The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-12-08
ROOSeVell'S Annual
Message
Continued from Page One)

crime it could not have been better
devised to this end. 1t forbade the
practices that had been followed to
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 enabled
US to drive great lotteries out of bust
ness and secure a quarter of 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 govern
ment timber by great corporations and
by individuals. These practices have
enabled us to get some of the evidence
Indispensable in order to secure the
conviction Of the wea thiest and most
formidable criminals with whom the
government has to deal. both those
operating in violation Of the anti
trust law and others. The amend
ment in question was of benefit to no
one excepting to those criminals, and
it seriously hampers the government
in the detection Of crime and the Sc
curing Of justice. Moreover, it not
only effects 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 so as to best meet the
requirements of the public service. 1t
forbids him from preventing frauds
upon the customs service from inves-
tigating Irregularities in branch minis
and assay offices, and g. has seriously
crippled him. It prevents the promo
ton of employees in the secret service,
and this further discourages good eff
fort. In it's present from the restric-
ton operates only to the advantage Of
the criminal, Of the wrongdoer. The
chief argument in favor Of the provi-
sion was that the congressman did not
themselves wish to be investigated by
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 res
ponsible for the indictment and con-
viction of a senator and a congress
man 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 ex-
actly 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 govern
ment, so in my belief we should be
given ampe means to prosecute them
If found in the legislative branch. But
if this is not considered. desirable
special exception could be made in the
law prohibiting the use Of the secret
service force in investigating members
Of the congress. 1t would be far bet
ter to do this than to do what actually
was done, and strive to prevent or at
least to hamper effective action against
criminals by the executive branch Of
the government.
Postal Savings Banks.
I again renew my recommendations
for postal savings banks, for deposit
ing savings with the security of the
government behind them. The object
is to encourage thrift and economy in
the wage Garner and person of mod
crate means. In IA states the deposits
in the savings banks as reported to
the controller Of the currency amount
to $3,590,245,402, or 9S.4 per cent of
the entire deposits, while in the re-
naming 80 states there are only $70,-
30S, SAB, or 1.6 per cent, showing con-
c,usively that there are many locali
ties in the United States where suffi-
cient opportunity is not given to the
people to deposit their savings. The
result is that money is kept in
in hiding and unemployed. 1t
lie believed that in the aggre
gate vast sums of money would
be brought into circulation through
the instrumentality of the postal saw
ings banks. While there are only L.
453 savings banks reporting to the
comptroller there are more than 61,-
900 postoffices, 10000 of which are
money order offices. Postal savings
banks are now in operation in practi-
cal'y all the great civilized countries
with the exception of the United States.
Parcel Post.
TN my last annual message I COM
mended the postmaster generals re-