New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-02-22
SECRET SERVICE REPLY
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Continued from first page
this Spy system in the Department Of Justice.
Not only have I again and again requested LIl.c
the Secret Service be placed under the Depart
ment Of Justice, but the chief OK the secret
Service has himself specifically requested on
different occasions that the same course De rol-
lowed. AS regards the general policy when
should be followed therefore, your committee
has declared for the policy the adoption OF
which have urged and ali the difficulties would
be met by providing specifically and amply for
carrying out that policy Chief WDkle shoud
be transferred to the Department OF Justice
and put at the head Of the force therein organ
lied
But in your report and the subsequent de
bate direct and indirect attacks are made upon
the Secret Service. with curious persistence s-
and curious indifference to the fact that your
committee recommends that a precisely similar
Secret Service to the one attacked be now es-
tablished in the Department Of Justice; and De
It observed that limitation is proposed for the
new Secret Service, so that the limitation Is
imposed onlv ,1pon the Secret Service which has
already shown its efficiency and has already be-
come an object of terror to criminals Senator
Hemenway states that there are more than
three thousand men now in the Secret Service
and inspection work Of the government, and
that in the last few years the number has
trebled, and that If they were 70 march through
the streets OF Washington they would make an
army, while it was also stated in the same de-
bate that at the close Of President McKinleys
administration there were only 1877 such men
on the payroll whereas it was alleged that we
now have over 5000" and that the appropria-
lions on that account for last year amounted to
about S10OO0.00O"
These statements are not in accordance with
the facts I submit to you herewith a sub
stantially although not entirely. accurate state
ment of the number of men employed on Sc
cret Service work or criminal investigation"
work during the year that has just passed as
compared with the Years 1901'02. Owing to the
very brief period which I have had TO get at
these figures IL was impossible to get them with
entire accuracy. but they are not out OF the way
more than a score or in either direction Ac-
cording 10 these figures. it appears that in the
neghborhood OF 1900 men Of this type were en-
ployed seven years ago and somewhat over
! 400 now; that is. instead of having trebled in
number in accordance with one or the state
ments made above, instead OF having increased
nearly twentyfold In accordance with the other
statement. they have increased but a little over
one half, a little over so per cent. Moreover,
of this increase considerably over half in
the number of men used in securing the punish
a matter wholly outside Of that discussed by
any of the gentlemen who have objected TO the
use Of the Secret Service.
The remaining increase is due TO such causes
as the natural growth OF the PostofTice Depart
nlent, the appointment of individuals to enforce
the pure food and the meat inspection laws. the
more rigorous enforcement of the safety appi
ance act, the suppression Of liquor traffic among
the Indians the protection OF the public lands
and timber and the like I call your especial
attention to the fact that the great majority of
these meE not primarily or mainly or indeed
ordinarily engaged on Secret Service or criminal
investg CATION OF inspection work at all have
employed these terms merely because they were
so employed by members of your committee and
others in the course Of the debates in the House
and Senate: but they are entirely misleading in
= far thew give impression that the chief
work OF the men mentioned was OF the character
assigned II by Senator Hemenway and others in
the quotations given above and in similar state
ments
AS regards nineteen twentieths of these men.
the proportion Of their time given to Secret Ser
vice work or criminal investigation is altogether
insignificant and is only an occasional incident
OF their ordinary duties. To speak of these men
as having become an army or as 5000 men
engaged In Secret Service and similar work is
comically out of accord with the actual facts.
The increase was 700 men. OF whom but score
1 La
work" As for the amount expended. the state
n1snts In the debate in both houses are so exa g
gerated as to bear no reference whatever to the
actual figures. Thus II was stated that two
thirds Of the money appropriated for the De
partment of Justice was spent in criminal in
vestgation. AS matter of fact. the Attorney
General reports TO me that the appropriation so
spent. construed on the most liberal possible
basis, was in reality II per cent. so that the
statement in question was thirtyfold exag-
geration.
Cor as one gentleman put it. that 100000 00)
represented the amount expended for this Secret
service work while the totals of another set of
figures amount to $33. 900 000' money which
could have been expended for such work A
table carefully compiled covering all the de
partments shows the amount, actually expended
during the first six months of the present fiscal
wear in all work that can by any possibility be
considered to under this heading
little less than $764.G00-an estimated total for
the entire fiscal year OF approximately S1,600.
O00-which goes to show that the statements
referred to contain only from to II per cent
of warrant in fact
DECLARES STATEMENT MISLEADING.
Senator Hemenway quoted the Secretary of
the Interior as the authority for the statement
that but one Secret Service man was ever de-
tailed to the Interior Department. This state
Inent OF Senator Hemenway is completely mis-
leading. The Secret Service men were used in
the Interior Department cases at the request Of
the Secretary of the Interior. but for convenience
in operation they assigned to and paid by
the Department of Justice This has been set
forth with the utmost clearnesS again and again
| in the reports of the Interior Department. As
| the prosecutions had to be carried by the
| Department of Justice, IL desirable that
the Secret Service men should work with and
under the Department of Justice officials BY
| turning TO the list TO which have already al
| luded, YOU will see, for example, that in the
| year 1907 the Department OF Justice on January
| & asked for one man In a land fraud case: that
| on January 25 il asked fve men 10 be detailed
for timber entry frauds; January 80 four
additional men to assist in land fraud investisa-