Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-01-02
ICLASH win PRESIDENT
WILL BE AVOIDED
Senate Leaders Think There VIII Be
No Serious Difficulty Over Sec
ret Service Question.
(By the Associated Press.i


(By the Associated Press.i
WASHINGTON, ID. c.. Jan. Il
Senator Hale, in carefully prepared
statement issued yesterday, sets forth
that there Is little In the Senate In
vestigation" OF the secret service
that has TO do with limitations that
members of Congress in either Hous"
have been Swallowed or spied upon
by emissaries OF the secret service.
Senator Hale goes further and sX'
presses his doubt whether the Frcsi-
dent believes that senators and repre-
sen,a;ives are unIuly sensitive upon
this"
The sum and substance OF the Hal"
statement is that the Republican lead.
ers OF the Senate have Ircnared 4
soft and convenient mat upOn which
the President may land as result OF
his somersaults with the English
language in his recent annua. mes
sage to Congress II means that so
are concerned at the present moment.
they do not intend 10 haul the Presi-
dent ever the Goals or rebuke him
for the language he used in his mes
sage 1t means an avoidance Of tn"
issue directly involved-thc mtima-
tion bv the President that Congress
vas Influenced in restricting th> 3"
OF the secret service By fear OF being
itself Investigated by governments
sleu,hs. Instead of meeting that Is
sue sauarely. the Hale statement in
dicates that the attention of Congress-
will be diverted into the side issue OF
the ethics Of the use CT secret service
rien.
Waves ASIDE the Message.
MIR. Hale. in fact, plainly declares
that the Presidents message rs only
in its importance as ar
fecting this inves'i CATION" and fol
lows this up with No assertion tina,
the Presidents message when care
fully read. does not bear out the pro-
position that members of Congress
were imprI perl" Influenced in their
because OF any criminality on their
part the exposure of which was fca"-
Cd" The senior Senator from Maine
pavcs the way for the message which
the President will forward TO Con-
gress the first CT next week in res
ponse to the jenkins resolution OF
fortnight ago. 1t means that during
the holiday recess an agreement has
been reached by certain Republican
leaders to let the President down
easy" 1t being generally understood
tha, in his reply Mr. Roosevelt Will
assert that he intended to convey No
insult to Congress in his annual mes
sage.
Senator Hales pronunciamento IL
significant. He is the acting chair
man of the Senate appropriation COM
mit;ee to which the Senate resolution
a sweeping inquiry OF the
secret service was referred. and.
therefore. is the man who will iirect
the inquiry. He is a power in the
Senate, and since the death OF ALI
son. his power has materially increas-
ed since Hale is not only virtually
in charge of the appropriation com
mittee, but also retains the chairman
ship OF the national committee.
HaIe's Comprehensive Statement.
The tex, CT the Hale statement Is
as follows:
My attention has been called 70
an interesting but imaginative state
ment IN this mornings Washington
Post, as to the object and conduct
OF the investigation into the secret
service which has been committed by
the Senate to the committee ~ Ap
Of that body. So far as
NV knowledge Or my intention as 20
the investigation go there is no !oun'
dation whatever for any OF the state
ments made in the article in tn"
Post.
The investigation will be conduct
ed in no sensational way. hut after
the fashion Of care and deliberation
that generally characterize Senate in
vestigations.
The extent and use and the k:na
of work performed by the secret ser
vice. under the direction Of the heads
Of certain departments. have greatly
and startlingly been amplified during
the last few years II is this situa-
ton which has attract ed the attention
Of the Senate and IS the foundation
Of its investigation.
No Antaoonism - President.
The Presidents message is only
secondary in its importance IA anec;-
ing this investigation. The courS
to be pursued ny the committee Is N
no respect an Investigation Ct III"