Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-01-07

been pronounced abuses growing out OF
he use Of the secret service for purposes
other than those Intended putting his
in the form of a question, ana
In the same form further stated NAT inc
private conduct OF members Of congress-
senator's n others ought not 10 De IN
vestigated by the secret service, and that
they should not investigate a member or
who had been accused OF con-
duct unbeeoming a gentleman ana a
member Of congress- In addition to these
assertions couched as questions, he MADE
one positive declaration, that This secret
service at one time was used for the pur-
pose OF looking nito the personal con-
duct Of a member of congress- This ar
gument Of Mr.. Sherley, the only real ar
gument as to the merits of the question
made on behalf of the committee on ap-
preparations, will be found in columns 1
and 2 of page 5556, and column l Of page
5557 of the Congressional Record. In col
umn 1 of page 5556 Mr.. Sherley refers to
the improperly Of permitting the secret
service men to investigate men in the
departments. officers of the army and
navy and members of congress-; in col
umn !, page 5557, he refers only to MEM
bers of congress. His speech puts most
weight on the investigation Of members
of congress.
Nddt dPPVdis III tuO ICCOEu IL iahON
out and explained by an article which ap-
peared in the Chicago Inter-Ocean of
January 3, 1904, under a Washington
headline, and which marked the begin
ming of this agitation against the secret
service. 1t was a special article OF about
5000 words, written, as 1 was then In
formed and now understand, by Mr.. L.
w. Busbey, at that time private secretary
to the speaker of the house. 1t con-
kal~-1 - -
the secret service division of the *cSas-
ury department and its chief.
"At the time Of this publication .ho
work of the secret service. which was
hus assailed, included especially the in
vestigation of great LAM frauds in the
west, and the securing of evidence to
help the department of justice in the
beef-trust Investigations at Chicago,
which resulted in successful prosecutions.
Efforts to Kill Move
Found to Be UnavaiIing.
These methods proved unavailing to
prevent the wrong. Messrs. Tawney and
Smith, and their fellow members on the
appropriations committee paid no heed to
the protests; and as the obnoxious pro-
vision was Incorporated in the sundry
civil bill, it was impossible for me to con-
slider or discuss 1t on its merits, as I
should have done had 1t been in a sep
arate bill. Therefore l nave now taken
the only method available, that Of dis
cussing 1t in my message to congress-; and
as all efforts to secure what l regard as
proper treatment of the subject without
recourse to plain speaking had failed, I
have spoken plainly and directly, and
have set forth the facts in explicit terms.
Since 1901 the Investigations covered
by the secret service division-under the
practice which had been for many years
recognized as proper and legitimate, and
which had received the sanction of the
highest law officers of the government
have covered a wide range Of offenses
against the federal law. BY far the most
important of these related to the public
domain, as to which there was I'M
covered a far-reaching and widespread
system of fraudulent transactions involv-
ing both the illegal acquisition and the
illegal fencing of government land; and,
in connection with both these ~offenses
the crimes of perjury and subornation OF
perjury. Some of the persons involved
in these violations were of great wealth
and of wide political and social influence
Both their corporate associations ano
their political affiliations, and the lawles,
character of some of their employees
made the Investigations not only Difficult
but dangerous. In Colorado one Of the
secret service men was assassinated.
Instances in Which
Secret Service Starred
SIN connection with the Nebraska prose
cution the government has by decree Sc
cured the return to the government o
over a million acres of grazing land
in Colorado Of more than 1000 acres o
:. mineral land and SHIFTS a rn pnu Dapd{pi
) involving 10000 acres more.
"All these Investigations in the Ian
9 cases were undertaken in consequence
! of Mr.. Hitchcock, the then secretar
I of the interior, becoming convinced tina
: there were extensive frauds committe
r in his department; and the ramifcatiSn
of the frauds were so f~ar-reaening tina
he was afraid to trust his<ow official
to deal in thoroughgeing fashion wit
r them. One of the secret service men ac
g cordingly resigned and was appointe
n in the interior department to carry o
I this work. The first thing he discovere
s was that the special agents division c
corps of detectives of the and office {
n the interior department was largely III
e der the control of the land thieves; an
n in consequence the investigations aboy
referred to had to be made by seer,
= service men.
q "If the present law, for which Messr
n Tawney, Smith, and the other gentle
men I nave above mentioned are respoI
u sible, had then been in effect, this a,
n ton would have been impossible, ar
ID most Of the criminals would unquestiol
e ably nave escaped. No more striking II
ie stance can be imagined of the desirabi
ity of having a central corps of skillt
investigating agents who can at any tin
i. be assigned, if necessary In large nun
- bers, to investigate some violation Of Il
j. federal statutes, in no matter VIII
as branch of the public service. In this pa
at ticular case most of the men investigate
ed who were public servants were in Il
ne executive branch of the government. B
er in Oregon, where an enormous acreal
of fraudulently alienated public land W
~ recovered for the government, a Unit
ty States senator, Mr.. Mitchell, and a lner
Der of the lower house, Mr.. Williamsc
were convicted on evidence obtained
he men transferred from the secret servit
e. and another member of congress was
he dicted."
vs. Chief Asks for Reversal
ne u, Of Action Of Solor
The president then gave a number
Ter other instances, all of which tend
de point out the efficiency of the sec
a service, and he concludes:
IT, I'm conclusion, I most earnestly ask.
the name of good government and
is cent administration. in the name OF hi
es. esty and for the purpose of bringi
ill to justice violators Of the federal la
est wherever they may be found, whether
he public or private life, that the act
he taken by the house last year be revers
les When this action was taken, the sem
his committee, under the lead Of the l
of Senator Allison, having before 1t
di- strongly-worded protest from Secrets
led Cortelyol like that he had sent to ]
thy Tawney, accepted the secretary's vie'
nal and the senate passed the bill In
at shape presented by Senate Allison.
Of the conference, however, the house C
al ferees insisted on the retention OF
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