The Boise citizen. (Boise, Idaho) 1906-1910, 1908-05-08
LAND Thieves ARE BUSY
GET JOKER ON APPROPRIATION BILL TO GET
RID OF Detective BURNS

The land thieves are working upon congress. They
have slipped joker into the sundry civil appropriation bill
which aimed to get rid of Secret Service Agents Burns
who unearthed the Oregon land frauds The facts
given follows in a special to the Denver News:
'The appropriations committee for some mysterious
reason persuaded to put into the Sundry civil appro
priaton bill limitation the activity of secret service
agents of the government which could have plausible
except to embarass the prosecution OF criminals
against the United States government.
After remarkable hearing the appropriations com
mittee inserted in the sndry civil bill peculiar amend
ment result of which it provided that agent
of the secret service should be detailed foughed loaned
permitted any other way work for any other depart
former position inside of two years.
An absurd attempt made to show that certain
agents of the service had been detailed in divorce
produced before the committee and yet this peculiar
section adopted in such way to make 1t evident
that great deal was behind it.
Tonight of the law officers OF the government eX-
planned the situation.
If that paragraph is enacted into law he said 't
will paralyze the department of justice 1t vicious eg
ation of the extraordinary kind and it would be
disgrace congress and the United States to have such
thing go OF the statute books
In the first place just well that the people should
understand that 90 cent of the operations OF the secret
service aside from the suppression of countereitng and
the protection of the president under the direction OF the
department of justice
1T has supplied us trained of the highest char
acter who have been used in roofing out land thieves and
breaking up lotteries Without their assistance none
1t is pretty well understood that Chairman law
ney of the appropriations committee made the unwilling
victim of the schemes of land grabbers.
Within the last few years than million OF
land frauduenty obtained from the United States have
been restored the public domain In the investigation
these frauds in Oregon Wyoming and several other states
which resulted in conviction of the late Senator Mitchell
and the Indictment of members of the house OF repre-
sentates secret service men produced almost all of the
evidence which Special Attorney Heney got indictments
and convictions.
When San Francisco was in the clutches of band of
scoundre Secret Service Operator Burns selected to
break up that powerful ring The work he did is known to
the country and yet under the operation OF the eXraord
nary clause put into the sundry civil bill by the apPropa
tions committee he could not go back to the government
secret service any capacity for years after his other
work completed.
No one had pretended that secret service agents de-
tailed to work with the department of justice have been
guilty of the slightest wrongdong Their record IN TINS
regard is clear.
Not one charge has been filed with the secretary of the
treasury with the attorney general that secret SER
vice officer has been false his oath The detailing OF
these men has in way nterered with the legitimate
work of the bureau
On the contrary it has been of great service because
it has enabled the chief make of substitutes and extra
men carefully trained for the regular work. so that ne has
the services of operatives than could possibly be
provided for by the small appropriation annually made Tor
this branch of the public service.
There is not greater powerful ring OF high
class criminals in the couny than that which has procured
false entry upon land for the benefit OF great corporations
The indictments against powerful political leaders and mem
bers congress obtained through the operation OF
secret service officers especially detailed for this service
who reported direct the attorney general being paid
from the appropriation made for his department
1t is natural suppose therefore that the members
of the land and timber ring have been sufficiently powerful
to induce the appropriations committee to tie the hands
of the secret service just they attempted to tie the hands
of the nterrtate commerce commission.
AS l. Frank Hunts private business suddenly m
creased 50 astonishngy that he could accept public
office so will some other gentlemen shortly discover that
they have no desire to serve the dear people
Ross SCor1tz his 11nSaVOrV record after