Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-22
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
DEFENDS USE OF
SECRET SERVICE
REPLIES VIGOROUSLY TO RE-
PORT OF HEMENWAY
SENATOR'S VERDICT BRANDED
UNTRUE AND MISLEADING
Roosevelt Declares Only by Aid of
Federal SIeuths Has Conviction
of Higher Up" Criminals
Been Possible
LBy Associated Press. ]

AA ASE1lN01ON, FeD. Zl.--RFeSlQent
~ Roosevelt added another stir
ring chapter today to the secret
service controversy in a vigorous and
lengthy reply to the attacks made on
this branch of the government in a
report made recently by Senator Hem
enway of the senate committee on ap-
preparations.
Senator Hemenway, in this report
upholding the limitation in the scope
of the secret service, asserted that it
never had been the intention of con-
gress to build up d spy" system, and,
with evident reference to this part of
the report, the president declared that
if the limitation of the use of the
secret service had been in force when
the sensational land frauds were un-
earthed a few years ago a senator, a
representative and various men of
wealth and high political influence,
who at that time were convicted,
would all have escaped punishment.
The presidents letter is addressed to
Acting Chairman Hale of the senate
appropriations committee.
Characterizing as inaccurate and
misleading in various important re-
spects "both Senator Hemenway's re
port and the deabte which it aroused
in the senate" the president presented
& mass of facts and figures in defense
of the escret service during the seven
years of his administration.
eonaparte Gets Data
Some of the presidents data is based
on information supplied by Attorney
General Bonaparte and Secretary of
the Interior Garfield in support of the
efficiency of the secret service in the
detection Of crime.
The presidents letter. dated Febru-
ary 10, follows:
q have seen the report presented by
committee in reference to the secret
service. The report is inaccurate and
misleading in various important re-
spects, and I desire to make certain
corrections in reference to statements
which appear therein and in the sub
Sequent debate.
Until last year the secret service, a
small body of sixty or seventy men, in
the treasury department under Chief
Wilkie, was practically the only Body
of public servants engaged almost
purely in criminal investigation.
''The secret service men were as
signed at different times to different
departments to investigate crime and
criminals. They were thus assigned on
different occasions, for instance, to the
state and navy departments; but above
all, to the interior department and the
department of justice.
Brought Crooks to Justice
During the seven years of my ad-
ministration they were instrumental in
bringing to justice great numbers of
criminals. I append herewith the oc-
casions on which they were furnished
by the request of the attorney general
to the department of justice during the
year 1907, and the first six months of
1908
They rendered invaluable assistance
in securing the conviction of many
criminals of desperate character and of
many other offenders of great wealth
and of social and political prominence.
In not one single instance during
these seven years has it been shown
that their action jeOpardized any man
who was not connected with Illegal
transactions. In not single instance
has it been shown that they took any
but proper steps against a criminal.
No pretense has been made that they
did net do their work against criminals
efficiently
80 desire to put on record my en-
phatic belief that the secret service
under Chief Wilkie has been composed
of men of an exceptionally high grade
of character and capacity, who have
rendered exceptional service to the pub
lie, and that Chief Wilkie himself, in
very trying and responsible position,
has shown qualities Of the highest kind
and has been one of the main standbys
Of the government.
Chief WiIE<ie Dreaded
mo other man in the government
employ is so dreaded and hated by law
breakers, and they especially desire to
see his activities and those Of the men
under him restricted in every way.
Congress last year forbade by law
the use of the secret service men to
put a stop to crime aside from counter
fp1fInE Inv u,
justice in other departments, but de-
pr1Ned the secretary of the treasury the
official guardian of a billion and a half
Of the nations actual money, Of the
power effectively to exercise that
guardianship.
Moreover, the congress provided no
substitute whatever for the secret SER
vice. In consequence, the department
of justice was obliged to develop as
speedy as possible it's corps of special
detectives to take the place of the Sc
cret service agents, which it had pre-
viously used and the nucleus of this
force was made up of officers formerly
connected with the secret service and
trained in such methods
Would Have Met Failure
81 call your special attention to the
fact that if the department of justice
had not taken this action there would
have been complete failure to enforce
the law against many types of Grim
inals, and as it was in the early months
of the present fiscal year, during the
Morse prosecution in New York. and in
connection with certain other important
cases, serious inconvenience and anx-
lety were caused TO the prosecuting Of
fcers by this action of congress in de-
priving them of the aid of the expert
enced operatives of the secret service
on whom they had been accustomed to
rely.
Il call your attention to the further
fact that the department of justice had
never taken any steps to organize this
force so long as it could get men de-
tailed to it from the secret service. In
other words, the action of the congress-
in regard to the secret service Would
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