The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1909-01-07

such eccasionA The rasons alleged /,
me for the hostility u coagrpss q thr
secry scrrlce. both by those who da
aud N,y those who dld u0l share thl
hostility, were almost invariably III,
same as those set forth ~ Mr. Bnsheyl
article ! may add. by the way. thn
these allegations as 90 thc secret sory
leo are wholly without foundation Ii
fact
Real Issue Named
But all of this Is of Insignificant I'm
portance compared with the main. ths
real. Issue, This issue Il simply Does
congress desire that the government
shall have at IFS disposal the most
efficient Instrument for the detection
I of criminals and the prevention and
/ punishment of crime. or dpes Il not !
The action Of the house last May was
emphatically an action against the Ia.
terest Of justice aud against the inter
est OF law abiding people and ln lts ef.
feet OF benefit only 10 lawbreakers. |
am not now dealing with motives
Whatever may have been the motive
that induced the action Of which /
speak, this was beyond all question the
eject OF that action, Is the house now
willing to remedy the wrungg
\ a a
with endeavoring 10 persuade the
house not to permit the wrong, speak.
Ing informally on the subject with
those members who, | believed. knew
anything Of the matter and commu.
nicating officially only IN the ordinary
channels, as through the secretary Of
the treasury. In letter 20 the speaker
on April 30. protesting against the cut
ting down Of the appropriation vitality
necessary II the interstate commerce
commission was to carry into effect
the twentieth section OF the Hepburn
law, added; The provision about
the employment Of the secret service
men win work very great damage 10
the government IA Its endeayor TO pre-
vent and punish crime. There Is no
more foolish outcry than this against
spies. Only criminals need fear our
detectives" II inclose copy OF the
whole letter, marked Appendix c."
The postscript is blurred Ia my copy
book, and two or three Of the words |
cannot be decipheredl lAppendix G |
is letter dated April 30, 1908 from
President Roosevelt TO Speaker Can.
non protesting against the cutting |
down IN the sundry civil bill OF the ap. |
for secret service work. |
"The only people benefited would be
the very worst Of the big railroad men
whose mlsdeeds we are trying to pre-
vent or correct" were the words OF the I
PRESIDENT These methods proved un-
availing TO prevent the wrong Messrs
Tawney and Smith aud their fellow
members on the appropriations com
mttee paid no heed TO the protests,
IN the sundry ciyil bin II
was impossible for me TO consider or
discuss II Oh Its merits, as | should
have done had IL been In a separate
bill Therefore have now taken the
only method avail lbe, that Of discuss
ing 1t In my message 10 congress, and
~ all efforts TO sc IRE what | regard
rs proper treatment Of the subject
recourse TO plain speaking had
Jailed | have spoken plainly md di-
'ectly and have set forth the facts IN
explicit terms
Here the president gives Instances
n which the secret service men have
,een instrumental in securing convlc-
ions OF offenses against federal laws,
iting especially the land fraud cases.
In connection with the Nebraska
the government has by de-
rec secured the return 10 the govern
nent Of over million acres Of graz.
ng land, In Colorado OF more than
200 acres Of mineral land, and suits
re now pending involving 10000 /
cres more. 7
Departments Agents Dishonest.
All these Investigations IN the land q
ases were undertaken In consequence
I Mr.. Hitchcock. the then secretary
I the interior, becoming convinced !
bat there were extensive frauds com 0
nltted IN his department. aud the q
amneatlons Of the frauds were 80 y
arreachlng that he was afraid 10 trust :
IL own officials to deal IN thorough. y
DING fashion with them, One Of the u
pcret service men accordingly resign. y
! and was appointed I'm the interior D
apartment TO carry on this work. The D
rst thing he discovered was that b
)ecial agents division or corps Of de q
.ctiyes Of the land Office Of the int. g
or department was largely under the q
)ntrol Of the land thieves, and IN con.
,quence the Investigations above re- y
,rred 10 had to be made by secret 4
,ryice men. u
II the present law, for which Messrs se
awney, Smith aud the other gentle u
en- | have above mentioned are re- ~
,onsible. had then been IN effect this "
tion would have been impossible and u
ost OF the criminals would unqmes- y
)nably have escaped. No more strik "
& instance can be imagined Of the "
Of having central corps u
skilled investigating agents who can -
any time be assigned n necessary "
large numbers. 20 Investigate some ~
4
olation Of the federal statutes IN no -
after what branch OF the public sery ~
;. In this particular case most Of y
G men investigated who were public ~
rvants were ln the executive branch su
the government But Ia Oregon, 81
here an enormous acreage Of frandu ~
lily alienated public land WAS rcfby- ~
ID for the government, q Uuiied y
ates senator, Mr. Mitchell, and a ~
smber OF the lower house, Mr, WI. :"
mson, were convicted on evidence W
talned BY men transferred from the "
.ret service, and another member Of ~
ngress was indicted. ~
Stopped Naturalization Frauds. 4
from 1901 to 1904 a successful luyes y.
alton Of naturalization affairs was =,