Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-05

| CutlOnS.
! In view of Mr.. Busbeys position,
have accepted the above quoted state
lnents as fairly expressing the real
meaning and aninlus of the attacks
rlade in general terms on the use OF
| the Secret Service for the punishment
of criminals. Furthermore, in the per-
Torrance OF my duty, to endeavor to
| lind the feelings OF Congressman on
public questions of note. l have ire
quently discussed this particular mat
| ter with Members Of Congress; and on
| such occasions the reasons alleged tic
me for the hostility of congress to the
Secret Service. both by those who did
and by those who did not share this
| hostility. were almost invariably the
same as those set forth in Mr.. Bus
hey's article. | may add, by the way,
that these allegations as to the Secret
Service are wholly without foundation
| in fact.
| But all of this is of insignificant
Importance compared with the main,
| the real issue. This issue is simply.
| Does Congress desire that the Govern
ment shall have at its disposal the
| most efficient instrument for the detec-
| ton of criminals and the prevention
| and punishment of crime, or does it
| not? The action of the House last
| May was emphatically an action
against the interest of justice and
against the interest OF 1aw-abidnS
people. and in its effect of benefit only
| to laWbreakerS. | am not now dealing
with motives; whatever may have
been the motive that induced the ac-
! ton of which | speak, this was beyond
| all question the effect of that action.
Is the House now willing to remedy
| the wrong?
| For o long time | contented myself
| with cndcavoring to persuade the
House not to permit the wrong, speak
| ing informally on the subject with
| those Members who, ! believed, knew
anything Of the matter, ana commune
eating officially only in the ordinary
| channels as through the Secretary of
| the Treasury. In n letter to the
| Speaker on April 80 protesting against
| the cutting down OF the appropriation
| vitality necessary il 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 will work very great
| damage to the Government in its
endeavor to prevent and punish crime.
| There is no more foolish cutlery than
| this against spies; only criminals
need fear our detectives" CT inclose
copy Of the whole letter, marked
| "Appendx c." The postscript is
blurred in my .copybook, and two or
| three Of the words can not be
deciphered.) These methods proved
| unavailing to prevent the wrong.
Messrs Tawney and Smith, and their
| fellow members on the Appropriations
Committee paid no heed to the pro-
| tests and as the obnoxious provision
| was Incorporated in the Sundry civil
| bill, it was impossible for me to con-
| slider or discuss it on it's merits, as /
| should have done had it been in Il
| separate bill Therefore | have now
taken the only method available, that
| of discussing it in my message to
| Congress; and as all efforts to secure
| what | regard as proper treatment Of
| the subject without recourse to plain
| speaking had failed. ! have spoken
| plainly and directly, and have set forth
| the facts in explicit terms.
| Since. 901 the Investigations covered
| by the Secret Service Division-under
| the practice which had been for many
| years recognized as proper and legiti-
mate and which had received the
sanction of the highest law officers of
| the Government-have covered a wide
| range Of offenSes against the federal
| law. BY far the most important OF
| these related to the public domain. as
| to which there was uncovered far
| reaching and widespread system of
| fraudulent transactions involving both
| the illegal acquisition and the illegal
| fencing Of Government land; and in
| connection with both these Offenses.
the crimes Of perjury and subornation
| OF perjury. Some of the persons in
| volved in these violations We're Of
great wealth and Of wide political and
| ocial influence. Both their corporate
associations and their political afilia-
lions, and the lawless character of
some of their employees, made the in
vestgationS not only difficult but
dangerous. In Colorado one of the
! secret service men was aSsassinated.
In Nebraska it was necessary to re-
move a United States attorney and
| United States marshal before salts
factory progress could be made in the
prosecution of the offenders.
The evidence in all these cases was
| chiefly secured by men trained in the
| Secret Service and detailed to the De-
rartment OF Justice at the request of
that Department and of the Depart
ment of the Interior. In the State of
| Nebraska alone sixty defendants were
| indicted: and of the thrty-two cases
; thus far brought to trial twenty eight
/ have resulted in conviction; two of the
principals. Messrs. Comstock and
Richards. men of wealth and wide in
| fiuence, being sentenced to twelve
4 months in Jail and fined $1,000 each.
| The following secret service memoran-
dun made in the course of a pending
Pcase illustrates the qualifications of
interest with which the Government
| has to deal:
| Charles #. Stewart, of Council
Bluffs. WIS Indicated at Omaha for
conspiracy to defraud the Government
of the title to public lands in McPher-
son County. Nebr.: also indicted for
maintaining an unlawful Enclosure OF
! the public lands. and also under indict-
ment for perjury in connection with