The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-01-01
SECRET SERVICE
WILL Be PROBED
Senator Hale Announces Plan
of investigation
ROOSEVELT TO TESTIFY
Hale Says the Inquiry Will Last Until
After March q, In Order to Sum-
mon Roosevelt as a Pri-
vate Citizen.

Washington, December 31.-That the
proposed inquiry by the Senate commit
tee on appropriations into the methods
of the secret service will be very search
ing and comprehensive in its character
was definitely and authoritatively stated
today The announcement was made by
Senator Hale. acting chairman of the com
| mittee and was called out by an intima-
ton that the inquiry might be prolonged
| until after March 4, for the purpose Of
permitting the summoning of President
! Roosevelt before the committee as a pri-
vate citizen to testify regarding the OPP
creations of the secret service branch of
the government.
While stating that so far as he knew
there is no foundation for this report
Senator Hale said that the various de-
partments of the government in which
secret service men are known to be en-
ployed had been asked to furnish in
! formation on the subject, and he added
/ that while he had no doubt of their COM
! pliance with this request they would If
! necessary, be officially called upon by a
| Senate resolution. He also stated that
the inquiry would be made quite indie
| dependenty of the Presidents structures
| 1t is understood that the committee will
begin its work as soon after the holiday
recess as the information from the de-
| partment is received
| Hale's Statement.
| Prefacing his remarks with the state
| ment that the investigation would not be
conducted in a sensational way, but
latter the fashion of care and delibera-
ton that generally characterizes Senate
inquiries" the Senator said
The extent and use and the kind OF
work performed by the secret service,
under the direction of the heads of certain
departments, have greatly and startlingly
been amplifled during the past few years,
and it is this situation which has attract
| ed the attention of the Senate and is the
| foundation of it's investigation The Pres
| fdents message is only secondary in its
| Importance as affecting this investigation,
! The course to be pursued by the commit
| tee is in no respect an investigation of the
| President, and it is not by any means,
| the result of his message. The work of
| tied as an answer to that message. Nor
is there any intention, as has been stated,
| of prolonging the investigation until after
March T. Indeed, 1 doubt whether it has
ever entered into the mind of any of the
| most imaginative of senators to prolong
| the investigation and to call upon Pres-
| dent Roosevelt as a witness when he be-
comes n privata citizen
investigation Planned.
Before l left Washington on the ad-
| journmept of Congress for the holidays,
as acting chairman of the committee on
appropriations, L sent copy of the reso-
luton directing the investigation to the
heads of five different departments cover
ing those which L believed were employ
ing and extending the work of the secret
! service force of the government, and
asked that specific information under the
| different heads of the resolution be sent
| at as early day as possible to the COM
| mittee on appropriations.
'The work covered by this service in
| the departments is large and no answers
| have yet come to the committee but [
| have no reason to believe that the head
| of any department, either by his own
| action or by instruction, will decline to
! furnish the facts which sought for.
! Should there be any undue delay, how
| ever, the committee will undoubtedly see
| to it that a resolution be presented to
| the Senate directing the heads of the
| departments to furnish the information,
| thus giving the force of a formal di-
| lection by the Senate, as is customary in
| all such cases. When this information
| is received and 1 have no reason to be-
| lieve that it will be withheld the COM
| mittee will thoroughly examine into it,
| and either by Subcommittee or my action
| Of the whole committee, arrange it in
| form for report to the Senate as to
| the facts, which ought to show the COM
plete extent and ramification of the Sc
| cret service in all parts of the govern
| ment.
Big Subject.
The subject is of that magnitude that
II demands thorough exposition of all
this comparatively new feature in our
government for the information of Con-
g'es and for the public at large. The
very limited secret service of the govern
ment bdng with small appropriations and
small force almost entirely directed in
vestigations into counterfeitng and frauds
and 1t is said and believed by many
ti.at this has been greatly departed from
and that the extension of this service
| is alarming and dangerous and beyond
the legitimate functions of the general
government. Whether this is or is not so
| the Investigation ought to disclose.
There is very little in the Senate in
vestigation that has to do with intima-
| lions that members of Congress in either
| house have been Swallowed or spied upon
| by enissaries the secret service l
| doubt whether the President believes that
! senators and representatives are unduly
sensitive upon this. and his message when
| carefully read does not bear out the prop
! osition that members of Congress were
| improperly Influenced in their votes re-
| stricting the secret service because of any
| criminality on their part, the exposure
| of which was feared.
whenever the results of the investi-
cation by the committee are laid before
| the Senate the whole subject will be for
the action of that body, and while, as I
have said, the investigation will be con-
Quoted in no sensational way, it will,
think furnish to the Senate a great body
Of very important information upon which
the Senate will act in it's wise discretion"
The Departed