The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-01-04
c R|M|NALS ONLY
GAIN BY ACTION
Of HOUSE
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT.
TO THE HOUSE RESolU-
TON ON SECRET SERVICE is
MADE.-uRGEs THAT LIMITA.
TON ACTION BE REscINpeo.
president ROOSEVELT.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4.-PresidenI
Roosevelt today transmitted TO the
house OF representatives his reply TO
their demand for proof for his refer
ence in his annual message to con-
gress regarding the secret service. He
says careful reading OF his message
viii show that he said nothing to war
rant the statement that the majority
OF congressman were In fear of being
investigated by the secret service
men, or that congress as a whole
was actuated by that motive"
President Roosevelt declares that,
according TO the congressional record,
practically the only arguments ad-
vanced In favor of the limitation pro-
posed by Mr.. Tawney's committee
were those contained In repeated state
ments by Mr.. Sherley, who said that
there had been pronounced abuses
growing out Of the use OF the secret
service fo- purposes other than these
Intended, that the secret service was
used at one time for the purpose OF
looking into the personal conduct OF
a member OF congress-"
that the secret service was used to
shadow" men of high standing; to see
how they voted and in other ways to
make things disagreeable. He refers
10 the appearance in the Chicago In
ter-Ocean on Jan. 3, 1904, of an article
attacking the methods OF the secret
service. He understood that this story
was written by Mr. w. l.. Busby, at
that time private secretary to Speaker
Cannon. II declared that the secret
service AT one time Swallowed" con.
gressmen with the view to involving
them In scandals that would enable
the bureau to dictate to them as tho
price OF silence" At the time this az.
lticle appeared. declares President
Roosevelt, the work OF the secret ser.
vice included especially the :nvestiga-
ton of great land frauds in the west.
and the securing cf evidence to help
the department of Justice In the beef
trust Investigations at Chicago. which
resulted in successful prosecutions.
The special message says I'm part !:
Since 1901 the Investigations covered
by the secret service division-under
the practice which had been for MAN.
years recognized as proper and lcgitt-
mate, and which had received the
sanction OF the highest law officers of
the govcrnmeHt-have covered a wide
range OF oftenses against the federal
law. BY far the most important of
these related to the public domain. as
to which there was uncovered a far
reaching and widespread system of
fraudulent transactions involving both
the Illegal acquisition and the illegal
fencing of government land; and in
connection with both these offenses
the crimes OF perjury and subornatlon
Of perjury. Some OF the persons in
VOWED in these violations were OF great
wealth and OF Wide political and social
influence Both their corporate assoc
Citations and their political affiliations
ard the lawiesS character OF some OF
their employees, made the inVestiEa-
tions not only difficult but dangerous
In Colorado one OF the secret Service
men was assassinated. Tn Nebraska IL
was necessary to remove a United
states attorney and United states
marshal before satisfactory progress
could be made in the prosecution OF
the offenders
The evidence IN all these cases was
chiefly secured by men trained I'm the
secret service and detailed 10 the de-
partment OF Justice ~ tie request OF
that department and Of the department.
OF the interior. In the state OF Ne
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