Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-04

former as well as the latter That is why
Chief Wilkie is suspected of an ambition
TO rival the notorious Fouche of the First
Napoleon.
This weakness Of the secret service men
tn break over the bodnds OF the law re-
lating to counterfeiting and become gen
eral sleuths in their search ior wrong
doors Is not a new one The lureau has
had that weakness for many years. rr
ever since il was organized. and II has
had to be curbad time and again, as r.
has neddled in affairs over which II has
no jurisdiction and been threatened with
extinction.
There is no desire fer n general de-
tective service national police organ
ization iE connection with the federal gov
eminent. on the contrary. there is in
Congress an utter abhorreacc of such
scheme. because Il savors OF Imperialism
more than any other assumption of lower
by the executive departments.
Ideas That Actuate Sleuth.
1t is con. idered absolutely contradict
tory to the democratic principles of gov
eminent But the detective mind does
not seem able To grasp such fine dstinc-
tons. A detective recognizes no Imita-
tions on his peculiar powers Of ferreting
out crime. or what appears as crime To
him. He is ready to shadow king or
president as he is poor counterfeter
greater the game, and the more intense
the excitement.
Congress never has had any sympathy
with the secret service bureau. That
bureau Is not the creature OF congress
sionai action. 1t is only the child of admin
istrative routine in the Treasury Depart
ment. The law against counterfeiting Is
one of the earliest placed on the statute
books. 1t was passed in the beginning OF
the government. and Congress has ever
since made annual appropriations for the
suppression of counterfeiting. Twenty
years ago it was found that the Treasury
Department had created, number Of
small bureaus not known TO the law a
convenient means of enforcing the laws
applying TO that department or for the
purpose of creating places for the friends
of the Secretary. These official bureaus
were Illegal but they were claimed to be-
necessary. They were utterly repugnant
to the spirit of civil service reform. and
to remedy the evil Congress recognized
them by making specific appropriations
for them. In this way was the secret
service bureau and it's chief given an
act of Congress.
To Stop Counterfeiting.
The appropriation for the maintenance
of the bureau is now $4,000 a year, and
Congress in addition to this makes an ap-
preparation of $4,000 a year for the sup
preston of counterfeiting. but STIMULATES
that the appropriation shall he used for
no other purpose whatever The stipula-
ton was necessary to prevent the use Of
the money in Shadowing every conceivable
crime that can be suggested by the de-
tective mind. and for that reason Ii Is
repugnant to Mr.. Wilke and his subordi
mates, and also. perhaps, to the Secretary
of the Treasury and her btnpt officers
who sympathiZe with the shadOwing bust
ness The Treasury Department has ap-
pealed in vain to have Congress drop tho
limitation from the appropriation. 1t is
appealing to this Congress, but its appeal
will be ignored
The limitation will remain. because Con-
gress does not intend to have Fouche or
any other kind of minister of police to be
used by the executive departments against
the legislative branch of the government.
1t has been so used, and Ii is suspected
that 1t has been so used recently. Tha
secret service has been very active gen.
orally, and not active against coun-
terfeiters as in the old days. when the APP
now.
The notorious Brockway. king of coun-
terfeiters. was run down years ago. and
there has not been an important capture
of any counterfeiting outfit in the last half
dozen years. The secret service men
~
investigating frauds against naturaliza-
ton, hunting down anarchists. shadowing
men suspected of stealing the public lands.
and other matters, which may he very
important. but absolutely out of the line
of duty of the secret service bureau.
The post office investigation has inspired
other departments to go into the same
business. and the secret service bureau
feels that its detective business is becom-
ing invaded. The reputst ton made by
fp1a ST
Bristow as the great seuth of the times
has aroused Chief Wilkes men to look
to their laurels They desire to run down
all the rascals in the government service
and show that they are the real and only
thief catchers in the country.
They want Wilkie to be the Fouche Of
the United States. and they want recog-
milton as the national detectives. licensed
to shadow every man. whatever his sta
ton. whom they may suspect of any
crime. That is just what Congress will
not tolerate. and Congress is the ,aw-
making power which creates and abolishes
offices. The legislative branch of the gov
eminent will not tolerate the meddling Of
detectives, whether they represent the
President, cabinet officers or only them
selves.
There will be no Fouche in Washington.
because Fouche was used by Napoleon to
intimidate everybody else i'm the French
empire. and grew so powerful that he in
Inundated the emperor himself by reason
of the state secrets he held.
Wilkie Not the First.
Chief Wilkie is not the first man at the
head of the secret service who wanted
the power of a Fouche. Twenty years ago
the secret service became a scandal in
Washington through its presumption. It's
detectives assumed the right to shadow
congressman and find out how an amend
ment agreed to in conference had failed to
appear in the bill as il was sent to the
President.
The failure to incorporate the amend
ment i'm the enrolled bill was suspicious
of jobbery. and it was investigated by
Congress, but Congress resented the Sc
cret interference of the secret service
men, who for weeks Swallowed some OF
the most respected members of the House
and Senate in an effort to convict them OF
guilty knowledge of how the amendment
failed. When ii was discovered that the
secret service men We're shadowing con-
Gressmen there was a storm of indigna-
ton at the Capitol. and the bureau came
near being abolished and the appropria-
ton for the suppression of counterfeit
ing cut off. The result was the incorpo-
ration of the limitation that none of the
should be used for any
other purpose than that of detecting and
Furnishing counterfeting.
At another time the chief of the secret