The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Big Gases Were Fully Investigated

The secret service was used to as
sist in the investigation of crimes un-
der the peonage laws, and owing partly
thereto numerous convictions were Sc
cured and the Objectionable practice
was practically stamped out, at least
in many districts; The most extensive
history of the treasury department was
Investigated by agents of the secret
service in New York and Seattle and a
successful prosecution Of the Offenders
undertaken. Assistance of the utmost
value was rendered to the department
of justice in the beef trust investiga-
tion at Chicago, prosecutions were fol-
lowed up and fines inflicted. The cotton
leak scandal in the agricultural de-
partment was investigated and the re-
sponsible parties located. What was
done in connection with lottery investi-
to me by the United States attorney for
Delaware running as follows:
The destruction of the Honduras ma
tional lottery company, successor to
entirely the work of the secret service.
This excellent work was ac-
complished by Mr.. Wilkie and his sub
ordinates 1 thought 1t might be
timely to recall this prosecution.
Three hundred thousand dollars in
fines were collected by the government
in the lottery cases. Again, the ink
contract fraud in the bureau of engrav
ing and printing, q bureau OF the
by the secret service and the guilty
parties brought to Justice Mr. Taw-
ney stated in the debate that this was
not investigated by the secret service
but by a clerk down there" convey
ing the impression that the clerk was
not in the secret service. AS a matter
of fact he was in the secret service;
his name was Moran, and he was pro-
NOTED to assistant chief for the ex
cellence of his work in this case. The
total expense for the office and field
force Of s. the secret t. service s,r, last year yea,
cation they saved to the government
over 100000 year. Thanks to the
restriction imposed by congress II is
now very difficult for the secretary of
freely even in his own department; for
instance, to use them to repeat what
they did so admirably in the case of
this ink contract The government is
it to employ detective agencies. OF
course the government can detect the
most dangerous crimes and punish the
worst criminals, only by the use either
tectiyes: to hamper 1T in using the one
and forbid 1t to resort to the other
can inure to the benefit Of none save
the criminals.
FACTS ARE STATED
The facts above given show beyond
possibility of doubt that what the sec
retary of the treasury and l had both
written prior to the enactment of the
obnoxious provision and what / have
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 criminal
class. If it had been embodied in the
law at the THE when I became presi-
dent all the prosecutions above mem
toned and many others of the same
general type would either not have
been undertaken with the government
at a great disadvantage, and many and
probably most of the chief offenders
would have gone scot free instead of
being punished for their crimes.
Such a body as the secret service,
such a body of trained investigating
agents, occupying a permanent posi-