Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1909-01-08

M
ths work o1 ths secriet sar VI cS. js5s ~
This excellent work was accomplished M
Mr.. Wilkie and his suhordinatss r.
Thought 1t might BIO timely 70 recall tn
prosecution. o. $*
Lottery Cases and otssess. : 5 *
Three hundred thousand dollars iA
zines were collected BY the govern
ment ID the lottery cases. Again, the
Ink contract fraud In the bureau OF
engraving and printing Ia bureau OF
the treasury Department. was investi-
gated 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 serv-
Ice, but by n clerk .'down there" con-
veying the Impression that the clerk
Was not insthe secret service. As q
matter Of fact, he was in the secret
service. His name was Moran, and )
he was promoted to assistant chief
1or the excellence OF his work In this
case. The total expense for the once
and field force Of, the secret service
;last year was S186, 0o0, and by this
one investigation they saved to the
government over 100000 q year
Thanks to the restriction imposed by
congress-, it ia now very difficult for,
the secretary Of the treasury to use
the secret service freely even In his
own department--fpr instance, to use
them to repeat what they did so adj
mirably I'm the case Of this ink con-
tract. The government is further Grip
pied by the law forbidding It to en-
ploy detective agencies. OF course the
government can detect the most dam
gerous crimes and, punish the worst
criminals only by the use either of the
secret service or Of private detectives.
To hamper it in using the one and for-
bid It to resort to the other can fnure5
to the benefit Of none save the crilni-
mails. 52 + $&5a&S5 s.
Secretary cortelyou Sustained, ~
The facts above given show beyond
possibility Of doubt that what the sec-
rotary Of the treasury and I had both
| written prior to the enactment Of the
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. IL it had been embodied In
the law at the time when became
president all the prosecutions above
mentioned and many others Of the
same general type would either not
have been undertaken or would have
been. undertaken; with the government
at q great disadvantage, and many
and probably most OF the chief offend
ers would have gone scot free instead
Of being punished for their crimes. 81
Such a body as the secret service,
such q body Of trained Investigating
agents, occupying a permanent posi-
ton In the government service and
separate from local investig ating forces
in different departments Is; an absolute
1 necessity IL the best work is to be-
! done against criminals. It is by far
the most efficient instrument possible;
use against crime. OF course the
more efficient an instrument is the
more dangerous 1t Is IL misused. To
the argument that force like this.
can be misused it Is only necessary. to-
answer that the condition Of its use
fulness ~ handled properly is that It.
shall be SO efficient as to be dangerous
II handled improperly. Any instance
Of abuse by the secret service or other
investigating force In the departments
should be unsparingly punished, and
congress should hold itself ready at.
any and all times! to investigate the
executive departments whenever there
sis reason to believe that any such In
stance Of abuse has occurred. wish
to emphasize my more than cordial ac-
| quiescence in the view that this is not
only the right of congress, but en-
phatically its duty TO use the secret
service In the investigation OF purely
private or political matters would be-
q gross abuse. But there has been no
single instance Of such abuse during
my term as president. s q
Tho Presidents Apneas.
IN onclusion, I most earnestly ask
In the name OF good government and
decent diminish ton, In the name Of
honesty and for the purpose OF bring
Ing to justice ytolators of the federal
laws wherever they may be found,
whether In public Or private life. that
the action taken BY the house last year
be reversed. M When this action was
taken the senate COMMITTEES under the
lead OF the late Senator Allison, hav-
ing before TIA strongly Worded protest
tAppe nai.x 70 from Secretary Gortel-
syou like that he had sent 90 Mr. Taw-s
me-. accepted the secretary's Views.
and the senate passed the bin II the
shape presented BY Senator Allison.
In the conference, however, the house
conferees Insisted on the retention %
the provision they had inserted. and