Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-12-18
ROOSEVELT AND CONGRESS.
Following is the Portion of the
Message That Caused the
Trouble.

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 Sc
cret 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 GRIM
inal classes. If deliberately introduced
for the purpose of diminishing the eff
fectiveness of war against crime it 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 depart
ments for twenty years. To these prac-
tees we owe the securing of the evidence
which enabled us to drive great lotteries
out of business and secure quarter of a
million of dollars in fines from their
promoters. These practices have enabled
us to discover some of the most outrage
GUS frauds in connection with the theft
of government land and government
timber by great corporations and by
individuals These practices have en-
abled us get some of the evidence indis-
|
ton of the wealthiest and most formid-
able CRIMINALS with whom the govern
ment has to deal, both those operating in
violation of the antitrust law and other.
The amendment in question was Of benz
| fit to no one excepting to these criminal ,
and 1t seriously hampers the GOVernmel =
in the detection of crime and the secui
ing of justice. Moreover, it not Onl,-
affects departments outside of the Treas
ury but it tends to hamper the Secretary
| of the Treasury himself in the effort 10
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 SER
vice, from investigating Irregularities III
branch minis 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 re-
strictiOn operates only to the advantage
of the criminal, of the wrong doer
The chief argument in favor of the pro-
vision 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
OerN ice agents was pdTlly TeSpOnSloie ioi
the Indictment and conviction of a Sena
tor and a Congressman for land frauds
in Oregon. | do not believe that it is ir
the public interests to protect criminals
in any branch of the public service, anc
exactly as we have again and again dur
ing the past seven years prosecuted ahc
convicted such criminals who were il
the executive branch of the Government
so in my belief we should be given am
pie means to prosecute them if found ii
the legislative branch. But if this is no
considered desirable a special exception
could be made in the law prohibiting tn,
use Of the Secret Service force in investl
eating members of the Congress. |
would be far better to do this than To dc
what actually was DONE and strive t.
prevent or at least TO hamper effectiv,
action against criminals 10y the executive
branch of the government.