The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-01-07

49, 1890 ~ thQF CEIiW NAt0t
II was q special article Of about 5000
words. written, as ] WAS then informed
and now understand. by Mr.. i. w. BUS
speaker OF the House. / enclose q copy
or certain extracts from the article,
marked Appendix u. 1t contains an ut
terly unwnrranted attack on the secret
service division OF the treasury depart
ment as its chief. The opening paragraph
following:
"He (the chief OF the division and his
men are DESTROYS OF doing the secret de-
tectiye work for the whole government
and are not particular about drawing the
line between the lawmakers and the law
breakers They are rea iy to shadow the
former as we'll as the latter"
Then after saying that congress- will in
sist that the men shall only be used to
stop counterfeiting the article goes on:
Congress does not intend to have a
Fouche or any other kin OF minister of
police to be used by the executive de-
partments against the legislative branch
and it is suspected that il has been so
used recently. $50 The legislative branch
OF the government will not tolerate the
meddiing OF detectives. whether they rep
only themselves. 80 congressman re-
scented the secret interference or the secret
service men, who for weeks Swallowed
the House and Senate. sWhen Il was
discovered that the secret service men
were shadowing congressman there was a
storm OF indignation at the capitol and the
bureau came near being abolished and the
appropriation for the suppression of coun-
terfeiting cut off At another time
the chief of the secret service had his men
yolving them in scandals that would en-
able the bureau to dictate to them as the
price Of silence. = 80 The secret service
men have shown an inclination again to
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 inves-
wants the limitation removed from the
appropriation for suppressing counterfeit
ing. This shows = tendency toward
Founchelsm and a secret watch on other
officials than themselves"
The Land Frauds.
At the time of this publication the work
of the secret service, which was thus as
sailed, included especially the investiga-
ton of great land frauds in the west,
and the securing OF evidence to help the
department of Justice in the beef trust
Investigations at Chicago. which resulted
in successful prosecutions.
In view OF Mr.. Busbey's position, 1 have
accepted the above quoted statements as
fairly expressing the real meaning and ami
mus 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, ] have frequent
ly discussed this particular matter with
member Of congress: and on such occas-
ions the reasons alleged to me for the
hostility of congress to the secret service,
tyhoth by those who did and by those who
ibid not share this hostility, were almost
Invariably the same as those set forth In
| Mr.. Busbey's article. I may add, by the
way, that these allegations as to the sec
ret service are wholly without foundation
In fact.
The Main Issue. D.
But all Of this is Of insignificant import
ance compared with the main, the real
Issue. This issue Is simply, does congress
desire that the government hal have at
its disposal the most efficient ~instrument
for the detection Of criminals, and the pre-
yention and punishment OF crime. or does
II not? The action OF the House last May
was emphatically al action against the
interest OF Justice and against thesinterest
OF law-abidtng people, an" in Its effect
of benefit only to lawbreakers. L am not
have been the motive that induced the
action of which I speak, his was beyond
all question the effect OF that action. Is
the House now willing to remedy the
wrong? -.
Since 1901 the Investigations covered by
the secret service division--under the
practice which had been for many years
recognized as proper and legitimate, and
which had received the sanction OF the
highest law officers of the government
have covered a wide range Of offenses
against the federal law. BY far
the most important of these related
there was uncovered a far-reaching
and widespread system of fraud
ulent transactions involving both the IL
legal acquisition and the illegal fencing of
government land: and, In connection with
both these offenses, the crimes of perjury
, and subornation of perjury. Some OF the
persons involved in these violations were
OF great wealth and of wide political and
social influence. Both their corporate as
sociations and their political affiliations,
and the lawless character of some of their
employees, made the Investigations not
only difficult but dangerous. In Colorado
one of the secret service men was assassin
ated. In Nebraska 1t was necessary to
remove a United States attorney and a
United States marshal before satisfactory
progress could be made in the prosecution
OF the offenders.
The evidence in all these cases was
chiefly secured by men trained in the sec
ret service and detailed to the department
OF Justice at the request of that depart
ment and of the department of the inter-
for. In the state of Nebraska alone 90
defendants were indicted; and of the 90
cases thus far brought to trial 2S have res
suited in conviction; two of the principals,
Messrs. Comstock and Richards, men of
wealth and wide influence, being sentenc-
ed to 12 months in jail and find $500 each.
The Iowa Case.
The following secret service memoran-
dunn made in the course of a pending case
Illustrates the qualifications OF interest
with which the government has to deal:
Charles Z. Stewart. of Council Bluffs,
was indicted at Omaha for conspiracy to
defraud the government of the title 20
public lands In Mcpherson county, Ne
braska: also indicted for maintaining an
unlawful Enclosure of the public lands, and
also under indictment for perjury In con-
nection with final proof submitted by him
on lands filed on by him as a home
stead. In his final proof he swore that he
and his family had resided on the lands in
Mcpherson county (Which are within his
unlawful i~nclosure), when as a matter Of
fact his family has at all times resided in
Council Bluffs, la. He Is engaged in the
Wholesale grocery business, his store be-
ing located in Omaha, in the wholesale
district there. He Is reputed TO be quite
wealthy. Stewards attorneys are Harl &
FINLEY, OF Council Bluffs. Ia, who are also
attorneys at that place for the Omaha n
Council Bluffs Street Railway company, in
which company Harl holds considerable
stock. Stewart being also a s~tockholder
and possibly a director Of the company.
He Is also represented in Omaha by w.
]. O'Connell, one of the attorneys there
for the same company. Stewart is also
represented in his perjury case by Bin
Gurley. OF Omaha, Neb.. who at one time