Warren sheaf., 1908-12-10
THE SECRET SERVICE.
suggestions for Improvement Of I'm.
portant Public Work.

suggestions for Improvement Of I'm.
portant Public Work.
Last year an amendment was incor.
porated in the measure providing for the
secret service, which provided that there
should be no detail from the secret sery.
Ice and no transfer therefrom. It is not
too much to say that this amendment
has been Of benefit only, and could be
OF benefit only, to the criminal classes.
If deliberately introduced for the pur-
pose OF diminishing the effectiveness OF
wcr against crime 1t could not have
been better devised to this end. It for
bade the practices that had been fol-
lowed to a greater or less extent by the
executive heads Of various departments
for 20 years. To these practices we owe
the securing of the evidence which en-
allied us to drive great lotteries out Of
business and secure q quarter Of a mil.
lion of dollars In fines from their pro-
moters. These practices have enabled
US to discover some of the most out
rageous frauds in connection with the
theft OF government land and governments
timber by great corporations and by in
dtviduals. These practices have enabled
US to get some Of the evidence indispens-
able in order to secure the conviction OF
the wealthiest and most formidable GRIM
1nals with whom the government has to
deal. both those operating in violation of
the antitrust law and others. Tho
amendment In question was Of beneflt to
no one excepting to these criminals, and
1t seriously hampers the government In
the detection of crime and the securing
OF justice. Moreover, 1t not only affects
departments outside of the treasury but
it tends to hamper the secretary Of the
treasury himself in the effort to utilize
the employees of his department 80 as to
"a nf "a n.
lie service. It forbids him from prevent.
ing frauds upon the customs service,
from investigating irregularities in
branch mints and assay offices, and has
seriously crippled him. It prevents the
promotion Of employees In the secret serv-
Ice, and this further discourages good
effort. In it's present form the restric-
ton operates only to the advantage Of
the criminal, of the wrongdoer. The
chief argument in favor of the provision
was that the congressman did not them
selves wish to be investigated by the
secret service men. Very little Of such
investigation has been done in the past:
but it is true that the work Of the secret
service agents was partly responsible for
the indictment and conviction of sem
ator and congressman for land frauds
In Oregon. I do not believe that it is
in the public interest to protect criminals
in any branch Of the public service, and
exactly as we have again and again dur
ing the past seven years prosecuted and
convicted such criminals who were in
the executive branch of the government,
so In my belief we should be given ample
means to prosecute them If found in the
legislative branch. But If this is not
considered desirable a special exception
could be made in the law prohibiting the
use of the secret service force in inves-
ttgating members of the congress. It
ha IA RI S7n To
what actually was done, and to strive to
prevent or at least to hamper effective
action against criminals by the executive
branch of the government.
sM Postal Savings Banks.
z I again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks, for deposit-
ing savings with the security of the
government behind them. The object
IL to encourage thrift and economy in
the wage-earner and person Of mod
crate means. In IA states the deposits
in savings banks as reported to the
comptroller Of the currency amount to
$3,590,245,402, or 98.4 per cent of the
entire deposits, while in the remaining
80 states there are only $7O308543 or
1.6 per cent, showing conclusively that
there are many localities in the United
States where sufficient opportunity is
not given to the people to deposit their
savings. The result is that money IS
kept In hiding and unemployed. 1t is
believed that in the aggregate vast
sums Of money would be brought into
circulation through the fundamentally
of the postal savings banks. While
there are only 1,45s savings banks. re-
porting to the comptroller there are
more than $1,000 postot1ioes. 10000 OF
which are money order ofioes. Postal
savings banks are now In opera ton
in practically all the great civilized
countries with the exception of the
United States.
Parcel Post.
In my last annual message COM
mended the postmaster-generaP
recomme endation for an extension of the.
parcel post on the rural routes. The
establishment of a local parcel post on
rural routes would be. to the mutual
benefit Of the farmer and the country
storeke eeper, and 1t is desira BILE that the
routes, serving more than 10000 600
people, should be utilized to the fullest
practicable extent. An amendm ent was
proposed in the senate at the last
session at the suggestion of the post
master general, providing that for the
purpose Of ascertaining the practical
=bflity OF establishing special local
marcel post system on the rural routes
throughout the United States, the post
master general be authorized and dt-s
rected to experiment and report to tho
congress the result Of such experiment
by establishing special local parcel
post system on rural delivery routes
In not to exceed four counties in the
United States for packages of fourth
class matter originating on rural
route or at the distributing postofice
for delivery by rural carriers. It would
seem only proper that such an expert
ment should be tried in order to dem-
sonstrate the practicabilitv of the prop
ositiorl, especially as the postmaster
general estimates that the revenue de-.
rived from the operation Of such a sys-5
tenn on all the rural routes would
amount to many million dollars.
Education.
The share that the national govern
5nent should take In the broad work Of
education has not received the atten.i
tion and the care II rightly deserves.
The Immediate responsibility for the
support and improvement Of our edu-
cational systems and institutions rests
and should always rest with the people
sof the several states acting through
their state and local governments, but
the nation has an opportunity In edu-.
aational work which must not be lost
- -