Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-05
President Quotes Congressional Record to Prove His
Assertions Concerning the Limitation Of the Secret Serv

/ q MS Work IN this case. Inc total eN-
pense for the office and field force OF
the secret service last year was $685.
| 600; and by this one investigation
they saved the government over $780,
600 year. Thanks to the re trictions
/, imposed by congress it is now very
difficult for the secretary of the treas
! ury to use the secret service freely
even in his own department: for in
stance, to use them to repeat what
they did so admirably in the case OF
this ink contract. The government is
further crippled by the law forbidding
/ 1t to employ detective agencies. or
course the government can detect the
most dangerous crimes, and punish
the worst criminals, only by the use,
either of the secret service or of pri-
vate detectives; to hamper it in using
the one, and forbid it to resort to the
other, can inure to the benefit. of
/ none save the criminals
The facts above given show beyond
possibility of doubt that what the sec
rotary of The treasury and I had both
i 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 provisi. is of BEN
ett 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 time when 1 became president all
the prosecutions above mentioned.
! ana many others Of the same general
type, would either not have been UNI
dertaken or would have been under
taken with the government at a
great disadvantages; and many, and
hn h 1f 1l,s to
would have gone scot free instead OF
being punished for their crime.
Such Work Necessary
Such a Lody {: the secret service,
such body of trained Investigating
agents, occupying permanent posi-
j ton in the COVE nment service, and
separate from local investigating
forces in different departments is an
absolute necessity if the best work is
to be done against criminals. It is
by far the most efficient instrument
possible to use against crime. OF
course the more efficient an instru-
!; ment is the more dangerous it is if
/ mlsused. To the argument that force
(! like this can be misused is is only
I necessary to answer that the condi-
ton of it's usefulness if handled
properly is that it shall be so efficient
as to be dangerous If handled inn
properly. Any instance of abuse by
the secret service of other investigat-
ing force in the departments should
be unsparingly punished; and con-
gress SHOULD hold itself ready - any
and all times to investigate the ex-
ecutlve departments whenever there Is
reason to believe that any such in
stance of abuse has occurred wish
to emphasize my more than cordial
| acquiescence in the view that this
is not only the right of congress. but
emphatically its duty. To use the
secret service in the investigation of
purely private or political matters
would be a gross abuse, but there has
been no single instance of such abuse
during my term as president.
Asks Change of Law
In conclusion, most earnestly ask,
in the name of good government and
decent administration, in the name of
honesty and for the purpose Of bring
ing to justice violators of the federal
laws wherever they may be for nd
whether in public or private life, that
the action taken by the house last
year be reversed. When this action
was taken, the senate committee UNI
der the lead of the late Senator Alli-
son, having before it strongly word
ed protest (Appendix ID from Secre-
tary Cortelyou like that he sent to
Mr. Tawney, accepted the secretarys
views; and the senate passed the bill
in the shape presented by Senator
Allison. In the conference, however.
i the house conferees insisted on the
retention Of the provision they had in
serted, and the senate yielded.
! The chief of secret service is paid
salary utterly inadequate to the inn
portance of his functions and to the
admirable way In which he has per-
formed them. 7 earnestly urge that
it be increased to $4,000 per annum.
I also urge that the secret service be
placed where it properly belongs, and
made bureau in the department CT
Justice. as the chief of the secret SER
vice has repeatedly requested; but
whether this is done or not, it should
be explicitly provided that the secret
service can be used to detect and pun
ish crime wherever it is found.
! Theodore Roosevelt.
The White House, January 4, 1909.
I