Bisbee daily review., 1909-01-05

they did so admirably in the case ol this ink contract. The Government is further crippled by the law forbid ding 1t to employ detective agencies. Of course the Government can detect the most dangerous crimes, and pun ish the worst criminals, only by the use. either of the Secret Service or of private detectives; to hamper 1t in using the one, and forbid 1t to resort to the other. can inure to the benefit of none save the criminals.
 The facts above given show beyond possibil:ey of doubt hat what the See retary of the Treasury and had both written prior to the enactment of the i obnoxious provisions, and what . have since written in my message to the Congress, state the facts exactly as they are. The obnoxious provision is of benefit only the criminal class and can be of benefit only to the erin inal class. If it had been embodied 7 in the law at he inc when I beeame President all the prosecutions above mentioned and many others of the same general type, would either not have been undertaken or would have been undertaken with the Government at a great disadvantage; and many. and probably most, of the chief of lenders would have gone scot-free in stead of being punished for their | crimes
 Such body as the Secret Service. such body of trained investigating agents. occupying a permanent posi- ton in the Government service, and ! separate from local invest gating forces in different Departments, is an absolute necessity if the best work is to be done against criminals. It is by | far the most efficient Instrument pos sible to use against crime. Of course : the more efficient an instrument is. the more dangerous it Is If misused To the argument that force like this can be misused 1t is only necessary to answer that the condition of it's usefulness if handled properly is that 1t shall be so efficient as to be danger ous if handled improperly. Aay in stance Of abuse by the Secret Service OF other investigating force in the De partmeuts should be unsparingly pun ished; and Congress should hold it- self ready at any and all times to in- yestigate the executive departments whenever there is reason to believe that any such instance of abuse has occurred. I wish to. emphasize my more than cordial acquiescence 4p the view that this is not only the right of Congress, but emphatically it's tiu- ty. To use the Secret Service in the investigation of purely private or pO- litical matters would be a gross abuse But there has been no single instance of such abuse during my term as Pres | ident
 In conclusion, most earnestly ask. in the name of good government and decent administration, in the name or honesty and for the purpose of bring ing to justice violators of the federal laws wherever they may be found whether in public or private life, thai the action taken by the House last year, be reversed When this action was taken, the Senate committee, under the lead of the late Senator Allison, having before 1t a strongly worded protest Appendix D) from Secretary CoTtelyou like that he had sent to MT. Tawney, accepted the Sec retary's views; and the Senate passed the bill in the shape present ed by Senator Allison. In the con ference, however, the House con lSESeS luSlSltu pu IHe TetehUOD or the provision they had inserted, and the Senate yielded.
 The chief of the Secret Service is paid salary utterly inadequate to the importance of his functions and to the admirable way in which he has performed them. I earnestly urge that it be increased to $6ee per annum. I also urge that the Secret Service be placed where 1t properly belongs, and made bureau in the Department of Justice, as the chieI of the Secret Service has repeatedly requested; but whether this Is done or not, it should be explicitly provid- ed that the Secret Service can be used to detect and punish crime wherever it is found
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT The White House, January f, 1909 -