Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-09
we'll, What CAN SENA-
TOR T|LLMAN SAY NOW?
The President Sends to Senate Evidence Obtained
By Secret Service Of Ti||man's Attempt to
Get in" on the Oregon Land Grab.

my communication of the 4th instant
to the lower House l have set forth at
length the reasons why, in my judg-
ment, it is eminently desirable that,
in addition to the special detectives or
inspection service of each department,
there should be in some one depart
ment, preferably the department of JUS
tice, a service which can be used at
need in any department in order to
achieve the ends 1 have described.
II would like to state here that very
frequently accusations have been made
to me privately by members of the two
Houses to the effect that the Secret
Service men have been used as a police
of morals or to shadow sepators, con-
gressmen and other public officials.
Hitherto the effort to discover the
basis for such allegations has always
be en- fruitless. l should be greatly OBJ
liged if any information could be fur
nished me tending to show any instance
where this has been done in times
past.
Certain of the special agents. in
spectors and the like. in the several
departments have a highly specialized
work to perform. In the treasury de-
partment the Secret Service is especial
ly trained to deal with counterfeiter.
and the special agents with customs
frauds. In the postOtfice department
the corps of inspectors is cspe Niall,
trained and peculiarly fitted to detect
cr!lninality or abuses or fraudulent us
of the mails in connection With tn
postal service. In the interior depart
ment, the special agents of the Ian
office and the inspectors of the Indial
bureau are trained in a similar fashio'
to meet special needs. In addition it !
urgently necessary to set forth in Mr.
RcNt's at Campaigning report, that Their
81 ~ d" il central force Of secret ser
VI 9 n4en Who can be detailed for WORT
anywhere in the governments service
"Of course, in the investigation
specific frauds we sometimes com
across wholly unexpected phases 0
misconduct. The frauds in the fedora
department. which were unearthe'
some six years ago, for instance offe
q case in point My suspicious wer
first aroused by a report made as t
the very cXtravagant and debauche,
manner of life of certain postal EN-
oiOye. this report being made by az
official of the Secret Service in connec
ton with another transaction o.,
which he was at work. So with cases
OF the abuse OF the franking privilege
The postotfice never of set purpose in
spects any package sent through tn
mails by a senator or congressman, bu
sometimes through the accident
breaking of such packages the cor
tents are exposed, and if they are of
character which makes their transmit.
sion by franlling privilege Illegal, ste,
are taken by til" postotfiCc authoritie
to collect the full postage. Some q
these instances represent real abuses
hut in other c@scs they are due to care
lcssncss or ignorance and very often
doubtless arc entirely unknown to tn
congressman themselves and no good
purpose would be served by any pub
Lefty in the matter.
"Rut 2 case has just arisen Of a diff
fcrent kind. which it seems to me
should put before you as Illustrating i
striking fashion the way in which in
vestigations begun by any Of these va
ricrs agents in the strict line of their
duty may develop facts of high i'm
pcrtance which the investigators woulf
not in the first instance have sought tc
discover. which when discovered ought
not to be hidden or suppressed. bur
the development of which may tend
to- create an erroneous impression thai
the agents in question We're being USED
FOR purposes not within the line Of
ti7eir lawful duty.
"On the 18th of February. 1908 (See Ely
hibit Al. Senator Tillman called the at
tention of the Senate to a circular of
syndicate firm for the sale of lands in
Oregon. particularly in Coos and Doug
las counties. which had been granted to
corporations by the government, the cir
cuar stating that the company in pos
session Of the land was bound to sell
them for $3.50 an acre. or upon their re-
fusal would be prosecuted by the govern
ment, and that Among those who have
spoken for part of this land Is Senator
Tillman of South Carolina, the leader of
the Democratic party in the Senate, a
man who usually gets what he goes af-
ter Senator Tilman denied the state
ment of this circular and expressed a
wish for an investigation, and upon his
! request the postoffice department,
through it's inspectors. made such an in
vestigation. He stated in reference to
tins circular:
"I have not bought any land any
where in the West nor undertaken to buy
any. I have made some inquiries, as
one naturally would, in roaming through
! the West. I simply want the people of
the country to be put on notice that this
swindler at Portland has no warrant
whatever for endeavoring to inveigle 9TH
ers into his game
Il inclose this circular referred to. as
Exhibit B; the report of the postoffice
inspectors. under date Of July q, 1908, as
+. Exhibit C.. This is a confidential report
of type usually not furnished. but in