The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-01-05

agents of the secret service III ~"
York and Seattle and success VI
of the Offenders uhoe'
faken Assistance Of the ullnosl
value was rendered 10 the depart
ment of Justice in the beef trust III
vestigation at Chicago, prosecutions
,,ere followed up and fines inflicted.
The cotton leak scandal III the az =
cultural department was lnNeslis't
ed and the responsible parties loo''
ed. What was done in connection
with lottery investigations Is ans
closed in a letter just sent to me py
the United States attorney FOR DeIa-
ware. running as follows:
THE destruction of the Honduras
National Lottery Co. successor 10
the Louisiana Lottery Co, was en-
tirelv the work Of the secret service.
This excellent work was
ACCOMPLISHED by Mr.. Wilkie and his
subordinates. 1 thought it might be
timely to recall this prosecution
Three hundred thousand dollars
in fines we're collected by the govern
ment in the lottery cases. Again, the
ink contract fraud in the bureau oil
engraving and printing "a bureau OF
the treasury department. was lhFes-
figated by the secret service ana Tue
guilty parties brought 10 Justice. Mt.
Tawney stated in the debate thal ihls=
was not Investigated by the secret
service bui by a clerk down there
conveying the impression that ihe
clerk was not in the secret service.
As matter of fact. he was I'm the Sc
cret service. his name was Moran,
and he was promoted 10 assistant
chief for the excellence Of his work
in this case. The total expense for
the Office and field force of the Sc
eret service last year was B., 900,
and by this one investigation they
saved 10 the government over SlO0.-
600 IA year. Thanks TO the restrie-
ton imposed by congress il Is now
very difficult for the secretary of the
treasury 10 use the secret service
freely even i'm his own department.
for instance. 10 use them 10 repeat
what they did 50 admirably IN the
case of this ink contract The GOV
eminent is further crippled by the
law forbidding II to employ detective
agencies OF course The government
can detect the most dangerous
crimes. and punish the worst Grim
mails. only by the use. either Of the
secret service or Of private detect
ives: TO hamper IL in using the one.
and forbid il 10 resort 10 the other.
can inure 10 the benefit OF none save
the criminals.
The facts above given show be
Yond possibility of doubt that what
the secretary of the treasury and
had both written prior To the enact
ment of the obnoxious provision. and
what | have since written in my mes
sage 10 the congress. state the facts
exactly as they are. The obnoxious
provision is of benefit only 10 the
criminal class and can be of benefit
only To the criminal class. If il had
been embodied in he law At the time
when I became president all the
prosecutions above mentioned. and
many others OF the same general
type. would either not have been IN
dertaken or would have been under
taken with the government AZ a great
disadvantage: and many. and proba-
bly, most of the chief offenders would
have gone scot-free instead Of be-
ing punished for their crimes
Such a body as the secret service.
such a body of trained investigating
agents. occupying a permanent po=
sition in the government service. and
separate from local investigating
forces i'm different departments. Is an
absolute necessity if The hest work Is
10 be done against criminals II is
by far the most efficient instrument
possible 70 use against crime OF
course the more efficient an instru-
ment is. the more dangerous II Is
if misnsed To the argument that a
force like this can be misused II Is
only necessary 10 answer that the
condition of its usefulness il handled
properly is that II shall be so elf
eient as 10 be dangerous if handled
improperly. Any instance of abuse
by the secret service or other inves-
tigating force in the departments
should be unsparing ~ punished and
congress should hold itself ready al
any and all times 10 investigate the
executive departments whenever
there is reason to believe that any
such instance of abuse has occurred
| wish 10 emphasize my more than
cordial aequieseence in the view that
This is not only the right of congress.
but emphaiically its duty. To use
the secret service in the iuvestiga-
ton of purely private or political
matters would be a gross abuse. But
there has been no single instance of
such abuse during my term rs presi-
dent
In conclusion. most earnestly
ask, in the name of good govern
ment and decent administration. In
the name OF honesty and for the pnr-
pose of bringing to Justice violators
of the federal laws wherever they
may he found. whether in public or
private life, that the action taken
by the house last year he reversed
When this action was taken. the sen
ate committee. under the lead of the
late Senator Allison, having before
II a strongly worded protest fAppen-
dix d. from Secretary Cortelyon
like that he had sent to ar. Tawnev.