Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-22

! the interior department and the de-
partmcnt of justice. During the seven
years OF my administration they were
instrumental in bringing to Justice
great numbers of criminals. / appen,!
| herewith the occasions on which thcy
We're furnished ny the request of the
attorney general to the department OF
justice during the year 1907 and the
| first six months of 1908. They render
| cd invaluable assistance in securing
| the conviction Of many criminals of
| desperate character and of many 9th
er offenders of great wealth and OF
social end political prominence.
| IN not ono single instance during
| these SetCn years has it been shown
tiat their action jcopardizcd any nan
| VINO vas not connected with Illegal
| transactions. Ia not a single instance
has it bccn shown that they took any
| but proper steps against Il criminal.
| so pr"tcnCc has tcpn made that they
| lid nor do their work against crm-
inals fificicntly. | desire 70 put on
record my emphatic belief that tho
secret Service undcr chief Wiliie has
| eecn composed Of men OF an cXcep-
| ilunaliy high grade of character and
| capacity who have rendered eXcep-
| Jional service to the public and that
! Chief N'llliic himself. in Il very trying
! md responsible position, has shown
| qualities OF the highest kind. ard has
| been enc Of the main standbys of the
| government. Ne other man I'm the
government employ is so dreaded and
| hated by law breakers. and they es-
| prcallv iltsi.c t. see his activities, ana
| those If the mtM under him restricted
| N every way.
Congress last wear forbade by law
! the use of the Secret Service men to
pat a stop to crime aside from coun-
terftlting, and thereby not only ham,
| pcfcd justice in other departments
| but deprived the secretary of the
| treasury. the official guardian of a
| billion and 4 half Of the nations ac-
| tual money, of the power effectively to
| exercise that guardianship. Moreover
| the Congress provided no substitute
| whatever for the Secret Service. IN
consequence the department of justice
was obliged to develop as speedily as
! possible its own corps of special de-
| tecCiveS to take the place of the Sc
c,ct Service agents which it had pre-
| viously used and the nucleus of this
| force was mad up of officers formerly
connected with the Secret Service and
! trained in it,; methods. | call your cs-
| CCial attention to the fact that if the
| department Of justice had not taken
| this action there would have been a
complete failure to enforce the law
against many types Of criminals. and
a. It was in the early months of the
| ny
PR sccution in New York. and in con
nectior with certain other important
cases serious Inconvenience and anxi-
civ we're caused to the prosecuting Of
fcerS by thi, action Of Congress in de
| priving them of the aid Of til" expert
cnced operatives Of the Secret Service
| Oh whom they had been accustomed to
rely.
| "Your committee in its report. statca
| that it has never been the intention of
| the Congress to build up a spy Sys-
| TOW, Tho next sentence however, ad
vocalas the building up of precisely
| this spy system in the department. OF
| Justice. Not only have | again ana
again requested the Secret Service be
I placed under the department of justice.
| but the chief If the Secret Service mas
himself specifically requested on dli-
fcrent occasions that the same course
be followed AS regards the general
| roIicv which should be followed. there
| fore yo,,r committee has declared for
tho rolicv the adoption of which |
have urged and all difficulties would
he met nv providing specifically for
ana carrying out that policy. Chlcf
Wilkic should be transferred to the
dcnortment of Justice ana put at the
head of the force therein organized.
..>ut in YOUR report, and the subse-
o.,.n+ debate direct and indirect at
tacks are made upon the Secret Service
with = curious perslstency, ana GU
rio,,s indifference to the fact that your
committees recommends that a precise
l., similar Secret Service to the one at
too;,od be now established in the de-
n,rtmcnt of Justice and be it observed
,,.t no limitation is proposed for the
nov Service: so that the limitation Is
-, ;nnossd uDon the Secret Service
which has already shown its etficlen-
-, and has already become an object
If terror to criminals Senator Hem
rr.v states that there are more than
2Goo men now in the Secret Service
and inSpectioi "oih ~ 'hN
ment., and that in the last few years
b tt. number has trebled; ana that Il
/ they were to march through the streets
Of Washington they would make ar
+ 50 rmy:' while it was also stated in the
same debate that at the close or Pres
ident McKinley's administration there
were only 'l67' such men on the pay
roll, whereas it was alleged that We
| nd
preparations on that account TOR las
year amounted to about 'S10,ooO,oco.
These statements are not In accord