Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-09
CIVIL SERVICE

Last yead an amendment was incorporated
in the measure providing for the secret serv-
ice. which provided that there should be no
detail from the secret service and no transfer
therefrom 1t Is not too much to say that
this amendment has been Of benefit only and
could be of benefit only, to the criminal classes.
II deliberately introduced for the purpose Of
diminishing the ffectiveness of war against
crime 1t could not have been better devised TO
this end. 1t forbade the practices that had
been followed to a greater or less extent by
the executive heads of various departments for
twenty years. To these practices we owe the
securing OF the evidence which enabled us to
drive great lotteries out of business and Sc
cure quarter of a million of dollars in fines
from their promoters. These practices have
enabled us to discover some of the most out
rageous frauds in connection with the theft
Of government land and government 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 wealthieSt ana most iorIuiu-
able criminals with whom the government has
to deal, both those operating in violation OF
the antitrust law and others. The amendment
in question was of benefit 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 1t tends to hamper the secretary of the
treasury himself in the effort to utiffEe the
employees of his department so as to best meet
the requirements Of the public service 1t FOR
bids him from preventing frauds upon the
customs service, from investigating irregu-
iarlties in branch mints and assay offices, and
has seriously crippled him. 1t prevents the
promotion of employees In the secret service,
and this further discourages good effort. In
its present form the restriction 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 themselves wish to be investigated by Sc
cret service men. Very little of such investi-
CATION has been done in the past, but 1t is
true that the work of the secret service agents
was partly responsible for the Indictment and
conviction of a senator 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 eN-
actIy as we have again and again during 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 il found in the legislative branch. But If
this Is not considered desirable, a special ex-
cpetion could be made in the law prohibiting
the use Of the secret service force in investi-
eating members of the congress. IT would be
far better 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