Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-05
President Roosevelt Answers the House
Resolution Calling for Detailed
Information Concerning
the Bureau.

prevents the promotion OF employees IN the
secret service. and this further disoourages
good effort. In It's present form the res
friction operates only to the advantage Of
the criminal, OF the ~wrongdoer.
THE chief argument in favor Of the pro-
vision was hat the congressman did not
themselves wish to be investigated by Sc
cret service men. Very little OF such IN
vestigatin has been done in the past; but 1t
is true that the work Of the secret service
agents was partly responsible for the in
dictment and conviction Of a senator and a
congressman for land frauds in oregon. 1
do not believe that it is in the public in
terest to protect criminals in any branch
of the public service, and exactly as we
have again and again during the past
seven years prosecuted and convicted such
criminals who were in the executive branch
Of the government, so in my belief we
should be given ample means to prosecute
them II found in the legislative branch.
But IL this is not considered desirable a
special exception could be made In the law
prohibiting the use of the secret service
force in investigating members of the con-
gress. It would be far better to do this
than to do what actually was done, and
strive to prevent or at least to hamper eff
fective action against criminals by the ex-
ecutlve branch Of the government"
Nothing 20 Warrant Assertion.
A careful reading of this message will
show that / said nothing to warrant the
statement that the majority of the con-
gressmen were in fear of being investi-
gated by the secret service men, or that
congress, as a whole, was actuated by that
motive" L did not make any such state
ment in this message. Moreover l have
never made any such statement about con-
gress as a whole. nor, with a few inev-
liable exceptions. about the members of
congress, in any message or article or
speech. On the contrary l have always
not only deprecated but vigorously resented
the practice Of indiscrimlnate attack upon
congress, and indiscriminate condemnation
Of all congressman, wise and unwise, fit and
unfit good and bad alike. No one realizes
more than 1.-THE Importance of cooperation
between the executive and congress, and no
one holds the authority and dignity of the
congress of the United States in higher re-
spect than l do. / have not the slightest
sympathy with the practice of judging
men, for good or for III, not on their sew
eral merits, but in a mass, as members Of
one particular body or one caste. To put
together all men holding or who have held
a particular office, whether 1t be the office
OF president, or senator, or member of the
house Of representatives, and to class them
all, without regard to their individual diff
ferences, as good or bad, seems to me ut
terly indefensible; and it is equally indie
fensible whether the good are COMPOUNDED
with the bad in a heated and unwarranted
championship Of all, or in a heated and un-
warranted assault upon all. l would neither
attack or defend all executive officers in a
mass, whether presidents, governors, cab
| met officers, or officials of lower rank
nor would ! attack or defend all legislative
officers in a mass. The safety of free
government rests very largely in the ability
of the plain, everyday citizen to discrim-
mate between those public servants who
serve him we'll and those public servants
who serve him i'll. He can not thus dis
criminate IL he is persuaded to pass judg-
ment upon a man, not with reference to
whether he is a fit or unfit public servant,
but with reference to whether he is an
executive or legislative officer, whether he
belongs to one branch or the other of the
government.
This allegation in the resolution, there.
fore, must certainly be due to an entire
failure to understand my message.
The resolution continues: THAT the
president be requested to transmit to the
house any evidence upon which he baseC
his statements that the chief argument IL
favor of the provision was hat the con,
gressmen did not themselves wish to be in.
v~estigated by secret service men," Thii
statement, which was an attack upon nj
one. still less upon the congress, is sus
tanned by the facts.
Proof from the Record.
II you will turn to the Congressiona
Record for May l last, pages 1858 to $3.50
inclusive, you will find the debate on thii
subject. Mr.. Tawney OF Minnesota. Mr.
Smith OF Iowa, Mr.. Sherley of Kentucky
and Mr.. Fitzgerald Of New York appea.
! in this debate as the special champion.
Of the provision referred to. Messrs. Par
sons, Bennett and DTiscoH were the leader
OF those who opposed the adoption of tn,
amendment and upheld the right of tn.
government to use the most efficient mean
possible in order to detect criminals and I,
prevent and punish crime. The amendmen
was carried In the committee of the whole
where no votes of the individual member
are recorded, so 1 am unable to discrim
mate by mentioning the members who vote
for and the members who voted against tn
provision, but it's passage, the journal re
cords. was greeted with applause. an
well aware, however. that in any case o
this kim many members who have no par
ticulsr knowledge OF. the point at issu
are content simply to follow the lead of tn
, committee which had considered the ma
ter, and ! have no doubt that many mem
| bers OF the house simply followed the lea
B OF Messrs. Tawney and Smith, without hay
ing had the opportunity to know yer
much as to the rights and wrongs OF III
! question. y
1 would not ordinarily attempt in thl
) way to discriminate between members G
, the house, but as objection Mas been take
= to my language, in which l simply spok
= OF the action OF the house as a Who'll,
and as apparently there is a desire tha
5 i should thus discriminate, 1 will state tha
1 think the responsibility rested on IN
E committee on appropriations, under IN
lead OF the members whom have mer
d toned.
e BASED on smiths Remarks.
: Now rs to the request of the eongres
that 1 give the evidence for my statemer
: that the chief argument in favor Of ii
|, provision was that the congressman did No
themselves wish to be Investigated by S,
cret service men.
The part OF the Congressional Record I
: which / have referred above entirely sur
ports this statement. Two distinct lines