The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-08
(special from United Press.)

Washington, Jan. 8.-In the presence of an .assernblage that packed the hoor and galleries of the House, the Perkins Special Committee made its report to- day on the portions of the President message referring to the secret service. Interest was intense when the docu- ment was passed to- the clerks desk and It's reading was listened to with breathless silence.
 The report says that the Presidents s language was unjustifed, without oaSls in fact. $,
 Ii says that the House declines to consider any communication from any source which is not respectful.
 It recommends that the part or the Presidents annual message referring to the secret. service be laid on the table.
 It also recommends that all of the recent special message on the secret service be laid on the table.
 MT. Perkins, of New York chairman of the special committee, presentee the report. I. led off with a quotation from the Presidents annual message, in which he said the limitation of the secret service could benefit only the criminal classes and that the chief reason for the action of Congress was the fear of members that they might be investigated. The report then pro- ceeds:5
 Understanding this language to be a. reflection on the integrity of its membership, the House. in respectful terms, called on the President for any information that would justify the language of the message or assist it in it's constitutional duty to purge itself of corruption.
 s"The President in his message of January denies that the paragraph of the annual message cast reflections on the integrity Of the House.; attri- bufes to the House san entire failure to understand my message; declares that he has made no charge of corrnp- ti0n a9sinst any member of the House no proof of -rUrruptfUM on the part Cf any member. of this House.
 .sWhetfer the House in it's resolution of December IT. correctly interpreted the meaning of the words used by the President. in his annual message or whether the misunderstanding is: as the language implies. will be judged now and in the future according to othe accepted interpretations of the consti- tutfof-af law. '
 we, consider the language of the President. in his message of December s unjust and without basis of fact and that@it constitutes breach of the privileges of the House. therefore. be it
 ttHeSOlved-That the House in the exercise of it's constitutional preroga- tives, decline to consider any recom- fr1endation from the President which is not in its own Judgment respectful. Further, that the House shall not con- slider such disrespectful portions of the ineSsaee on secret service as above set forth. that thessaid portion of the mes sage be laid on the table: and be it further resolved.
 t"That the message of the President sent to. the House on January 4th. be- ing unresponsive to the inquiries of the House and constituting an invasion of the privileges of the House, by ques- tioring the motives and intelligence of the members and the exercise of their constitutional rights and functions, be laid on the table,
 Chairman Perkins. in speaking on the report. said that the question for ths committee to decide had been whether the portions of the Presidents s annual message applying to the secret service were couched in such form that proper regard for the dignity of the great executive body should forbid their reception. we are of the opinion" he said, ttthat portions of the message do constitute a breach of the priv ileges of this House and that fur thermore, following the precedent set
  cline to consider them"
 MT. Perkins declared that there was not the slightest ground for the charge that a fear of investigation had in- fuenced Congress in it's secret service action tIt is dangerous to the Re- public,'' he continued. ."That a large portion of our people should have their confiden nee shaken in the judges who interpret the law: it is equally danger ous that their confidence should be impaired in those who enact the laws, and the duty devolved upon the law makers not to allow the integrity of their motives to be lightly questioned. No legislative body would be respected by the people unless it respects itself. We are jealous of the honor of the. na- tion;' we should be equally jealous of the honor of our institutions"
 He said that although unfit and dis honest men were sometimes found in Congress with few exceptions the body was composed of men of integrity, whose vote is determined not by fear of the people but by an honest regard for the public service. MT. Perkins uuoted the President as saying that he held Congress in high regard and then added:
 ssIt would, therefore, be thing to be depiorAd. if as result of any un- fortunates inadvertence of language, any Funtoward combination of words. an, expression should remain in his message which might be interpreted by the people as lessening the dignity and thereby weakening the authority of Congress.
 If Congress listens tamely and timidly to reflections upon the char acter of it's members and it's honesty Df purpose. it will deserve and 1t will certainly receive the contempt of the public. The Congress of the United States to-day exists as result of cen- turies of struggle for popular govern ment. Let every man who is to vote on this question. vote in a manner which seems to him most worthy or the traditions to which we are the heirs. of the institutions of which we are the protectors and of the people of whom we are the representatives"
 Both the resolution itself and the speech of the chairman, Representative Perkins, (Republican New York,) which opened general debate on the sub- jfct. were frequently interrupted with applause. from the floor and gallery. rh4 resolution affirmed the right of the