The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-04

of Mr.. Hitchcock, the then secretary
of the interior, becoming convinced
that there were extensive frauds COM
mitted in his department, and the rami-
fications of the frauds were so far
reaching that he was afraid to trust
his own officials to deal in thorough
going fashion with them. One of the
secret service men accordingly resigned
and was appointed in the interior de-
partment to carry on this work. The
first thing he discovered was that the
special agents division or corps of de-
t~octiVes of the land office of the interior
department was largely under the con-
troll of the Ian thieves, and in conse-
quence the Investigations above referred
to had to be made by secret service
men.
Criminals Escape.
"If the present law, for which Messrs.
Tawney, Smith and the other gentle
men I have above mentioned are re
sponsible, had hen been in effect, this
action would hav been impossible, and
most of the criminals would unques-
tionably have escaped. No more strik-
ing instance can be imagined of the
desirability of having a central corps
of skilled investigating agents who can
at any time be assigned, If necessary
in large numbers, to investigate some
violation of the Federal statutes, in no
matter what branch of the public serv-
ice. In his particular case most of the
men investigated who were public
servants were in the executive branch
of the government.
But in Oregon, where an enormous
acreage of fraudulently alienated pub
tic land was recovered for the govern
ment. a United States Senator, Mr..
Mitchell, and a member of the lower
House, Mr.. Williamson, were convicted
on evidence obtained by men trans
ferred from the secret service, and an
ether member of Congress was indicted.
THE facts above given show beyond
possibility of doubt that what the sec
rotary Of the treasury and | had both
written prior to the enactment of the
obnoxious provision, and what | have
since written in my message to the
Congress, state the facts exactly as
hoy are. The obnoxious provision is
y benefit only to the criminal class and
can be of benefit only to the criminal
elass.
III u hud been embodied In the law
ut the time when I became President
all the prosecutions above mentioned,
ana many others of the same general
type, would either not have been un-
drrtaken or would have been under
taken with the government at Il great
Disadvantages; and many, and probably
most, of the chief Offenders would have
gone scot-free instead of being pun
ished fer their crimes.
For HOnesty's Sake.
In conclusion, l most earnestly ask,
"a the name of good government and
decent administration, in the name Of
honesty and for the purpose of bring
ing to justice violators of the Federal
laws wherever they may be found,
whether in public or private life, that
the action taken by the House last year
Be reversed.
The chief of the secret service is
paid a salary utterly inadequate to the
Importance of his functions and to the
admirable way in which he has per-
formed them. I earnestly urge that it
he increased to 5000 per annum 1 also
ilrge that the secret service be placed
where it properly belongs, and made a
bureau in the Department of Justice,
as the chief of the secret service has
repeatedly requested; but whether this
T. done or not, it should be explicitly
provided that the secret service can be
used to detect and punish crime
wherever it is found.