Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-01-13
TILLMAN AGAIN
IN L|MEL|CHT
Alleged Land Transactions
Of the Senator.
WORK OF SECRET SERVICE

Senator's Correspondence in connec.
tion With His Desire to Obtain West.
ern Lands Made Known to President
Roosevelt Through Postoffice Inspec.
tors-Work of the Secret Service in
Various channels-lnvestigat Of
Frauds Develop important Facts.
Washington, Jan. 9.-!The letter
written to Senator Hale by Presiden.
Roosevelt few days ago concerning
the secret service and Senator Till
mans activity in western lands caus-
ed considerable surmise among con
gressmen and people interested in ma
tional affairs as to what 1t contained
The letter ha3 been withheld for a
time but is now made public. 1t 10 as
follows:
The White House, Washington. Jan
5, 1909.-My Dear Senator Hale:
have requested the different depart
ments of the government, not only
those to whom you sent requests, but
those to whom you did not, to give me
all the Information about the use OF
special attorneys, special agents, In
spectors, etc, in their departments
which will enable me to put before
you all the facts which, as Understand
it, your committee desire to have. ]
transmit these reports herewith.
call especial attention to the reports
of the secretary OF state, the secretary
of the treasury and the attorney gen.
eral
Let me at the outset most earnestly
express my cordial agreement with the
view that II is not only the right but
the duty of congress to investigate the
| workings of the secret service or de-
tective agents by which alone the gov
eminent can effectually safeguard it.
| self against wrong doing, punish
crime, and bring to Justice criminals
am well aware of the liability to
abuse inherent in any effective detect
i've system or secret service system
for the measure of the efficiency of the
system is also the measure of the
seriousness of the abuses of the
system if it be applied to wrong pur-
poses or directed in any improper man.
ller. II is eminently to the public in
terest that there should be vigilant
inquiry into the working of this
agency both by the heads of the exc
cutive departments and by congress.
Cvctep, lie NJ
1t nevertheless remains. true that
this system is absolutely indispensa-
kle If the popular interest is TO be
adequately safeguarded and wrong
doors taught to fear the law. To show
how Indispensable detectives are when
important work Of a confidential char.
acter must be done, l refer you to the
experience of the immigration COM
mission appointed by congress and
largely composed of senator's and rep
resentatives, which has found 1t abso-
lutely necessary to employ detectives
In order to achieve the best results.
In my communication of the 4th in
slant to the lower house. ! have set
forth at length the reasons why, in
my Judgment. 1t Is eminently desirable
that, in addition 10 the special detect
Ives. or inspection service of each de.
rnrtment. there should be in some one
department. preferably the department
OF justice. service which can be used
Mt need In any department in order
TO achieve the ends have described.
] 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 has been used as police of