Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-10
PLANNING REBUKE
TO THE PRESIDENT
House and Senate to Edit His
Annual Message.
WORDS TO BE EXPUNGED
Both Houses Resent His Remarks
About Secret Service.
SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO MEET
Expected It Will Be Named This
on Form of Procedure.

Oh OTm OF fcOCeQuCe.
After series of conferences between
leaders of the Senate and the House of
Representatives. it has been decided to
resent. in formal. dignified fashion, the
aspersions cast upon the membership of
both branches of Congress by the Presi-
dent in that portion of his message pro-
testing against any limitation of the
activities of the secret service.
In the Senate the Presidents objec-
tionable remarks will be expunged from
the record.
In the House-the message not being
printed in the Record-that portion of
the Presidents utterances relating to the
secret service will be referred to spe-
cial committee which will move that the
Objectionable portion of the message be
laid on the table.
The committee will present its reasons
for this action.
Some time today Representative Perkins
of New York will introduce a resolution
providing for the appointment by the
Speaker of this special committee. The
committee will meet late this afternoon,
it is thought, and the rebuke to the Pres
ident of the United States will be made in
both houses of Congress tomorrow.
Membership Of Committee.
1t is not known as yet just what the
membership Of the special committee will
be. But it is thought that Chairman Taw-
ney of the House appropriations commit
tee will be one of those chosen to sit in
judgment on the utterances of President
Roosevelt.
The appropriations committee recon-
mended the inclusion of the provision
limiting the activities OF the secret serv-
ice to the detection and capture of coun-
terfeiters and the protection of the Pres
ident in the sundry civil bill Of last year,
and after considerable debate on the floor
of the House. in which the Presidents
friends in the body assailed the appro-
priations committee and defended the
employment of government detectives by
all the departments of the government
for various purposes. including the un-
tangling of family and social scandals
dHectlnS VI tie government ScIN-
ice, the provision was included in the
measure as it passed the House. The
Senate retained it and it went into the
law, effectually putting stop to methods
which had resulted in the employment by
the secret service of more and more men
each year and of a great widening of it's
scope of activity.
Mr. Tawney being chairman of this
n1 nf %ha rinfs iral r1ny
ers in the matter Of the provision of limi-
iation, it is felt that he should be men,
Der of the committee which prepares the
Presidents punishment.
Members OF Congress appreciate the fact
that the President has perfect right
in his message to call attention to what
he believes to be mischievous legislation
and to point out what he considers to be
errors made by the national lawmakers.
But they say he has no right at all to at
tribute to them motives which were not in
their minds or state that such and such
arguments were used by them in securing
the passage of legislation, when a
matter of fact such arguments were never
used at ALL
Not Afraid of Investigation.
Coming down to brass tacks, member
powerful influence in the Household
Star reporter today that in stating that
the principal argument used to secure
the passage of the secret-service limita-
lion provision, that members of Congress
were afraid of being investigated, was
absolutely untrue. They declared their
willingness to get up on the floor Of the
House and make this statement in such
pie that there was more than one can
vasser working to secure members for
the Ananias Club.
A number Of members, il is under
stood. went to Speaker Cannon and told
him they wanted to jump up in their
places and be recognized as a matter
of the highest personal privilege for the
purpose Of replying 10 the Presidents
statement.
Some of these men were democrats. and
it was the fact that some democrat might
take occasion to go it alone his own
hook in denunciation of Mr. Roosevelt
that has led to concerted action by the
two houses. All of this morning and early
afternoon members of the House were
chasing over to the Senate and members
of the Senate were travelling toward the
House, and there We're several confer
ences going on all the time. Finally the
plan outlined above was framed up, and
barring some unforeseen circumstances
will be put into execution as soon as pos
Siblc.
''Tired of Being Browbeaten."
The air is full of birthstone, too
Il am glad this question has come up
said influential member of the House
10 a Star reporter today. 81, for one, am
tired Of being browbeatep and bully
ragged by the President of the United
States. We have stood more from him,
owing TO the position he occupies, plus
his known peculiarities of temper3 ment
and the affectionate regard In which he
is held by Il large proportion of the Amer
lean people, than has ever been the case
before or ever will be again. But the time
has come when the members OF the House
must resent these wildly accusatory utter
ances Or else lose their own sef-respect
and the respect of every courageous and
scf-thinking American citizen.
II hope the special committee makes its
rebuke to Theodore Roosevelt good and
strong. Let them give him some of his
own medicine and see how he likes it,