Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-01-05

1900 acres OF mineral land. and suits
are now pending involving 10000
acres more.
Departments Agents Dishonest.
All these Investigations in the land
cases were undertaken in consequence
of Mr.. Hitchcock, the then secretary
of the interior, becoming convinced
that there were extensive frauds COM
mitted in HIS department. and the
ramifcations OF the frauds were so
farreaching that he was afraid to trust
his own officials to deal in thorough
going fashion with them. One Of the
secret service men accordingly resign
ed and was appointed in the interior
department to carry on this work. The
first thing he discovered was that the
special agents division or corps Of de-
tectives Of the land Office of the inte-
rior department. was largely under the
control of the land thieves. and in con-
sequence the Investigations above re-
ferred to had to be made by secret
service men.
If the present law, for which Messrs.
Tawney, Smith and the other gentle
men | have above mentioned are re-
sponsible, had then been in effect this
action would have been impossible and
most Of the criminals would unques-
tionably have escaped. No more strik-
ing instance can be imagined OF the
desirability of having a central corps
of skilled investigating agents who can
at any time be assigned, II necessary
in large numbers, to investigate some
violation Of the federal statutes. in no
matter what branch Of the public serv-
ice. In this particular case most OF
the men investigated who were public
servants were In the executive branch
Of the government But in Oregon,
where an enormous acreage of fraudu-
lenuy alienated public land was recov-
cred for the government. a United
States senator, Mr. Mitchell, and a
member Of the lower house, Mr.. VII
hanson, were convicted on evidence
obtained by men transferred from the
secret service, and another member Of
congress was tnQfcteO-
Stopped Naturalization Frauds.
From 1901 to 1904 a successful inves-
tigation Of naturalization affairs was
made by the secret service, with the
result Of obtaining hundreds OF convic-
lions of conspirators who were convict
ed Of selling fraudulent papers Of nat
uralization. subsequently congress
passed a very wise law providing a
special service and appropriation for
the prevention. of naturalization frauds,
but unfortunately at the same time
that the action against the secret serv-
ice was taken congress also cut down
the appropriation for this special serv-
zee, with the result Of gripping the
effort to stop frauds in Naturalization
The fugitives Greene and Gaynor, i'm
plicated in a peculiarly big government
contract fraud, were located and ar
rested in Canada by the secret service,
and, thanks to this, they have since
gone to prison for their crimes.
The secret service was used to assist
in the investigation Of crimes under
the peonage laws, and owing partly
thereto numerous convictions were Sc
cured and the Objectionable practice
was practically stamped out Mt least
in many districts. The most extensive
smuggling Of silk and opium in the
history Of the treasury department
was investigated by agents Of the Sc
cret service in New York and Seattle
and a successful prosecution of the Of
tenders undertaken. Assistance Of the
utmost value was rendered to the de-
partmept Of justice Ia the beef trust
investigation at Chicago; prosecutions
were followed up and fines inflicted.
The cotton leak scandal in the agri-
cultural department was investigated
and the responsible parties, located.
What was done in connection with
lottery investigations Is disclosed in
letter Just sent TO me by the United
States attorney for Delaware, running
as follows:
The destruction Of the Honduras Ma
tionai Lottery company. successor to the
Louisiana Lottery company. was entirely
the work of the secret service.
This. excellent work lwas. aecomplished By
Mr. Willsis and his subordinates
thought It might boftimely 70 recall this
prosecution.
Lottery Cases and Others.
Three hundred thousand dollars IN
fines were collected by the govern
ment in the lottery cases. Again. the
ink contract fraud in the bureau OF
engraving and printing "a bureau OF
the treasury Department. was investi-
gated by the secret service and the
guilty parties brought 20 justice. Mr..
Tawney stated in the debate that this
was not investigated by the secret serv-
ice, but by a clerk down there" con-
veying the impression that the clerk
was not in the secret service. AS a
matter Of fact he. was in the secret
service. His name was Moran, and
he was promoted to assistant chief
for the excellence of his work in this
case The total expense for the office
and field force of the secret service
last year was S135,0OO, and by this
one investigation they saved to the
government over 100000 year.
Thanks to the restriction imposed by
congress, it is now very difficult for
the secretary Of the treasury 10 use
the secret service freely even In his
own experimentation instance, 10 use
them to repeat what they did so adj
mirably In the case OF this ink con-
tract The government is further Grip
pied by the law forbidding it TO EN-