue. It was
created only after income tax
scandals of the late 1940's
which Congress felt had un-
dermlned public confidence
in the revenue service.
One of its most important
functions is checking out the
character background of new
IRS Job applicants. Those who
apply also have their Income
tax returns audited for the
preceding three years and are
required to file a statement
of their financial assets.
These statements are used
by the inspectors when the
IRS receives an anonymous
tip that a certain agent seems
to be living beyond Ills means.
Inspectors can check what
the employee's financial
standing was when he joined
the service. If he has suddenly
accumulated wealth, he will
be called in to explain.
Acre Directs
The 825 man IRS police
force Is directed by Assistant
Com mlsBioncr Vernon D.
(Mike) Acres who stresses
that he Is not out to malign
the character of revenue per
sonnel.
"We see our role as being
right down the middle," he
told UPI In an Interview.
"We are completely objec
tive. Our job is to protect
the employees as well as the
taxpayer."
He said statistics indicate
that the average IRS work
er Is honest and stays out
of trouble; that 60' per cent
of his Investigations are re
solved In favor of the em
ployee. This is backed up by gov
ernment records which show
that during the last fiscal
year, only 215 out of the 60,
000 IRS workers were dis
missed for criminal acts. ;
Acrcc said some IRS em
ployees niny dread a visit
from one of his inspectors
but (hero are still nuiny who
are thankful. He mentioned
an incident in North Carolina.
"A witness dropped a
bombshell at a bootleg trial
when he testified that the
Revenue agent Involved ac
tually did not , destroy the
liquor from the still but sold
it back Into the bootleg
trade," Acree recalled. "Wc
sent a team in on the case,
and we were able to go Into
n swamp and, niter consid
erable digging, produce the
broken necks of 148 out of
150 Jugs."
Acrcc said the report was
passed on to the Judge and
the witness was indicted for
perjury.
Check Unwanted
One of the Inspection divi
sion's big jobs Is keeping un
desirables out of the IRS,
which seems to have an at
traction for ex-convicts, em
bezzlers and potty and grand
larernlsts.
The files contain the case
of a mun who fal.-.ificd his
application and already was
working as a revenue agent
before inspectors discovered
he had been fired from his
last job for misappropriating
money.
In another case, a man who
had served a prison term for
larceny admitted that his girl
friend took a job with the
IRS "to steal $40,000 so we
can get a new start."
One of the sources of great
est temptation is the cash
that some taxpayers send
along with their returns. To
check on this, Acree's office
periodically sends "controlled
mail" throughout the various
IRS divisions.
This is an old police trick
which calls for routing the
envelope in such a manner
that the inspectors will know
exactly where it goes astray,
if it does.
The employee with flexible
morals who decides to filch
from the IRS usually must
destroy the taxpayer's return
to cover his tracks. But this
is where he often gets tripped
up.
Clog Pipes
Acree mentioned a case
where an IRS clerk was tear
ing up the returns and flush
ing them down the toilet in
the ladies' room. The culprit
was arrested after a plumb
er discovered what had clog
ged the pipes.
Acree said the IRS now is
cracking down extra hard on
those who try to bribe their
way out of a tax bill.
For years, he said, it had
been suspected that many
bribes went unreported. The
agent merely turned down
the would be corrupter and
let it go at that.
The order now, according
to Acree, is to report even
subtle suggestions that can
be taken either way.
"We feel now that it isn't
enough to say, 'No, you can't
buy me," Acree said. "The
man making the bribe offer
is violator of criminal law
and ought to be brought to
justice."
He said that since the new
order was issued last October,
92 cases have been reported.
Not everyone who filches
money from the IRS does it
for personal profit. Take the
case of the "Robin Hood
Lady."
"It's one of our most un
usual cases," Acree recalled.
"She would stash a couple
of empty envelopes on her
desk with the addresses of
her favorite charities.
"When no one was looking,
she would slip cash out of
a taxpayer's return and into
one of these envelopes which
then would be promptly
mailed.''
Vili VHand Garden Shop
Next to Piggly Wiggly...771 STEWART AVENUE
FIREWORKS
FUCHSIAS
Some Beauties Left -
2,49 4 29
All
the Law
Allows
ORTIIO
Insecticides
and "
Fertilizers
Gift Sets for
BABY
SHOWERS
J
American Greeting
CARDS
for Every Occasion
SIMPLICITY PATTERNS
PAY ELECTRIC BILLS HERE!
MVS ftfFKl nfiMmk k i cat lie wr.PT nefuiufl fmK Awn
SKOOTiNS 6UR51ARS ALL fViWSt'
GRAND OPENING
North Riverside Beauty
Salon & Barber Shop
SAT., JUNE 29
Plan to be with ut this
Sat. for your Barber &
Beautician work.
Servicemen
AIRMAN OF MONTH
Airman Second Class Gary
W. Maxson, son of Mr. and
Mrs. (Jury W. Muxson, 208
West Clark st., Med ford, has
been selected outslniuling nlr
man of the month In Ihc 808
Medical group in Mountain
Home, Idaho.
Maxson, an Air Force medi
cal supply specialist, was cho
sen for the honor In recount-
Hon of his exemplary conduit
and performance of duty.
Free Gifts
from tht Boeuty
Shop for each
patron
FREE CIGARS
CANDY
plus i Big GRAND
PRIZE to tech 10th
Berber Patron
worth 2 bucks-
AN All STATION
Aviation Electronics Tech
nician Third Class Leon W
Todd, son of Mrs. Elizabeth
Lambert, Eagle Point. U scrv
lug at the Naval Air station,
Norfolk, V.
The air station supports the
t air arm of Ihc Second r'Uct
! which has commitments in
the Western Atlantic and the
Caribbean.
We plan to Pleat each patron in our thopt ft make
(hit the family Berber ft Beauty shop for this vicinity.
We hope you drop In and My "howdy" whether you
need barber or beauty work or not. We thank you.
PLENTY OF FREE PARKING
Art & Mary Jane Broyles
1238 NO. RIVERSIDE, MEDFORD
WITH BAND
Army He. Jack Allen Hanv
i Ilton, son of Mrs. Eleanor
, Hamilton, B'JB East Main st.,
! Medtord, and Orvillo E. Hani'
j Ilton, 310 North 10th st.,
Central Point, Is serving with
: the 21st Army band at H
j Lewis. Wash.
Hamilton plays trombone
: with the band, the same In
I strumrnl he formerly played
! with the Crater High Jihool.
j Hamilton entered the Army
i In November, IBrJI, and r
I rived at Ft Lewis alter at-
' tending three-months band
i school In Kt. Oi-d. Calif,
; '1 KB.5.38 $f4Q fl eate llffl '' J'ast-drying.loolsclcan $074.
' 'tV '"' GAlT AL O Fr BP with water. Kcg.Jf.98 , IJJ GAU
$449GAL
VALLii &
2l
oft
Protects apainst wcalhciing,
retards darkening.
$18G
Ktg.fcUS GAL.
BKYliOCKLT VALUE! C0L0KFUL UUPTIC
i'LAT I'ALNT
off
1
FULLER
Hritoobd
W Preervestexhiredwoodbeauty,
I fights weathering.
$5550
Kcg.J 1.79
GAL.
mo
;:!
' 1 l!
TAKE Till) lU KSSWOKK
OUT OF PAINTING
FRKE! Kasit $tc p-fky-jfrp intt ructions
,,.rN?fotti-fniorrrf fo Kmir pomf joh,
$nthnvtar)i rwults iftmrantrrft.
h-t for fuller' tiuamntctd i'amttna
Si'L'llAL LNTEKIOlt LATEX WALL PAINT
Fuller quality,
priced low I
GAL.
LOW rKICED! WHITE TAINTS for
SIDING, EENCES, TEDI
T
1 1 1
; i t
'..! i ' "
.'!.'.
4j
r fENCElJ
FULLER
WCSTERN
WHITE
vrvrx 4 Rtsnc
Flat Finish
O0S
GAL.
dittos FlUlih
GAL.
SIZZLING T00X- SPECIALS FOE THE iih
EtO.XOMlT BOILER SET
7" roller frame, cover and tray to
make paintinc easier, faster.
Bcs.$i.:99G
9'1 rusriG dbop aoia
Protects furniture, floors, shrubs.
Makes clean-up easyl
Keg.45ji33
e-K, HCfflE CrCDKiTOS BRUM
Tynex nylon bristles for every paint,
ing job,
99
!
aiA -I'tall.nisjcdlybuiltforsteacly
HMO
looting.
5'siie, $3.99
333
CALIFORNIA
HAPPY CAMP-Klamath Hardware
MONTAGUE C. L. Churchill & Son
SEIAD-Seiad Store
YREKA-Yreka Hardware
OREGON
ASHLAND Ashland lumber Company
EAGLE POINT-Eagle Point Hardware
JACKSONVILLE-Jacksonville Lumber Co.
MEDFORD-Fuller Paint Store
Medford lumber Co.
Hi-Way lumber Co.
PROSPECT-Gunderson
FULLER
PAINTS