The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-01-07
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
ON SECRET SERVICE
Calmly Reveals Tenor Of
Debate--Didn't Mean to
Hurt Feelings.

washington, Jan. 6.--Acceptlng tue
challenge OF the House of Representa-
tiyes regarding the secret service. yet
maintaining a calm. dignifed attitude,
President Roosevelt today transmitted
TO the house q reply to the resolution
calling for an explanation.
Mr.. Roosevelt stands firmly upon his
original position that the government
requires q detective organization for
the investigation OF suspicious OF fraud
in any branch OF the public s~ervicel
He declares he did not mean to make
any insinuatuions regarding any MEM
Der of congress.
To support his view. he quotes from
the Congressional Record from the de-
bate regarding the secret service APP
preparation, In which the members of
the appropriations committee took the
leading part.
THE message closes WITT an appeal
for a higher salary for the chief OF the
secret service. The message in part
follows:
I have made no charges OF corruption
against congress nor against any member
Of the present House. II i had proof OF
such corruption affecting any member OF
the House In any matter as to which the
FEDERAL government has jurisdiction, action
t HSu. cases se 0o &c s es SsSss Mitchell sS Ma and a1n Burn n
ton, and Representatives. Williamson,
Hermann n briggs, at different times
since ! ~ nave ge,n been m pT Ga,tc n the an aso w9h,d
and enforcement OF the laws without re-
spect to persons. But I do not regard 1t
as within the province on the duties of the
delinquencies'' OF members, or the sup
posed corrupt action OF a member in
his official capacity" The membership Of
within the power OF the House alone. In
the prosecution Of criminals and the en-
forcement OF the laws the president must
4s resort to the courts of the United States.
A careful reading OF this message will
show that I said nothing to warrant the
statement that the majority OF the con-
gressmen were in fear OF being investl-
ratedsby the secret service men" or that
congress as a whole was actuated by that
motive" I did not make any such state
never made any such statement about
congress as a whole, nor, with a few in
evitable exceptions, about the members Of
congress, I'm any message or article or
speech, On the contrary I have always
not only deprecated but vigorously resent
ed the practice OF indiscriminate attack
upon congress-, and indiscriminate con-
domination OF all congressman, wise and
unwise, ht and unfit, good and bad alike.
No one realizes more than I the import
tive and congress-, and no one holds the
authority and dignity of the congress OF
the United States in higher respect than I
y, with the practice of judging men, tor good
or for I'll. not on their several merits, but
In a mass, as members OF one particular
body or one caste.
Some Evidence.
TIL resolution continues: That the
president be requested to transmit TO the
House any evidence upon which he based
his statements that the chief argument in
gressmen did not themselves wish to be
investigated by secret service men. This
statement, which was an attack upon
no one. still less upon the congress-, is
sustained by the facts. r## ~ -
II you will turn to the Congressional
Record for May ! last, pages 6.553 to $500,
Inclusive, you will find the debate on this
subject. Mr.. Tawney of Minnesota, Mr..
Smith OF Iowa, Mr.. Sherley of Kentucky
and Mr.. Fitzgerald OF New York, appear
in this debate as the special champions OF
the provision referred to. Messrs. Par
sons, Bennett and Driscoll were the leaders
Of those who opposed the adoption of the
government to use the most efficient
means possible i'm order to detect GRIMM
ais and to prevent and punish crime The
mendine was carried In the commmit-
individual members are recorded, so / am
unable to discriminate by mentioning the
members who voted for and the mem.
its passage, the Journal records, was
greeted with applause. / am well aware,
however, that in any, case OF this kind
many members who nave no particular
knowledge OF the point at issue, are con-
tent simply to follow the lead OF the
committee which had considered the mat
ter, and I have no doubt that many menu
bers OF the House simply followed the lead
of Messrs. Tawney and Smith, without
having had the opportunity to know very
much IS to the rights and wrongs OF the
question:
! would not ordinarily attempt in this
way to discriminate between members OF
the House, but as objection has been taken
to my language, In which / simply spoke
of the action OF the House as a whole, and
as apparently there is a desire that
should thus discriminate VIII state tnat
, committee ON appropriations, under the
lead Of the members whom l nave men
Now as to the request of the congress
that / 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 Dy
secret service men.
Right in Record.
The part of the Congressional Record to
which / have referred above entirely sup
ports this statement. Two distinct lines or
argument were followed in the debate.
One concerned the question whether the
law warranted the employment OF the se-
4cret service in departments other than the
of the service In the least. The other line
OF argument went to the metrits or the
service, whether lawfully. or
enIR srsam s1d a asss a shs f thst the 4 n Services lice
should be cut down and restricted because
its members had Swallowed" or investi-
gated members of congress and other ofh-
GERS or the government
A Garrett reading Of the Congressional
Record will also show that practically the
only arguments advanced in favor of the
limitation proposed by Mr.. Tawney's com
mittee. beyond what may be supposed to
be contained by implication In certain
sentences as to abuses which. were not
specified, were those contained In the re-
peated statements of Mr.. Sherley. MI.
Sherley stated that there has been pro
nounced abuses growing out of the use
of the secret service for other purposes
than those intended" putting his state
ment in the form OF a question, and In the
same form stated that the private con-
Duct OF members of ongress senator's,
II Others ought to be investigated by
the secret service, and that they should
not investigate a member of congress"
who had been accused of conduct un-
becoming a gentleman n a member OF
congress"
Attack on SIeuths.
What appears In the record is filled out
- - IL ~ m