Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-22

| herewith substantially although not en-
| tirely accurate statement of the number
of men employed on secret service work
| or criminal investigation work during
the year that has just passed: as COM
pared with the years 1901-laO2. Owing
to the very brief period which | have
had to get at these figures. it was inn
possible to get them with entire accuracy,
but they are not out CT the way more
than score or so in either direction.
According to these figures. it appears
| that in the neighborhood of leo men of
this type were employed seven years ago.
and somewhat over 1900 nOw-this is,
instead of having trebled in number in
accordance with one of the statements
| made above. instead of having increased
nearly twentyfold in accordance with the
other statement. they have increased but
little over one-half, little over 80 per
cent.
Increase in Investigators.
Moreover. Of this increase considera-
bly, over half was in the number of men
used in securing the punishment of vio-
lators of the internal revenue laws, a
matter wholly outside of that discussed
by any of the gentlemen who have OBJ
jected to the use of the secret service.
The remaining increase is due to such
cases as the natural growth of the Post
Office Department. the appointment of
individuals to enforce the pure food and
the meat inspection laws, the more rigor-
Gus enforcement of the safety appliance
act. the suppression of the liquor traffic
among the Indians the protection of the
public lands and timber. and the like
Il call your especial attention to the
fact that the great majority of these
men are not primarily. or mainly. or. in
deed. ordinarily engaged on secret serv-
work at all. ! have employed these terms
merely because they were SO employed
by members of your committee and
others in the course of the debates in
the House and Senate. But they are en-
tlrely misleading in SO far as they give
an impression that the chief work of
the men mentioned was Of the character
assigned it by Senator Hemenway and
others in the quotations given above and
In similar statements.
LAS regards nineteen-twentieths of
these men. the proportion of their time
given to secret service work or criminal
investigation is altogether insignificant
and Is only an occasional incident of their
ordinary duties. To speak of these men
as having become an army or as 800
men engaged in secret service and SINH
lar work is comically out Of accord with
the actual facts.
The increase was 200 men, of whom
but score or two are habitually en-
gagged in secret service work.
Exaggeration Charged.
LAS for the amount expended, the
statements in the debate in both houses
are so exaggerated as to bear no refer
ence whatever to the actual figures. Thus
it was stated that two-thirds of the
money appropriated for the Department
of Justice was spent in criminal investi-
CATION. AS a matter Of fact the Attor-
ney General reports to me that the APP
preparation SO spent, construed on the
M hos IN,
atty 40 per cent. so that the state
ment in question was a thirtyfold exag-
geration.
In the same way it was stated that
$1000O,0O0 Cor. as one gentleman put 1t.
that $2O.OOO,O0O) represented the amount
expended nthis secret service work.
while the totals Of another get of fig
ures amount to 32,OOO,OOO as money
which should have been expended for
such work.
"A table carefully compiled covering
all the departments shows the amount
actually expended during the first six
months Of the present fiscal year. in all
work that can by ANY possibility be con-
sidered to come under this heading. as a
little less than $764. 900. an estimated total
for the entire fiscal year of approximate
ly 81 .6OO.OO0-Which goes to show that the
statements referred to contain only from
5 to IL per cent Of warrant in fact.
Details to Interior Department.
Senator Hemenway quoted the Secre-
tary of the Interior as the authority for
the statement that but one secret service
man was ever detailed to the Interior De-
partment. This statement of Senator
Hemenway is completely misleading. The
secret service men were used in the In
terror Department cases at the request
of the Secretary Of the Interior, but for
convenience in operation they were as
cfrr ,nI 1,,I A,,x
Justice.
This has been set forth with the ut
most clearness again and again in the re-
ports of the Interior Department. AS the
prosecutions had to be carried on by the
Department of Justice, it was desirable
that the secret service men should work
with and under the Department of Justice
officials. BY turning to the list to which
have already alluded, you will see. for
example, that in the year 1907 the De-
partment of Justice, on January :, asked
for one man in a land fraud case; that
on January 25 1t asked five men to be
detailed for timber-entry frauds; on jan
uary 80 four additional men to assist in
land-fraud Investigations: on February
q six more men: on March two more
men: on April three more men: on April
10 six more men: on May % and June 10
one additional man: on August % three
additional men.
These men were not assigned to the
Interior Department. but they we're used
for the Interior Department cases under
the Department of Justice. How such of
flcers discharged their duties In a pre-
vious case of which I happen to have per-
sonal knowledge is shown by the follow
ing letter:
Department Of Justice, Dec. %. 1906.
To the Chief Of the United States Secret Service.
Washington. d. c.:
Sir: The department is in receipt Of a letter
da ted the 21St instant from the United States
attorney for the district OF Nebraska, reporting
the trial and conviction OF Bartlett Richa rds and
defraud the United States Of public lands. This
is one Of the In which several operatives
OF your Office have been employed under Opera
tive Lucien c. Wheeler. and the United States
attorney takes occasion in making his report,
to commend most highly 1.-The very able service
of the operative in charge, Mr.. Lucien c.
Wheeler. and his secret service agents"
The department IL also in receipt Of letters
from the Secretary Of the Interior. dated the :2d
splendid work done by the United States attor-
ncy his special assistant. and Mr.. Wheeler; and
transmitting a copy of a telegram which he sent
to Mr.. Wheeler on the 21st instant as follows:
Il congratulate you most heartily the
splendid work you have done in connection with
the verdict. which must give renewed confidence
to all those who believe that the laws must he
obeyed"
l desire to add to what has been quoted above
the appreciation Of the department here Of the
work done by Mr. Wheeler. who has shown
himself to be conscientious and highly eff
cient fundamentally In bringing about much
desired results in Nebraska. Very respectfully,
AFFORD w. COOLEY,
Acting Attorney General.