Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-04

| II seriously hampers the government In
| the detection of crir1e ind the securing OF
Justice. Moreover II not only affects de-
| partmcnts outside of the treasury, but II
| tends to hamper the secretary of the
| treasury himself In vhe effort to utilize
| the employees of his department so as to
| best meet the requirements of the public
| service 1t forbids him from preventing
| frauds upon the customs service. from In
| vestigating irregularities In branch minis
and assay Offices and has seriously Grip
| pied him. 1t prevents the promotion of
employees in the secret service. and this
| further discourages good effort. In its
| present form the restriction operates only
| to the advantage Of tho criminal. of the
| wrongdoer.
| The chief argument in favor of the pro-
| vision was that tho congressman did not
themselves wish to be investigated by
| secret service men. Very little of such
| Investigation has been done in the past.
| But 1t is true that the work OF the secret
1 service agents was partly responsible for
| the indictment and conviction Of SEN
| ator and a congressman for land frauds
| In Oregon. l do not believe that 1t is
In tho public interest to protect GRIM
| inals in any branch OF the public service.
and. exactly as we have again and again
| during tho past seven years prosecuted
and convicted such criminals who were
in the executive branch OF the govern
] ment, 30 in my belief we should be given
ample means to prosecute them II found
| in tho legislative branch. Eut II this is
| not considered desirable special excep-
zion could be made in the law prohibit
| mig tho use of the secret service force In
Investigating members Of the congress.
| It would be far better to do this than to
| DO what actually was done and stsive to
| prevent or at least to hamper effective
action against criminals by the executive
| Sranch of the government.
Asks Careful Reading OF Message.
| A careful reading Of this message
will show that snid nothing to war
rant the statement that "the majority
Of the congressman were in fear OF
being investigated by the secret serv-
Ice men, or that congress as whole
was actuated by that motive" did
not make any such statement In this
! message Moreover, have never made
any such statement about congress as
q whole nor, with few inevitable ex-
captions, about the members Of con-
gress In any message or article or
speech On the contrary, have al
ways not only deprecated, but vigor-
ously resented, the practice Of indis-
eliminate attack upon congress and
indiscriminate condemnation Of all
congressman. wise and unwise, at and
| unfit, good and bad alike. No one real
ICES more than / the Importance Of
cooperation between the executive
and congress, and no one holds the au-
thority and dignity Of the congress Of
the United States in higher respect
than do I have not the slightest
sympathy with the practice Of Judging
men for good or for Ill rot on their
several merits, but in mass, as mem
bers of one particular body or one
caste. To put together all men holding
or who have held a particular office,
whether 1t be the Office of president
or Judge or senator or member OF the
house OF representatives, and to class
them oil, without regard to their IN
diyidual differences, as good or bad
seems to me utterly indefensible, and
1t is equally indefensible whether the
good are COMPOUNDED with the bad in
A heated and unwarranted champion
ship of all or In heated and unwar-
ranted assault upon all. would mel
Their attack nor defend all executive
officers in mass, whether presidents,
governors, cabinet officers or officials
of lower rank, nor would l attack or
defend all legislative officers In mass.
The safety Of free government rests
very largely in the ability ct the plain,
everyday citizen to discriminate be-
tween those public servants who serve
him well and those public servants
who serve him Ill. He cannot thus
discriminate If he Is persuaded to pass
Judgment upon man not with refer
ence to whether he Is fit or unfit
public servant, but with reference to
whether he is an executive or legisla-
tive officer, whether he belongs to one
branch or the other Of the government.
Says Message is Misunderstood.
This allegation In the resolution,
therefore, must certainly be due to an
entire failure to understand my mes
sage.
The resolution continues, "That the
president be requested to transmit to
the house any evidence upon which he
based his statements that the chief
argument in favor Of the provision
was that the congressman did not
themselves wish to be investigated by
secret service men," This statement,
which was an attack upon no one, still
less upon the congress, is sustained by
the facts.
If YOU will turn to the Congressional
Record for May last, pages 555S to
$500. inclusive, you will find the de
bate on this subject. Mr.. Tawney OF
Minnesota, Mr.. Smith Of Iowa, Mr..
Sherley of Kentucky and Mr.. Fit5ger-
aid of New York appear in this debate
as the special champions Of the pro-
vision referred to. Messrs. Parsons,
Bennett and Driscoll were the leaders
of those who opposed the adoption OF
the amendment and upheld the right OF
the government to use the most etii-
Gent means possible in order to de-
tect criminals and to prevent and pun
ish crime. The amendment was car
ried in the committee of the whole,
where no votes of the individual mem
bers are recorded, so / am unable to
discriminate by mentioning the mem
bers who voted for and the members
who voted against the provision, but
its passage, the journal records, was
greeted with applause. ! am well
aware however, that in any case OF
~r,l,o hov M