The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-04

cd" putting his statement In the form
Of a question, and In the same form
| further stated the the private con-
duct" OF Members OF Congress. Sen
| ators," and others ought not TO be ln-
yestlgated by the Secret Service, and
that they should not investigate n
member OF Congress" who had been ac-
cused of Conduct unbecoming gen.
tleman and Member OF Congress"
What appears in the record is filed
out and explained by an article which
appeared In the Chicago Inter-Ocean
OF January 3. 1904, under a Washing
| ton headline, and which marked the
| beginning of this agitation against the
| Secret Service. 1t was special article
OF about 5000 words, written. as was
then informed and now understand. by
Mr.. l.. w. Busbey. at that time private
secretary to the Speaker of the House.
inclose n copy of certain extracts
/ from the article. marked Appendix b.
It contained an utterly unwarranted at
tack on the Secret Service Division OF
the Treasury Department and It's chief.
The opening paragraph includes, for In
stance, statements like the following:
He (thc chief of the division) and
cret detective work for the whole gov
ernment and are not particular about
drawing the line between the law
makers and the lawbreakers. They nre
ready to shadow the former as well as
the latter"
At the time of this publication the
work of the Secret Service. which was
thus assalled. included especially the
investigation Of great land frauds In
the West, and the securing OF evidence
to nelp the Department OF Justice in
the beef-trust Investigations at Chi
cago, which resulted In successful
prosecutions.
In view of Mr.. Busby's position,
have accepted the above quoted state
ments as fairly expressing the real
meaning and anImus of the attacks
made in general terms on the use OF
the Secret Service for the punishment
OF criminals. Furthermore. In the per
formance of my duty, to endeavor to
find the feelings Of congressman on
public questions OF note, | have fire.
quently discussed this particular mat
ter with members of congress; and on
such occasions the reasons alleged to
me for the hostility of congress to the
secret service. both by those who did
and by those who did not snare this
hostility, were almost invariably the
Same as those set forth In Mr. Busbey's
article. I may add by the wny. that
these allegations as to the Secret Ser
vice are wholly without foundation in
fact.
Since 1901 the Investigations covered
by the Secret Service division-under
the practice which had been for many
years recognized as proper and legiti-
mate, and which had received the sane
tion OF the highest law officers of the
goyernment-have covered a vide
range of offenses against the federal
law BY far the most important of these
related to the public domain, as to
which there was uncovered O farreach-
Ing and widespread system of fraudu-
lent transactions involving both the IL
legal acquisition and the illegal fenc-
Ing of government land; and, In con-
nection with both these offenses, the
crimes Of perjury and subornation OF
perjury Some of the persons inyolv-
ed In these violations were OF great
wealth and of wide political and social
influence. Both their corporate asso-
Citations and their political affiliations,
and the lawless character of some OF
their employees, made the investiea-
tions not only difficult but dan
gerous. In Colorado one Of the
secret service men was assas-
sinated In Nebraska 1t was neces-
sary to remove a United States attor-
ney and United States marshal pc-
fore satisfactory progress could be
made In the prosecution OF the offend
CTS.
The evidence in all these cases was
chiefly secured by men trained In the
eecret service and detailed TO the de-
partment of justice at the request Of
that department and of the depart
rnent Of the interior. In the State of
Nebraska alone sixty defendants Mere
indicted: and Of the thirty two cases
thus far brought to trial ,wenty-cight
have resulted In conviction; two OF
the principals. Messrs. Comstock and
Richards, men Of wealth and wide In
f1uence, being sentenced 20 twelve
months In jail and fined $l500 each.
The following secret service memor-
andum made in the course OF a pend
ine case illustrates the ramificaticns
Of interest with which the government
has to deal:
Charles T. Stewart, Of Council
Bluffs was indicted at Omaha for con-
spiracy to defraud the government of
the title to public lands In MePher-
ron county, Neb. also indicted for
maintaining an unlawful lnciosure OF
the public lands, and also under in
0ictment for perjury In connection
with final proof submitted by him on
lands filed on by him as a homestead.
In his final proof he swor5 tLat he
ana his family had resided on the
lunds In Mcpherson county (which
are within his unlawful inclosureJ,
when as a matter OF fact his family
has at all times resided in Council
Bluffs, Iowa He is engaged in tho
Wholesale grocery business. his store
beng located In Omaha, in the shole-
sale district there. He is reputed 10
10 quite wealthy. Stewnre's attor-
neys are Harl &c Tinley, of Council
Bluffs. Iowa, who are also the attor'
ncys at that place for the Omaha and
Council Bluffs Street Railway COM
ysny, In which company Harl holds
WI oplc oloSh, Olcmdll DclDS olSO
stockholder and possibly a director
CT the company. He is also repre-
sented In Omaha by w. j. Connoli, one
II the attorneys there for the zane
company, Stewart is also represent
ed in his perjury case by ''Gill' Cur
ley, of Omaha. Neb.. who at one tho
was quite closely connected In a 20
lltical way with the u. p r. r. com.
pany; Stewart is also CLOSELY associ-