The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-08
TAWNEY DEFENDS
 HIMSELF FROM ROOSEVELT CHARGES
Especial from United Press )

Washington, Jan. 8.-In a forceful speech on the floor of the House this aftern oon Representative Tawney (Re- public tn. Minnesota,) who was charged by tht. President in his recent message with being mainly respons ble for the 1egisla tion limiting the operations of the secret service. replied to the allega- tioDs. Tawney refrained from calling names but endeavored to show that he had been unfairly represented in the Pr esident's message.
 Nothing can contribute so much to a 6isintegration of our Republic as an attempt on the part of one branch of the government to impeach the honor and integrity of another branch, how ever that attempted Impeachment may be sought he said. Whether by at- tributing to the members of that other branch as a whole, motives for their official conduct wholly inconsistent with honor. integrity and the faithful discharge of duty. or otherwise, the arbitrary and unauthorized use of the great power of any one of the branches of our government in this respect IS allowed to pass unchallenged. will go further to undermine the confidence of the people in their government than all agencies combined"
 Tawney said the Presidents state ment that the action of Congress on the secret service. "could benefit crim- inals only" clearly implied "that the Congress of the United States intended to benefit and protect from detection ana punishment those guilty of com mitting fraud and other violations of the law.
 'No disclaimer now, however strenu- ous and vehement he continued. "can modify either the meaning of the lan- guage by the President of it's inter pretation by the people and press of ho which Inc iofPpTItV of Congress has been assailed and stands impeached."
 When the President accused the Con- gressmen of being afraid of 1nveSt1ga- tion, Tawney said he violated the con stitutional privileges of Congress. He honor and integrity of Congress was wholly unfounded in fact.
 He then reviewed the legislation concerning the secret service and ar gued that 1t could have no such effect as was claimed by the President. It affected only the secret service ot the Treasury Department, he said, but made no reference to the secret service existing in other departments. The provision" he declared, "has not and does not operate to restrict the activi- ties of any department of the govern ment in the matter of the 1nvestlga- ton Of fraud"
 He mentioned large amounts appro- prjated to the various departments for the detection and punishment of crim- inals. The total of these for the pres ent year was over $7.000,000 A long argument was then made by Tawney with quotations from the records, that the investigation of the land frauds had not been interfered with in the le ast by action of the Congress on the secret service. In answer to the sec tion of the Presidents message which nominated Tawney for the Ananias club the latter said:
 "I am exceedingly sorry that the President of the United States did not see fit to do me the justice to quote all that ] said. for if he had done so, it would have been unnecessary for me to call attention of the House to the fact that he had in effect misquoted me-" s
 He read extracts from the letter of Secretary Cortelyou on which the Presidents charge was based, to show that he had not been fairly treated in the Roosevelt message. Tawney also said that the President had misrepre- scented him in his reference to the land fraud. and he added:
 Again it is a matter of sincere re- gret that I am obliged to call the Houses attention to the fact that the President of the United States, wheth- CT intentionally or not. has misquoted what I said.''