Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-11-20
The Detective System Under "the
" Rest Government ON Enrth."

W MBeBa 6OVernIhhche OM AHhHs'
The nature, character and efficiency ofthe
"War Department Detective SYSTEM" as
organized under the sanction of Secretary
STANTON, who has in the past conducted
''the best Government on earth" pretty
much in accordance with his own will, can
be seen from the following pen and ink
photograph by "MAoK," the special cores
nondent of the Cincinnati Commercial:
uWbile the war existed, detectives
| were. to certain extent, necessary evil.
The necessity has ceased, and why not the
evil cease with II? The character of the
men who adopt the detective business as q
profession is pretty well known in this
country and in Europe, and 1t Is no slander
tosay that the attaches OF the War Depart
ment Bureau are little worse than tne
generality. Out of their own mouths they
have been convicted of systematic and pro-
fessional living. What, for instance, can be
more base than for man to 60 into house.
pretend to be an ardent rebel, appeal for
and receive food and shelter on this ground,
and then go off and return soon after at the
head of a squad of soldiers, to burn down
the house and arrest the family for 'harbor-
| ing rebelsp tAitl =,
|
| Kentucky and Maryland during the war.
Men who would have kept their opinions
| and sympathies to themselves, and remain
ed quietly at home, were by the War De-
partment Detectives betrayed into the
expression of a friendly feeling for
the Southern cause, and their ruin
and the ruin of their families was the
result. Can that be called accomplish
inc the end of Justice? 1t would be cruel
| to iniure dog upon the testimony OF men
so totally destitute of honor and principle
as these War Department Detectives swear
in courts of justice, that they are.
''It could be proven, too, wlthout mucn
! effort, that they have ruined the character
and reputation of hundreds OF good, loyal
patriotic men of the Union army, WITHIN the
past four years: The case OF General brls, s,
coe, of PENNSYLVANIA, might be cited. u,
was bv no means clear, on his trial, that the
crime of which he was convicted-stealine
Government ftlnds-was not set upon him
by the very man who afterward swore hin
! into dishGnor. Itis part OF their usua
practice to throw temptation into the way
of those whom they believe unable to re-
| sist il, and thus create crime in order to de-
tect it, when, without their aid, it nevel
would be committed. They can be, and are
used by bad men to bring shame and dis
honor where, without their assistance, ther'
would never be ground for suspicion or dis
trust; for he must have very strong menta
yertebrae who can keep out OF all the snare
that can be coDjured up in the Detective
Bureau to trap the unwary. =,
.'Then again, they are inefficient for tn
duties which legitimately belong to thei
department. The testimony ELECTED during
the assassination trial proves this ltshow
that the conspiracy to murder MIR. Lincoll
was in existence for months under the shad
ow of the War Department Buildings; tina
meetings were held, and plans discusse'
and matured in the city of Washington
within a stones throw OF the detective
headquarters. An efficient detective sys
TEN would certainly have found out some
thing in relation to the matter and hav
brought the leaders to justice before the,
had accomplished their object. But thos
OF the War Department were too busily en-
gagged in carrying out schemes fathered D,
private malice to attend to such a triylt
thing as plot to murder the President {
the United States. - Ia
II think, then, as | have already said
that every consideration of public good
Justice, morality and economy, demand th
abolition of that great nuisance, 'the Gov
ernment Detective system. Will not tb
Thirty-ninth Congress do something in til
premisesw
This is the photograph ofa most abomins
BILE institution. People of the United State
how long will you suffer such abominatioi
to exist, and thereby render yourselves oil
noxious to just reproach?