Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-05
ROOSEVELT EXPLAINS HIS RE-
CENT CRITICISMS
SECRET SERVICE CHARGES AGAIN
THREsHED OUT
Lively Interest Manifest and Much
Merriment Is Evoked as Sec
retary Reads Special
Document


of representatives today to the
reading of a message from the presi-
dent replying to a resolution of that
| body calling on him for an explanation
of the intimation in his annual mes
sage that members of congress were
| afraid to be investigated by the secret
| service.
| The galleries were packed.
The presidents specific reference tt
certain speeches by Messrs. Tawney Of
| Minnesota, Smith of Iowa, Shirley o1
Kentucky and Fitzgerald Of New York
| when the operations Of the secret ser
vice were up for discussion, called {
storm of laughter.
The speaker several times vigorously
raped for order.
AS the reading of the message pro
| ceeded many Of the members chuckled
others laughed outright, while some
were prone to joke with their neigh
! bors.
When the reading had been con
cluded, Mr.. Perkins of New York
chairman of the special COMMITTEES
which originally considered the matter
moved that the message be referred t.
that committee.
'Is an amendment in order to thai
motion?" inquired Mr.. Griggs in 9
loud voice.
1T is" replied the speaker.
"Then,'' said Mr.. Griggs, ct move
that this message be returned to the
president"
'Oh, no." shouted several of Mr.
! Griggs' Democratic colleagues.
! Mr.. Perkins insisted the message
should go to the special committee, anC
Mr.. Griggs withdrew his motion, say
! ing he took that action at the reques
of his party leaders.
The message was referred.
| Members of the house mentioned il
| the message declined to make any
| public reply.
''I have no comment to make at thi!
time said Mr.. Fitzgerald. What.
ever comment / desire to make will bt
from my place on the floor as a mem
| ber of congress-
Walter I. Smith of Iowa said he
would make speech in reference tC
! the mention of his name, but that he
would not rise to a question of per-
| sonal privilege, believing that such
would recognize an injury received. He
| intimated his comments would be
| straight to the point.
- The Presidents Message
! The president in his message said:
ST have made no charges of corruption
! against congress nor against any member Of
! the present house If I had proof of sucI
corruption affecting any member of the house
in any matter as to which the federal gov.
ernment has jurisdiction, action would at once
| be brought, as was done in, the cases of Sen.
| ators Mitchell and Burton and Representa-,
! tives Williamson, Herman and briggs. al
| different times since l have been president
This would simply be doing my duty in tht
] execution and enforcement of the laws with.
| out respect to persons But 1 do not regard
1t as within the province or the duties of the
| president to report to the house alleged de-
| liLquencies' of members the supposed cor.
rupt action Of a member in his official ca
pacity. The membership of the house is by
| the constitution placed within the power o.
the house alone. In the prosecution of Grim
| inals and the enforcement of the laws the
president must resort to the courts of tbs
United States.
| I'm the third and fourth clauses of the pre-.
anble it is stated that the meaning Of my
words is that the majority Of the congress
men are IN fear of being investigated by secre
service men and that congress as a whole
was actuated by that motive in enacting the
provision in question: and that this is i'm
peachment Of the honor and integrity Of the
| congress. These statements are not, I think
| in accordance with the facts.
| "A careful reading Of this message will
| show that I said nothing to warrant the state
ment that the majority Of the congressmer
we're in fear Of being investigated by the
| secret service men,, or that congress
whcle was actuated by that motive I die
not make any such statement in this mes
| sage. Moreover I have never made any such
| statement about congress as WHOLE nor
with q few inevitable exceptions, about the
| VI OOAl6ACSSB Al any AHOoSdSS VI dA'
ticle or speech.
"on the contrary T have always not only
deprecated but vigorously resented the prac
| tice of indiscrininate attack upon congres;
| and indiscriminate condemnation of all con
| gressmen, wise and unwise, fit and unfit, GOOD
and bad alike No one realizes more than
| the Importance Of cooperation between the
| executive and congress, and one holds the
| authority and dignity Of the congress of the
| United States in higher respect than do.
| have not the slightest sympathy with the
ms
not their several merits, but in a mass
as members of one particular body one
! caste.
Cannot Glass Them
'@To put together all men holding or wht
| have held particular office, whether it bt
the office Of president or judge or senator o1
| member Of the house Of representatives, and
| to class them all, without regard to their in
| dividual differences, good bad, seems Il
me utterly indefensible; and 1t is equally in
defensible whether the good are confoundet
| with the bad in a heated and unwarrantet
! championship of all or in heated and un
| warranted assault upon all. I would neither
! attack nor defend all executive officers in
mass, whether presidents, governors cabine
| officers officials of lower rank; nor woulC
| 1 attack or defend all legislative officers in
mass. The safety of free government rest.
very largely in the ability Of the plain, every.
| day citizen to discriminate between those pub
lie servants who serve him well and those
| public servants who serve him ILL., He canno
| thus discriminate II he is persuaded to pass
|
| whether he is fit unfit public servant
but with reference to whether he is an exec
| utive or legislative officer, whether he be
longs to one branch the other of the gov
| ernment.
! "This allegation in the resolution therefore
must certainly be due to entire failure tt
! understand my message.
| ST would not ordinarily attempt in this way
| to discriminate between members Of the house
but as objection has been taken to my Ian
guage, in which I simply spoke Of. the actor
of the house as a whole, and apparently
there Is a desire that 1 should thus discrim
| mate, I will state that L think the respon
sbility rested on the committee appropFia
! tions under the lead of the members whom
1 have mentioned.
Now to the request Of the congress tina
| I give the evidence for my statement that the
chief argument in favor of the provision was
that the congressman did not themselves wish
| to be investigated by secret service men,
''The part of the Congressional Record Il
which I have referred above entirely support
| this statement. Two distinct lines of argu
/ ment were followed in the debate. One con
| cerned the question whether the law war
ranted the employment of the secret servict
| in departments other than the treasury, anC
this did not touch the merits of the servict
in the least. The other line of argumen
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