Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1909-01-27
ROOSEVELT'S SECRET SERVICE

In 1896 there were 1866 employees of
the secret service, aside from those
regularly employed by the treasury de-
partment, and their cost to the govern
Inent was 81, 300, 900. In 1907, eleven
years later, there were 1000 employees
in the same service and their cost for
that year was $9,000.000.
These are The figures given by Repre-
sentative Tawney of Minnesota, and
they have not as yet been challenged by
any of the PRESIDENTS defenders. The
News submits that they show an in
crease in the secret arm of the govern
ment service which no circumstances
can justify.
For this is not the old secret service,
whose function was to protect the coin
age from counterfeiting. This may be
called the new secret service, whose
business is to do whatever the president
orders done. These 5000 men and
women are simply an army of spies,
responsible to the president alone. He
may order them to pursue land grafters
and postal grafters, and the records
Indicate that he has done so. He may
order them to shadow IL senator or con-
gresham i'll the hope of getting some
hold which would force that unlucky
individual to bow to the presidents
will, and the record indicates that the
president has done this, likewise. For,
note well, that while u large number
of senators and congressman have been
thus spied upon the reports made by
the spies have never been given to the
public while the victim votes with the
president SO long as he supports the
presidents measures, his sins. if he has
committed any, are kept hidden by a
decentveil of reticence. But when, as
in the present case, q senator crosses the
president, then the reports of the secret
service agents are brought to light
Senator Tillman has evidently been
guilty of conduct rather peculiar in q
Zlnan holding his exalted position But
Senator Tillman's indiscretions would
never have been given to the press had
not Senator Tillman first resented the
presidents pet spy measure. That was
his real offense in the White House.
The rest is but an excuse.
I'm other words, the secret service, as
ut present organized, is u club with
which the president can beat refractory
congressman into line for his policies.
1t is an engine of tyranny which has
seldom been equaled, and which no
single official could hope to resist. No
cleanness of life is proof against 50, 900,
ton depends on turning in the needed
reports. Against such an engine con-
gress has but one defense, the power of
the purse. At it's last appropriation,
congress cut down the amount to be
nsed for this branch of the service and
made some restrictions in it's use We
should not be surprised to see the ap.
preparation still further reduced, and
its expenditure hedged about with yet
greater care. Congress must take from
the executive this power of secret
bullying, or lose its functions as an
independent lawmaking body.
And please note that this is phase
of the present quarrel, which is of last
ing interest. What Roosevelt says about
Tillman, or what Tillman says about
Roosevelt matters little. One Is going
ont of office very soon, and the other
may or may not continue in public life
But it is matter of the graycst and
most lasting concern to have secret