Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
WORK OF SECRET SERVICE
Continued from Page IL

halt, however, there was gradual
INT continuous expansion of the activ-
tiles Of the nations secret police until
thew hade fair to outdo their European
brethren in the scope of their survell-
lance
For instance, secret service opera
tives were "loaned" to the secretaiy
of the interior and rendered the mus
important service in securing evidence
in connection with the land lfauu
cases in the west. Other secret sei-
vice men had a hand in exposing .he
sensational cotton report leak III .Ae
department of agriculture ana So li,o
list might be prolonged TO lnciuue
practically all the executive uepatt
ments of the government, nor iolset
ting the part played by these clever
est of plain clothes men in lnVesIlsa'-
ing charges against naval ofhcefs.
Because of the fact that its primary
nnrnose and principal function at tnS
outset was the trailing of counterlei>-
ers the secret service was maze
branch of the treasury department..
In connection with their overshadoW-
ing of suspected countertelters ,n9
secret service men have been ehapien
TO gather much information OF tile
greatest value regarding BLACK Hans
organizations and the operations q
anarchists. Yet other Investigations
along these lines have resulted from
the responsibility of the secret service
for the safety of the president ana
+hus without oversteppinS the POUNDS
of the law of authorization, the secret
service has been enabled to accom-
nlish much in the field that IS the
rhief concern of foreign secret ponce
namely eternal vigilance as to the
Mans and ambitions of the plottefs
against the worlds rulers. Untll con
gress shut down upon 1t last year. ~.
treasury department also useu ti'o
secret service to dectect smuggling GU
terprises and other frauds upon tiie
customs service and to lnVesusa.9
robberies and irregularities OF all KINGS
and there have recently been son,a
notable ones-in branch minis, SUD
treasures, assay Offices, etc. one VI
President Roosevelt's most bitter conf
plants has been against the hamper
Ing of operations in these directions.
The headquarters of the secret ser
vice are in the treasury DullolnS ~
washington. Here are the private
pffices of the chief of the service, John
q. Wilkie, who receives a salary 9t
$4,000 per year, and the assistant
chief. William Herman Moran, VINO IS
paid $4,000 per year. There is clerl'
cal division, employing some halt a
dozen men: and a large store room
where confiscated counterfeiting out
fits. spurious coin and other contra
band seized by secret service men, are
deposited and allowed to accumulate
until, at intervals of about a year, a
committee is appointed to superlntend
The destruction of these unlawful artl-
Giles The equipment of the 'secrc1
service headquarters embraces some
Interesting features, including delicate
scales for weighing coins whose gen
uineness is questioned and Rogue,
Gallery consisting of a monster fi!t
of photos of counterfeiters and othe,
offenders against the law.
However, the secret service bureau
at Washington is essentially q nerve
center from which are directed the
operations of the 25 districts into
which the country is divided on tbs
secret service map. In each of these
districts a secret service operative Is
stationed just as patrolman is or
duty on his beat, but in addition tt
the men thus detailed to indicated
geographical divisions, there operate
from the central Office at Washington
a number of trained detectives who
may literally be sent to any place a
any time. To this class belong thu