The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-12-30
BUREAU CRIMINAL
IDENTIFICATION IS
URGEO|NMtSSAGE
President Roosevelt win At
tept to Force on Congress
Merger of Various Secret
Service Police.
THE MEASURE HAS
VERY MANY ENEMIES
Presidents Plan Supported by
Chief Wi|ke and Attorney
General Bonaparte - Intri-
cate Spy System.
BY Sheldon S. Cline.

"dSuiuStOH, DeC. ou- TIeSlueul
Roosevelts proposal to merge the var
ious secret police systems of the gov
ernment into a bureau of criminal in
vestigation under the supervision of
the Department of Justice is likely to
meet with determined opposition on
the part of Congress. Just at this
time, with the mind of Congress in
famed by the Presidents pointed ref
erence in his annual message to the
need of investigating the conduct of
its members, the fate of such a meas
ure is extremely doubtful. In fact, the
present open hostility to any extension
of the secret service along the lines
proposed by the President, may yet
result in a serious rupture between
the legislative and executive branches
Of the government.
The Proper Solution.
The President believes his proposed
merger will provide the only proper
solution of the problems growing out
of the various secret police systems of
the federal government. His plan is
to consolidate these secret inspectors,
which include Chief Wilkes secret
service, the Postoffice inspectors, the
internal revenue special agents, the
customs inspectors, pension examiners
and land office agents, into a central
bureau. He contends that it not only
would save the government thousands
of dollars annually, but by this means
the overlapping of the work of these
several separate branches would be
avoided. In this he is supported by
Chief Wilkie and Attorney General
Bonaparte, both Of whom have had fire.
quent conferences at the White House
to advise with the President regarding
his plan.
Another Message.
1t is understood that the President,
will recommend the adoption of this
bureau of criminal Identification His
idea is to have it under the supervis-
ion of a chief who shall be in charge
of the special investigating work of
all the federal government. Under
this plan the country would be divid-
ed into four districts to be known as
the northeast, northwest. southeast
and southwest divisions, each of these
divisions to have a subchief or depu-
ty. The headquarters would be in
Washington.
The most serious obstable to the sue
cess of the plan will be that Congress
has always viewed with extreme dis
favor whatever seemed to be an at
tempt on the part of the executive to
link an extensive spy system to the
workings of the government. In re-
cent years the impression has become
fixeN that any extension of the activ-
tiles of the secret service would be to
create secret spy system. such as is
deemed necessary part of an Euro
pean government. If this is to be con-
sidered a reasonable argument against
the Presidents plan, the plan is likely
TO fare badly when proposed to Con-
gress.
Wilkes Spy System.
How far this government is at pres
ent fostering spy system. far out
growing the original intention of
congress is shown by the rapid
growth of Chief Wilkes secret serv-
ice bureau since its establishment
This service was created by Congress
TO investigate and stamp out counter
feiting, to investigate frauds in connec-
tion with county claims, and to safe
guard the person of the President
Its expenses. as provided for by Con-
gress annually, have increased in twen-
ty years from about $4,000 to more
than $4,000 and its ramifications ex-
tend so far beyond it's original scope
that it is no longer a secret that Chief
Wilkes men serve in whatever inves-
tigating capacity they are called up
on.
In this connection, it may be said
that the resentment of Congress is due
largely to the activity of secret service
men in gathering information about its
members. Senator'S and Representa-
tives alike. at the will of not only the
President. but also of the heads of
federal departments. The presence of
secret service men at the Capitol be-
came so frequent last winter and so
Objectionable TO members of Congress
that at one time plan to expel them
from the building was considered i'm
perative. AT the present session their
presence has not been SO marked, and
had IL not been for the utterances in
the Presidents message much of the
tension would have been relieved.