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

lno luUSElOIp DcCOuluS CuuFluctl THAT
tLere were extensive frauds commit
ted in his department; and the rami-
flcations of the frauds were 80 far
reaching that he was afraid 10 trust
his own officials TO doal In thorough
going fashion with them. One of tho
secret service men accordingly re-
bigned and was appointed In the In
terror department TO carry on this
york. The first thing he discovered
was that the special agents division
or corps of detectives Of che land Of
fec of the Interior department WAS
largely under the control OF the land
thieves; and In consequence the In
vcstlgations above referred to had TO
10 made by secret service mon.
III the present law, for which
Messrs. Tawney. Smith, and the other
gentlemen ] have above mentioned
are responsible. had then been in ef-
feet, this action would have been i'm
possible. and most of the criminals
would unquestionably have escaped.
No more striking instance can be
imagined of the desirability OF having
central corps of skilled Investigate
ing agents who can at any time be
assigned. II necessary In large num-
bers. to investigate some violation or
the federal statutes. IN no matter what
branch of the public service. In this
particular cese most OF the men inves-
tieated who were public servants
were in the executive branch of the
government But in Oregon. whero
al enormous acreage of fraudulen.ly
alenated public land was recovered
for the government, a United States
senator, Mr.. Mitchell, and n member
oil the lower house, Mr.. Williamson,
were convicted on evidence obtained
by men transferred from the secret
service. and another member of con-
sress was indicted.
From 1901 to 1904 successful in.
vestigation of naturalization affairs
was made by the secret service, with
the result OF obtaining hundreds OF
convictions of conspirators who were
convicted of selling fraudulent papers
OF naturalization. Subsequently,, con-
sress passed a very wise law provid-
ing special service and appropria-
ton for the prevention of naturaliza-
ton frauds; but unfortunately. at the
same time that the action against the
secret service was taken, congress
also cut down the appropriation for
This special service, with the result
OF crlppling the effort to stop frauds
in naturalization
The fugitives Greene and Gaynor. i'm
plicated In peculiarly big government
contract fraud, were located and ar
rested in Canada by the Secret Ser
vice, and thanks to this they have
since gone to prison for their crimes.
The Secret Service was used to as
sist in the investigation of crimes un-
der the peonage law, and owing partly
thereto numerous convictions We're Sc
cured and the Objectionable practice
was practically stamped out. at least
In many districts. The most extensive
smuggling of silk and opium In the his.
tory of the Treasury Department was
investigated by agents of the Secret
Service In New York and Seattle and
successful prosecution of the of
renders undertaken, Assistance of the
utmost value was rendered to the De-
partment of Justice in the beeftrust
investigation at Chicago. prosecutions
were followed uD and fines inflicted.
The cotton-leak scandal in the Aeri.
cultural department was investigated
and the responsible parties located.
What was done in connection with lot
tory Investigations Is disclosed In n
letter just sent to me by the United
States attorney for Delaware running
as follows.
The destruction of the Honduras Ma
tional Lottery company, successor to
the Louisiana Lottery company, was
entirely the work of the Secret Ser
vice. This excellent work was
accomplished by Mr.. Wilkie and his
subordinates. thought 1t might be
timely to recall this prosecution.
Three hundred thousand dollars In
fines were collected by the government
in the lottery cases Again, the ink
contract fraud IN the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing Ga bureau of the
Treasury departmenD was investigat-
ed by the Secret Service and the
guilty parties brought To justice Mr.
Tawney stated In the debate that this
was not investigated by the Secret
Service but by clerk down there"
conveying the impression that the
clerk was not in the Secret Service
AS a matter of fact, ne was in the
Secret Service; his name was Moran,
and he was promoted to assistant chief |
for the excellence OF his work in this
case. The total expense for the office |
and field force of the Secret Service |
last year was S195,000: and by this one
investigation they saved to the govern
ment over 100000 a year. Thanks to |
the restriction imposed by congress |
1t Is now very difficult for the secretary |
of the treasury 10 use the Secret Ser |
vice freely even in his own depart |
ment, for instance, to use them to re.
peat what they did so admirably in the
case. of this ink contract The gov
ernment is further crippled By the law
forbidding 1t to employ detective
agencies. OF course the government
can detect the most dangerous crimes.
and punish the worst criminals. only
private detectives; to hamper It In
using the one, and forbid 1t to resort
to the other. can inure TO the benefit
OF none save the criminals
The facts above given show beyond
possibility of doubt that what the sec
retary of the treasury and had both
written prior to the enactment OF the
obnoxious provision. and what l have
since written in my message to the
congress. state the facts exactly as
they are. The obnoxious provision is
OF benefit only to the criminal class
and can be of benefit only to the GRIM
inal class, II it had been embodied
in the law at the time when l became
president all the prosecutions above
mentioned, and many others of the
same general type, would either not