The Washington herald., 1909-02-22

and again IN the reports Of the Interior
/ Department As the prosecutions had to
be carried on by the Department OF
Justice. 60 was desirable that the Secret
( Service men should work with and under
the Department Of Justice officials
BY turning 20 the list % which I have
already alluded. you viii see. for example.
that in the year 1857 the Department OF
Justice. on January :. asked for one man
/ in a land fraud case that on January II
! lt asked for FIVE men 10 be detailed for
timber entry frauds. on January g four
additional men % assist in land fraud In
vestiCatlcnS; on February = six more
men; on March two more men; on April
/ . three more men, on April 10 six more
men, on May 3 and June l5 one aodi-
tional man. on August = three additional
men. These men were not assigned 70
the Interior Department. but they were
/ used for the Interior Department cases
under the Department Of Justice.
How such officers discharged their
duties n q previous case OF which hap
I pen TO have personal knowledge IS shown
{ by the following letter
Letter Is Quoted.
Derarmeut os justice. Dec X Igs.
Z The Chief ot The United States Secret Se7fce.
Washington. =. q.
+ Sir: The department Is n -eoeips q a ls,tT
dated the 2lst instant from the United Ssatss AZ
tc-ney for the district q Nsb-ssks. repor1nz the
Trial and oourc5iou q Bartlett Richards and other
defendants the charge q cousgiring 20 defszud
the United States q p1blie lAnds Tins IS one of
the zss il which s7erll o7erztires q your oesce
7 have been employed under Operative Jgcien c.
Wheeler. and the United states attorney takes CO
casicu. n making his report 70 Commend nsoss
highly the TeTy able se1ioe q the operative II
charge. ar. Lgciea C. Wheeler, ard his secret
Scrrice agents
The department is also n rcceirs q letter from
the Secretary cf the Interio- dated the - istsn:
ezVressing his appreciation Cf the splendid Wcrk
doue by" the United states attorney. his SDsCl
assistant and lir MbeclCT- and transmitting .
cogy n telegram Ehich he sent % N-. Wheeler o.
{ the Zsr instant. follows
Il cnuatulste scr uscst heartily on the splendid
work yczl have done IN c1nnecton With ne TerdIC-
which ulust rire renewed confidence 10 al those
Who believe that the law must - oheyed-
I desire 70 add 70 vhst has been quoted above The
appreciation q the department here of the So-k
done by 1Ir. Wheeler who has shown himself 20 Be
a coos-eutiogs and highly Efficient instuIraentslity
in bringing about nuchdeslrEd results n Nebraska
/ Yery respectfully. Afford " COOLEY.
Acting Attorney General
( The limitation Of the use Of the Secret
! Service was not in the least degree tech
nical. il was real and actual II such a
/ condition as arose in the Interior Depart
ment some four years ago again arises in
that department with this limitation we
should be prevented from employing the
Secret Service, and the result would be
harmful 70 the government and Of ben
eft only 10 the criminals. unless, OF
course We are able 10 build up a precise
. u similar secret service in the Depart
naent OF JustiCe-in which case the action
I Of the Congress would have been effective
only as showing its disapprovsl Of the ad-
mirable work done by Chief Wilkie and
{ his division.
Unless the new secret service in the
! Department OF Justice does !ts work in
/ precisely similar fashion 70 Chief Wilkes
Secret Service. Il viii not do good and ef-
/ fective work. and I call your attention to
the fact that the result Of the action Of
/ Congress has hitherto been. by the crea-
ton Of two secret services, markedly 10
increase the total cost OF this class of
work.
The facts in reference 10 the detection
and suppression Of the land frauds and
the punishment Of criminals engaged in
them have been made public again and
again but in view Of the report Of your
committee. It is as well 20 refer 10 them
once more Secretary Hitchcock became
convinced that there we're widespread
frauds IN his department and that his
own force was unable 20 deal with them
Through the Department Of Justice ne
had a number Of Scores Service operatives
assigned 10 work on the Interior Depart
ucut cases. together with one Secret
Service operative who was assigned di-
rect to the Interior Department
On Written Request.
Mr.. Hemenway speaks as If the At
torney. General and the Secretary Of the
Interior had not known Of such as
signments. as a matter OF fact, every
such assignment was made on the writ
ten request Of the head Of the depart
ment. The first result of the work in
question was 10 find that various. depart
mental officials had failed in their duty;
and some OF them were accordingly dis
missed.
The results of the assignment Of the
Secret Ser7 - men-taken. Of course. in
connection with the activity Of the rep
reseutatives Of the Department of Justice
itself. and OF the activity Of the reorgsn-
lied force OF special agents Of the Interior
Department-are found in the conviction
Of many defendants. some Of them being
among the wealthiesf and most influential
people in their communities; others stand
ing high in the political world, one OF
them being a Senator and another Rep
Tesentative in Congress, while a second
Representative IN Congress was indicted.
II the Limitation OF the use Of the Secret
Service which your committee uphOlds
had been IN force at the time OF which !
speak, the Senator, the Representative.
and the various men Of wealth and high
political influences who were convicted
would all have escaped punishment I
hold that such an outcome would have
been in the Interest Of the criminals only.
Once The energencY had nassAd the