The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-22
Vigorous Reply Is Made to Recent Report Made By
 Senator HGmGnWaV
IMPORTANT WORK HAS
 BEEN DONE BY OFFICERS
Roosevelt Denies Statements Made By Hemenway Regarding Cost of Serv- ice and Total Number of Men
 Employed By Government.

Washington February 21.-President Roosevelt today added another stirring chapter to the secret service controversy in vigorous and lengthy reply to the attacks made on this branch of the gov ernment, in a report made recently by Senator Hemenway, of the senate com- mittee on appropriations. Senator Hem enway in this report uphoiding the limi- tation in the scope of the secret service, asserted that it never had been the inten- tion of Congress to build up a spy system, and with evident reference to this part of the report, the President declared that if the limitation of the use of tho secret service had been in force when the sensational land frauds were un- earthed a few years ago, a senator, a representative and various men of wealth and high political influence, who at that time were convicted, would all have es- capped punishment.
 The Presidents letter dated February 19. in referring to the report presented by Senator Hemenway, says:
 "The report is inaccurate and mislead- ing in various important respects, and I desire to make certain corrections.
 Work of Secret Service.
 Until last year the secret service was practically the only body of public ser wants engaged almost purely in criminal | investigations. The secret service men were assigned to different departments | to investigate crime and criminals. They were assigned above all to the interior
 
 tice. During the seven years of my ad- | ministration they were instrumental in | bringing to justice great numbers of crim- | inals. They rendered invaluable assist ance in securing the conviction of many criminals of desperate character, and of many other offenders of great wealth and of social and political prominence. In not one single instance during these seven years has it been shown that their action jeopardized any man who was not connected with illegal transactions. No pretense has been made that they did not do their work against criminals efficient ly. Chief Wilkie himself has been one of the main standbys of the government. No other man in government employ is so dreaded and hated by law breakers" jue I-ieSiueHL tIcil lO SOuBIcSS forbidding the use of secret service men except to stop counterfeting saying that this action deprived the Secretary of the Treasury guardian of s1, 800, ,000.0o0 of the nations money" of the power to exercise it's guardianship effectively; that no sub stitute was provided for the secret ser vice protection removed; and that the department of justice developed It's own of Spppi1I detectives a continues. Deprived of Services.
 During the Morse prosecution in New York and in connection with cer- tain other important cases, serious inconvenience and anxiety were caused to the prosecuting officers by this action of Congress in depriVing them of the aid of the experienced operators of the secret service on whom they had been accus- toned to rely 1 call your attention to the further fact that the department of justice had never taken any steps to or-l ganze this force so long as 1t could get men detailed to it from the secret ser vice. The action of the Congress would have caused the grossest miscarriage of justice had it not been in large part null lifled by the prompt action of the depart ment of justice.
 Your committee in it's report states that 1t has never been the intention of the Congress to build up a spy system. The next sentence, however advocates the building up of precisely this spy system in the department of justice.
 ''In your report and the subsequent debate, direct and indirect attacks are made upon secret service, with curious persistency. and a curious indifference to the fact that your committee recom- mends that a precisely similar secret service to the one attacked be now es- tabished in the department of justice: that the limitation Is only imposed upon the secret service which has already be- come an object of terror to criminals. Senator Hemenway states that there are more than 5000 men now in the secret service and inspection work of the gov ernment' and that in the last few years the number has trebed; while it was also stated in the same debate that at the close of President McKlnley's ad- minstration there were only 16f', and that appropriations on that account for last year amounted to about $10,000,- 000.'
 Men Employed.
 "These statements are not in accord- ance with the facts. I submit to you herewith a substantially, although not entirely accurate statement of the num- Der of men employed on secret service work. or criminal investigation work during the year that has just passed, as compared with the years 1so1-02.
 "They are not out of the way moro than score in either direction. It appears that in the neighborhood of 1200 men of this type were employed seven years ago, and somewhat over 1900 now. They have increased but a little over one-half. Moreover, of this increase con- sideraby over half was in the number of men used in securing the punishment of voators of the internal revenue laws a matter wholly outside that discussed by any who objected to the secret serv- ice. The remaining increase is due to