New-York tribune., 1909-01-05
TIE SECRET SERVICE.

President Rooseyelt's message to the House
of Representatives explaining and amplifying
his protest against the restriction of the actfvi-
ties of the Secret Service effected by last years
sundry civil appropriation act will, we think,
convince the country not only that the restric-
ton was unwse, but also that the resentment
expressed in the House at the terms of the
Presidents original criticism was based on an
Interpretation which q diSpaSSiOnate reading
of the full text of that criticism does not justify
The President rightly says that nothing In his
message of December warrants that portion OF
the preamble of the House resolution of Decem-
Der IL which accuses him of charging that "the
"ma jority of the Congressman were in fear OF
'being investigated by Secret Service men," and
that Congress as Il whole was actuated by that
motive in enacting the provision in question
The President originally remarked merely
that 1.-The chief argument in favor of the pro
vision was that Congressman did not them
selves wish TO be investigated by Secret Ser
"vice men," and his meaning was that that was
the chief argument of those who spoke in favor
of restricting the Secret Service in the debate
on the sundry civil appropriation bill. He cites
enough expressions on the part of Representa-
tives supporting restriction to prove that they
did lay stress on that argument, but 1t does not
follow that he charged the majority who voted
TO sustain the Committee on Appropriations,
to be investigated by Secret Service men" He
only intimated that If Representatives in Con-
gress really wanted TO cut off the possibility of
their being investigated along with other gov
ernment officials suspected Of completely in
frauds or crimes, they should have explicitly
exempted the legislative branch, but left the
Executive free TO use the resources of the Secret
Service in the prosecution of the great mass of
cases in which Congressman assuredly would
not be involved.
We cannot see that the President brought
any injurious Indictment against Congress or
against individual Congressman. He complained
that Congress had acted unrea sonably and short
sightedly and asked for the correction of
serious legislative bIunder There can hardly
be two opinions about the folly of crippling the
government in its legitimate efforts TO enforce
the statutes. to recover misappropriated prop
erty and to punish crimes inside as well as out
side the government service, on the ground that
the Secret Service had been nlisused, or might be
misused, TO investigate the records of few In
nocent members of Congress. The usefulness
of the Secret Service has been demonstrated
again and again, and its employment by the
present administration has resulted in an enor-
nous increase of respect for the federal stat
utes and a great extension Of the governments
powers Of self-protectiOn. On the record made
In the last seven years the bureau deserves to
be enlarged and reorganHed as an accredited
agency of the Department of Justice. The
action of the House of Representatives last year
in irving TO restrict its activities to technical
Treasury Department work-detecting counter
feits. etc.-was a step backward. No side Is
sues raised by a manifest misinterpretaticn of
the Presidents protest should be allowed TO in
terfere with prompt recognition by the Com
mittee on Appropriations that it was In error
and prompt action to repair last years mis-
take.