The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-01-05

shadow members of congress, knowing
them TO be lawmakers. and this IS no
Joke. Several of the departments
have asked congress for secret funds
for investigation, and the treasury de-
paTtment wants the Limitation remov-
ed from the appropriation for sup
pressing cOunterfeiting. This shows
tendency toward FoUcheism and a Sc
cret watch on other officials than
themselves.
Investigating Frauds.
Al the time of this publication the
work of the secret service, which was
thus assailed, included especially the
investigation of great land frauds in
the west, and the securing of evil
dence to help the department of JUS
tice in the beef-trust investigations at
Chicago, which resulted in successful
prosecutions.
In view of Mr.. Busbys position, |
have accepted the above quoted state
ments as fairly expressing the real
meaning and animus of the attacks
made in general terms on the use of
the secret service for the punishment
of criminals. Furthermore, in the
performance of my duty, to endeavor
to find the feelings Of congressman
on public questions of note, haye fire.
QUe0llN uISCuSS6u luiS Pal llCUAdl MAJ
ter with members of congress-; and
on such occasions the reasons alleged
to me for the hostility of congress to
/ the secret service, both by those who
did and by those who did not share
this hostility, we're almost invariably
the same as those set forth in Mr.
Busbey's article. | may ada, by the
way. that these allegations as to the
secret service are wholly without
foundation in fact.
But all of this is Of insignificant i'm
/ portance compared with the main, the
real issue. This issue is simply, Does
congress desire that the government
shall have at its disposal the most eff
cient instrument for the detection of
criminals and the prevention and pun
/ ishment of crime. or does it not? The
action of the house last May was en-
phatically an action against the inter
! est of Justice and against the interest
of laW-abiding people, and in its effect
of benefit only to lawbTeakers. / am
not now dealing with motives; what
ever may have been the motive that
induced the action of which / speak.
this was beyond all question the effect
of that action Is the house now will
ing to remedy the wrong?
For long time l cOntented myself
Win eQ0GaFOIl0S 10 peFSuaue tne
house not to permit the wrong. speak
! ing informally on the subject with
those members who. / believed, knew
anything of the matter and cOmmUni
eating officially only in the ordinary
channels, as through the secretary OF
the treasury. In a letter to the
speaker on April 80, protesting against
the cutting down of the appropriation
vitality necessary if the interstate com
merce commission was to carry into
effect the twentieth section Of the
Hepburn law, I added: The provis
ion about the employment of the Sc
Cret service men viii work very great
damage to the government in its en-
deavOr to prevent and punish crime
1nere Is no more foolish Outcry than
this against spies only criminals
need fear our detectives q inclose
copy of the whole letter. marked ''ap-
pendix C." The postscript is blurred
in my copybook, and two or three OF
the words can not be deciphered.)
These methods proved unavailing TO
prevent the wrong. MessTs. Tawney
and Smiht, and their fellow members
on the appropriations committee paid
no heed to the protests; and as the
obnoxious provision was Incorporated
in the sundrv civil bill If was inn