The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-01-04

/ T. I. t.s4I
secretary 70 the, speaker OF the holss
I faolose q eOpy q certain extraets
from the article, marked Appendix b,
.IAUpendix d consists IL ah article
nom the Chicago Inter Ocean IL IAN.
3, 1901. In this. John +. WiliSie, chief
OF ne secret service OF the treasury
department. Is described rs dmbitious
Of becoming -tlle Boldlie Of the United
States In imitation Of FOuciie, chief
Df tie sestret police OF Napoleon ]. The
article declares that the secret service
bureau exists without warrant Of con-
gfesslonai action aud that congress. has
always been antagonists to theSbn-
rean.I It eortained an utterly Huwar-
Fanted attack on the secret service
division Of The treasury department
md It's chief Tie opening paragraph
includes, for instance, statements Ike
the following:
He 1.-THE chief OF the diyisionl and his
men are DESTROYS OF doing the secret de-
tectiye work for the whole government
and are not particular about drawing the
line between the lawmakers and the law
former as we'll as the latter.
Then, after saying that congress Will
insist that the men shall only be used
TO stop counterfeiting, the article goes
on:
Congress does. not intend 10 have a
Fbuche or any other kind Of minister OF
police TO be used by the executive de-
partments against the legislative branch
OF the government. II has been 30 used
and IL Is suspected that 1t has been 70
used recently The legislative
branch OF the government will not toler-
ate the meddling Of detectives. whether
they represent the president, cabinet old
GERS or only themselves. Com
greSsmen resented the secret interference
OF the secret service men who for weekH
Swallowed some Of the most respected
members Of the house aud senate.
When u was discovered that the secret
service. men were shadowinG congress
men there was a storm OF indignation at
the capitol, and the bureau came near
being abolished and tho appropriation
for the suppression OF counterfeltIng cut
on. At another time tile chief OF
the secret service had his men shadow
congressman with view to involving
them IN scandals that would enable the
buA tdA ~ NlAthAt 70 INtfn as tfle price OF
silence. The secret service men
have shown an inclination again TO
shadow members OF congress, knowing
them 10 he lawmakers, and this Is no
joke. Several OF the departments have
asked congress for secret funds for in
Yestigation and the treasury department
wants the Limitation removed from The
appropriation for suppressIng counter
fe!tins. This shows n tendency toward
Foaeheism and secret watch on other
officials Than Themselves.
AT the time of this publication The
work of the secret service which was
thus assailed included especially the in
restigatlon of great land frauds in the
west and the securing of evidence to
help the department OF justice in the
beef trust investigations ut Chicago,
which resulted IN successful prosecu.
lions.
In view Of Mr.. Busbey's position l
have accepted the above quoted state
ments as fairly expressing the real
meaning and animus Of the attacks
made IN general terms on the use of
the secret service for the punishment
Of criminals Furthermore, In the per.
Torrance of my duty to endcavor to
find the feelings of congressman on
public questions of note have FIRE.
quently discussed this particular mat
ter with members OF congress. and OF
such occasions the reasons alleged to
me for The hostility of congress 10 the
secret service. both by those who did
and by those who did moi share this
hostility. were almost Invariably the
same MS those set forth in Mr.. Bnsbey's
article. may add. by the way. that
these allegations as to The secret serv-
ice are wholly without foundation III
fact.
Real Issue, Named.
But all of this ii of insignificant Inn
portance compared with the main. the
real. issue. This issue Il simply. Does
congress desire that the government
shall have ut It's disposal the most
efficient Instrument for the detection
OF criminals and the prevention and
punishment of crime, or does it not
The action of the house last May was
enphutlcally al action against the in
terest OF Justice and against the inter.
est Of law abiding people and in its eff.
feet Of benefit only to lawbreasers. ]
am not now dealing with motives.
Whatever may have been the motive
that Induced the action Of which /
speak, this was beyond all question the
effect Of that action. Is the house now
willing 10 remedy the wrong:
For Il long time l contented myself
with cndcavoring to persuade the
house not 10 permit the wrong speak
ing informally IN the subject With
those members who. | believed. knew
anything Of the matter and comm.
nicatins officially only in the ordinary
channels, as through tho secretary of
the treasury. In n letter To tho sneaker