The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-16
LIMITATION IS
NOT INJURIOUS
House Committee Hears Evil
dence in Opposition to the
Presidents Statement.
SECRET SERVICE INQUIRY
TREASURY DEPARTMENT OPERA
TORS NO GOOD ELSEWHERE.

Washington. Feb. Irresponsible Off
cials connected with the detection of crime
in four different branches of the govern
ment have just testified in substance that
the Limitation on the use of the secret ser
vice operators of the treasury department
has not been injurious to their respective
services. They are Chairman Knapp OF
the interstate commerce commission; Viii
liam L. Soleau. disbursing clerk of the de-
partment of commerce and labor; G. W.
Trowbridge, chief of revenue agents, and
Assistant Secretary James B. Reynolds of
the treasury department, in charge of the
customs service.
Their testimony, taken during hearings
on the sundry civil appropriation bill, was
made public today by the house committee
on appropriations. With the testimony of
Secretary Garfield of the interior depart
ment and of Attorney General Bonaparte,
it is relied upon by the committee to re-
fute the claim that the limitation placed
last year on the secret service of the treas
ury department has worked to the interest
of the criminal classes.
Central Bureau Not Needed.
All who were examined on the subject
disapproved of the suggestion of a central
detective bureau, and all expressed salts
faction with existing conditions. None
could recall demand for a secret service
operative of the treasury department dur
ing the past year.
Mr.. Soleau explained that in the depart
ment of commerce and labor are iElmigra-
ton inspectors and special agents engaged
in investigating questions Of violations of
the law. So closely allied with the admin
istration are the services of these investi-
gators that he doubted very much If the
work could be done so efficiently by a CEN
Tr~uF hrWE
pendent of the department. He spoke of
an imaginary violation of the Chinese ex-
clusion act
Would Cripple Service.
at seems to me that it would cripple the
service to throw that case into an indie
pendent bureau" he said. when we al
ready have men on the ground who are
able to take UP these cases, and who
know what to DO with them on account
OF their familiarity with Chinese exclusion
matters
Il think it can be fairly said" continued
Mr. Soleau, that wherever we have had
a man separated from some service where
he was an expert in doing that kind of
work, we take him in fairly under the
law, and when whatever little work he
was doing was accomplished he resigned
from US and went back to the place where
he was before. We know very we'll that
the law does not permit the detail from
one department to another, and as the
fiscal and financial agent of the depart
ment I can say, without fear of anybody
contradicting it, that accounts do not pass
my office in cOntravention Of the law If
the 'Overc0at is in there. some body so
successfully did it that nv experts can
not IND II and it passes. | hope, Mr..
Tawney, that our service will not be in
cluded in a proposition like that, because
II would make lots of trouble
Chairman Knapp explained that in the
interstate commerce commission are few
men employed TO get information about
possible infractious of the law. He added
treasury department secret service man
for any purpose.
Revenue Agents.
Assistant Secretary Reynolds described
the force of special agents and confiden-
tial agents engaged in detecting fraud
upon the customs revenues. Since he came
into office in 1905, he said, there had only
been two or three instances where the
secret service division had been called
upon for assistance.
I'VE used a secret service man once to
watch a man who had been convicted OF
assisting in silk frauds in New York while
court, but unfortunately the man got
away" Mr.. Reynolds told the committee.
During last year. he said. his department
had no reason to desire the detail of any
secret service men.
Mr.. TroWbri6ge pressed little faith in
operatives from the secret service division
Of the treasury department for the SUD-
preston of Illicit distilling or ferreting out
violations of the oleomargarine act
They are failure so far as our bureau
is concerned" declared the chief of the
revenue agents II have tried them.
at SO per day each and expenses for two
months. and they did not meet with any