Evening star., 1909-02-11
Contents of Report.

or lOanfng secret service men 10 otileT ue'
partments by the Treasury, including the
Interior Department. the report says:
THE multiplicity of land-fraud matters
and the laxity in the enforcement of these
laws and In the apprehension of criminals
can in no wise be charged to Congress
for in only one instance in nine years has
Congress failed to appropriate the amount
asked for by the Interior Department, and
in some instances has exceeded the eStl-
mate. and for the last five years Con-
4ress has at no time appropriated less
than the amount asked for this purpose
For the fiscal year 1908 Congress APP
propriated for this branch of the service
in the Interior Department S2JO.OW. For
the fiscal year 1909, the year that the
sundry civil amendment referred to in the
Presidents message was in erect, Con
gress doubled the appropriation for the
investigating branch of the Interior De-
partment and gave it 100000.
Garfield Is Quoted.
In this connection it is proper to note
the following statement made by the Sec
retary of the Interior before the appro-
priat,on committee of the House of Rep
resentatives on sundry civil hearings this
session of Congress:
The chairman: AS matter of fact.
Mr.. Secretary. there is nothing in the
record to show that it could be attributed
Congress to provide all the money that
was estimated to be necessary for the
service
Secretary Garfield: You are quite
right. There has never been any criti-
rism by me made of the action of'Con-
sress IN giving the department the ap-
preparations that have been asked for
this purpose. and 1 simply attribute the
conditions We find now to the fact that
there was not the present keenness for
careful administration and careful inves-
tigation and examination of the work it
self and the methods Of conducting that
work.
Secretary Garfield: - Our own
officers have been negligent in not using
good common sense in acting upon the
cases that have come before them. The
basis of the land system is the work of
the register and receiver. If You have
not men that are straight, with knowl-
edge Of their districts. and with legal
ability on the part of the register and of
ordinary business sense on the part of
tho receiver. then we are going to have
things radically wrong. ] think that
much OF the difficulty in land 'administ ra-
tion has been due to the failure to- get
the right sort of men as registers and
receivers. and We have made very great
enort. and have had the hearty co-opera-
tion of the members of the House and
senate in getting a better class of men
Cor these positions. so that now we have
much less difficulty of that kind than we
nad before. Further, the inspection serv-
ice mat has gone into these offices dur
An8 the last year has caused a number of
recommendations resulting In changes of
registers and receivers because they were
not men fitted to carry on the work in
the way that it ought to be carried on
IN view OF the testimony of the Sec
reeary OF the Interior. and in view of the
increased appropriation given the IRte
rfor Department for the investigation of
frauds. your committee Is of the opinion
that the amendment to the sundry civil
Dill referred to in the Presidents message
has IN no wise hampered the work of the
interior Department in relation to land
fraud matters. as but one agent of the
secret service division of the Treasury
Department has ever been detailed to that
and the Secretary or the Interior said
that he had not contemplated using any
IN the future. :,
Criticisms Not Warranted.
The report concludes as follows:
TT tho amendment to the sundry civil
bill for the current year 1909 has operated
as restriction upon the use OF the en-
pieyes OF the secret service division OF
the Treasury Department. such restriction
1s so technical and limited in character
that II does not appear sufficient to war
rant the impugning Of the motives of
congress In adopting the amendment No
congress In the history of the government
mas % Hberaliy supported the executive
Dranch or the government by appropria-
fions to aid in the execution Of law as has
the Sixtieth Congress.
'The scope OF the work Of the secret
service division of the Treasury Depart
ment might be enlarged SO as to enable
them to investigate violations of law
under the Jurisdiction of that department.
eut 70 give them authority to conduct ali
governmental investigations would. in the
opanioa OF your committee. be unwise and
result In much conflict and friction he
tween the various departments
II has never been the intention OF anv
congress 70 build up spy system of that
character. The Department of Justice. to
which ultimately all prosecutions for vio-
lations or law must be referred, should
nave secret service agents to enable that
oeps<tmen to properly conduct such
prosecutions. 1t has not appeared to yo,r
committee that there are any violations
o. Ieoeral laws that the Department Of
Justice has not the authority to investi-
gate, Including lotteries, trusts. customs
frauds and all others, except perhaps.
counterfeiting. That department now
has secret service force of its own
which viii no doubt be Increased as ~.
ture needs demand it,
The resolution under which this COM
mittee Is operating is very commemorative
and 1t will take considerable time to col.
Iect the information to comply with its
siderable field for useful Investigation
along the lines suggested in the resolu-
ton.
There have come to the attention of
your committee alleged cases of misuse
and Improper Official conduct OF secret
service employees, but your committee has
not mad the time nor opportunity to verify
these. as well as many other reports con-
Vey1nE alleged Information relating to the
subjects contemplated by the resolution
It Is the opinion OF your committee that
this investigation should continue until
all the facts in reference to specific
charges can be thoroughly investiga ted
and until all other information called for
by the resolution can be collected and
embraced In a report to the Senate with
the recommendation Of the committee as
to future legislation affecting these mat
tera"
ForakeT Questions Hemenway.
number Of senators fired pointed
questions at Senator Hemenway while
he was making his statement. Senator
Forpker demanded to know how the Sc
crN service men came to be connected
With land fraud cases when the Secretary
Of the Interior and the Secretary OF the
TreAsury knew nothing about It,
Mr. Hemenways reply was that the In
vesefkation had not proceeded far enough
TO enable him to answer that question.
He hoped that II would.
Csn the senator tell who controls the
secret service men?" asked Mr.. Tfliman
They are under the Secretary of the
Treasury 50 far as the records show"
answered Mr.. Hemenway.
Mr.. Foraker then wanted to know how
many secret service men there were in
the government employ. Aside from the
men under Chief Wilkie of the secret
service bureau. Mr.. Hemenway said he