Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-28
NO employees WERE DROPPED
CHIEF WILKIE EXAMINED AS
TO THE SECRET SERVICE.
Explains to Subcommittee Why the
Force Was Not Decreased as 1t
Was Expected to Be-.

After all the fearful row over the pro
vision in last sessions sundry civil DILL
supposedly limiting the activities OF the
secret service; after the terrible howl sent
up by President Roosevelt in connection
with his accusations that members Oh
Congress were afraid of being 1nvesu-
gated and enacted legislation which was
and could only be of benefit to the crimi-
nal cases. it now appears from the test-
mony CT Chief Wilkie that not single.
solitary employe has been disconnected
from the secret service as result OF that
much abused limiting provision.
This was the statement made to Star
reporter today by q prominent member
Of Congress, who declared that 1t demon
strated better and more clearly than
anything else possibly could that the COM
ments of the President upon the. action
of members of Congress in enacting into
law the provisions of limitations In ques-
ton were not even remotely justified.
Why the Force Was Increased.
ut appeared from the testimony OF AS
sistant Chief Moran when he was before
the sundrv civil subcommittee of the
House appropriations committee last
twenty or thirty men were carried on the
they might be loaned to such of the vari-
GUS executive departments as needed
them and that requested their services
Mr.. Moran said at that time that
were it not for the borrowing of secret
service men by the executive depart
ments the service Of these twenty men
or SO could be dispensed with. Yet 1t
appears that following the passage Oh
the provision or Imitation in question
Chief Wilkie found that the services
of all of these men except nine were
absolutely Indispensable. Even these
nine were not permitted to leave the
government secret service. They were
simply transferred to the Department Of
Justice to augment the force OF twenty
five detectives already employed Oy
that department.
1T would seem to me from these facts
that lot of people. the President in par
ticular. had kicked up fearful row about
nothing at all and without any possible
Justification
1t may be said. in all truth and frank
ness. that many other members of Con-
gress feel the same way about the mat
ter, at least those do who have become
familiar with the general purport of Chief
Wilkes testimony before the sundry civil
subcommittee yesterday afternoon when
he was on the grill for three hours.
Chief Wilkie Explains.
During that time the members of the
subcommittee went after Mr.. Wilkie
hammer and toags. but did not persist
in their queries as much as they would
have done had not each member felt
that the Olmsted special committee, ap-
pointed to investigate all the branches
of government secret service work.
would probe the Treasury branch to the
bottom and discover anything that the
sundry civil subcommittee might hap
pen to miss.
AS it was, Mr.. Wilkie fell back on the
limitation Of his memory a number OF
times and the subcommittee was unable
to bring out a good many of the facts
which it desired to incorporate in the
hearing. But most Of it MIR. Wilkie pro-
posed to supply when he came to revise
his testimony and he now has the mat
ter in hand. The additional facts are
expected by the committee by Saturday.
Chief Wilkie justified the retention on
the roll of the Treasury branch of the
secret service of all but nine Of the force
that existed prior to the passage Of the
provision of limitation by saying that as
a result of hard times. lack Of work and
financial distress counterfeiting had in
creased rapidly and there was great need
of an increase in tue appropriation for
his bureau for the fiscal year 1910.