The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-04
sTA1EMENF BY ROOSEVELT.
President Gives Ills Views on Secret Service Men.

EEeAh0&mt GhVe0 khh8 WE'VE SS SeS~S~
 Service Men.
 Washington. Feb. 3.--Declaring that If the Government is to act with full eficiency against criminals, It must have, some force of secret service agents who can act against criminals any where" President Roosevelt in q statement isauea5 from the White Rouse tonight. emph atically reiterated his opposition to restricting the neld Of usefulness of the secret service.
 eThe position of the administration is." safd the President, "that 1t Is against sound public policy to dis- eriminate in favor of cr1Aainals by dis- eliminating against the use of the se- cret service to detect and punish them" 1"
 The statement was called forth by 'misleading statements Appearing In some of the afterno0n papers' to the effect that the work of the secret ser- vice has not been hampered and that the investigation of cases outside the detection of eonnterfeiters and the protection of the President has not been circumscrlbed by restrictive leg islation at the last session of Con- gress.
 The complete text of the statement Is as follows:
 At no time has the President. or any administrative officer claimed that the FGSlItGLlYE ltktataktVu VI tuG tAaN OCSN sion affected the secret service divts- ion of trade in the matter of sup pressing counterfeiting or protecting
 .As a matter of fact. the limitation did not apply In the slightest degree to the normal functions of that ser vice and the claim that the secret ser- vice was not hanlpered in looking af- ter counterfeiters Is admitted; but the assertion that the restriction was harmless to the Governments inter- ests Is not correct,
 rsrhe effect of the limitation was lma- terialIy to c4rcumecribe the field of usefulness in which the trained agents of the secret service have hitherto been employed Under the limitati0n 1t became impossible to use these inyestigatofs in. the class of cases in which, they have bene con- spIcnonslyl successful for many years The phraseology of the restrictive leg lslation is such that any person who was employed in or under the secret service division during 1909 for eveh so short a period as an hour, became disQualified for promotion or employ ment in any branch of the Government service where either his compensation or expenses would be payable from an appropriation of the sundry civil act.
 -In0 llmtL&tlOHH ttGQ NN0 AAH0S VI the Secretary of the Treasury, and made 1t impossible for him to continue the employment of these. men In any cases of irregularities or wrong doing in those branches of the trade devoted to tine issuing, redemption and hand Ing of the obligations, securities and coins of the Government.
 "It is the contention of the execus tive branch of the Government that 1t
 NAA A1 AA AAN means of Investigating criminal cases; 1; and when legislation Is enacted that deprives the executive branch of a particularly desirable end effective in. yestigation, force the Government in. terests, which are the interests of the people, interests are injured and the gathers are only the evil-dosrs who may thereby escape detection and pun ishment.
 "The question is, is 1t right or wise or proper specifically to discriminate against one naFticularr division of the Governments Investigating force and preYent its employment where 1t might be used to great advantage. It is an evasion of the question to answer that in one particular and circumscribed oounterfeiting and protecting the Presideut--its activities are not affected by the limitation.
 If the Government Is to act with full efficiency against criminals. 1t must have some force of secret service agents. by preference under the De- partment of Justice who can act against criminals any where; and the position of the administration is that 1t Is against sound policy to discrITn- mate in favor of the criminals by dis- eliminating against the use of the se- eret service to detect and punish them"