Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-19
out for dangers that threatened

looking out for dangers that threatened
the life of Mckinley.
President Roosevelt is not more care
full of his own safety than was Mckin-
ley, and he does not care tC have guards
about him; but since Mckinley accepted
this protection from the secret service.
President Roosevelt believes that the
failure of the men to exercise proper
precautions calls for an investigation
into the methods of the bureau and the
character of the men who are there en-
ployed. He will investigate the bureau
are experinced detectives. If thse men
ar merely placholders the president will
give the bureau a severe shaking up.
President Proctor. of the civil service
commission, who was associated with
Roosevelt on that commission in the
Harrison administration, insists that
Mckinley was victim of the spoi!s sys-l
TEN in that the men whose duty 1t was
to guard his life We're mere spoilsmen,
not selected for fitness. Proctor says
that the police of Buffalo and the mill
tary guards left to the sercret service
men the duty of stopping the approach
Of dangerous characters. Any ordinary
detective or police officer, in his opin-
ion, ought to have been suspicious of a
man approaching the president with his
right hand bandaged. That the assas-
sins disguise of the pistol with hand
kerchief was q new trick does not in
Proctor's mind excuse the secret service
men for allowing him to approach the
president without learning whether the
hand was injured or bandaged to con-
ceal the pistol he carried. Proctor as
serts that if there had been efficient civil
service examination for the secret serv-
ice. or If detectives of experience had
been employed in that bureau, there
the president.
President Roosevelt Is known to
share some of the views of Proctor.
He is not prejudiced against the secret
service men, but he will cause an in
yestigation as to why men should be
employed to travel with the president
and guard his life, II any man with
a new trick can kill the chief executive
while they stand posing as a part of
the spectacle. President Roosevelt
believes in trained men for specific
duties, and where there is detective
work he wants to know why the best
detectives of crime are not employed.
The secret service bureau is much
disturbed by the report of the presi-
dents intention to make thorough
Chief Wilkie has a re-
port from Foster, who was the prin-
cipal secret service man with Nc
Kinley, and in this report Foster
claims the credit for the arrest of the |
assassin. The president will investi-
gate as to its correctness, and II II is |
found to be untrue he will regard 1t as
another evidence of the inefficiency OF |
the bureau under its present manage
ment.
There are no complaints against Chief
who was promoted to that i'm
rortant position by Secretary Gage on
the recommendation of Chicago men.
Wilkie was a well-known Chicago news
paper man, who had had much experi-
-nce as police reporter in running
down criminals, and Gage thought he
would make better head for the secret
service Than a professional detective.
Wilkie has done good work with the ma
terial he har, but he has not had good
to assign to duty, and that is
the mistake which the president now
feels called upon to correct. The treas
ury department has used the secret
service bureau as a puace for men who
could not be provided with positions
elsewhere. and the president regards the
tragedy at Buffalo as horrible illus
ration OF inefiiciency.