The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-08
LAUGHS AT LATTA
Entrance of Presidents Secre-
tary With Three Messages
ArOuses the Mirth of the House
OF Representatives.
MIR. TAWNEY is HEARD
In Condemnation of Mr.. ROOse-
Velt'S Course.
Declares That Tt Tends Towards
a Dangerous Precedent.
MIR. TAWNEY is HEARD

Washington, Jan. 8.--After Mr.. Per-
kins had concluded his speech on the
secret service resolution today he gave
way to Mr.. DENLY who in the course
of his remarks said that the president
had veered from the path of recon-
mendation and just criticism into the
realm of personal abuse. speculation
and innuendo.'
During the discussion Secretary
Latta appeared with three messages
from the White House and his appear
ance was greeted with roars Of laugh
ter. The messages proved to be of a
routine character and were not allow
ed to interrupt the proceedings for any
length of time.
Mr.. Bennett of New York, opposed
the adoption of the Perkins resolution
and declared that if the house should
accept it its action would have no more
influence on the character which his
tory would give to President Roosevelt
than had the action of the senate on
President Tyler's record in connection
with his attitude toward Andrew
Jackson. He was followed by Mr..
Tawney who received an ovation as he
arose to speak.
Mr.. Tawney, in presenting his views
Of the case, declared that nothing could
contribute so much to the destruction
of the republic as an attempt upon the
honor and integrity of another branch,
however that attempted impeachment
may be sought, whether by attributing
to the members Of the other branch as
a whole motives for conduct wholly in
consistent with honor, integrity and the
faithful discharge of duty or other
WISE"
Dangerous Precedent.
The arbitrary and unauthorized use
of the great power of any one of the
L, 1raraf IN
that respect, he said, if allowed to
pass unchallenged, would go further
to undermine the confidence of the
people in their government and in the
very foundation of the government
than all other causes combined. He
said when the executive deliberately
charged, as he said was done in his
message of December 8, 1908, that the
legislative branch in the exercise of its
constitutional functions passed legis-
Iation which ''has been of benefit only
and would be of benefit only to the
criminal classes" and eff deliberately
introduced for the purpose of dimin-
ishing the effectiveness of war against
crime, it could not have been better
devised to that end, f.
There was clearly implied that in
adopting the provision of which the
president complained congress intend
ed to benefit and protect from de-
lection and punishment those guilty of
committing fraud and other violations
of the public law.
Mr. Tawney asserted that no dis
claimer now could modify or change
either the meaning of the language
used by the president or its interpreta-
tion by the people and press of the
country "under which Interpretation
the honor and integrity of congress
has been assailed and stands i'm
peached."
He referred to the further utter
ances of the president regarding mem
bers of congress being afraid to be in
vestigated and said that to thus inn
pugn the motives OF the members of
the legislative branch of our govern
ment violates not only the constitu-
tional privileges of congress, but is
calculated to arouse prejudice against
injurious to its continued success than
anything that has occurred in the his
tory of the republic.
Extremely Unfortunate.
If he added, there was no intention
to thus impugn the motives of con-
gress. then it was extremely unfor-
tunate that he gave to the people of
our country the opportunity to say So"
He would prove he said that the
presidents utterances were unfound-
ed, but he added:
when proven unfounded it is un-
fortunate that there will still linger in
the minds of many as the result of
this charge, the suspicion that there
does not exist among those 1ntruSted
with the duties and responsibility of
government the degree of faithfulness
to duty and unselfish patriotism which
the people of right expect of their re-
presentatives in all branches OF the
service"
Taking up the provision enacted
which restricted the operations of the
agents of the secret service division OF
the treasury department, Mr.. Tawney
declared that for 80 years the laws
specifically had confided their duties
to that department but that the law
in that respect had been strengthen
ed. He denied that the provision tied
the hands of government officials in
ferreting out crime, because he said,
the secret service of the treasury was
very small part of the secret service
in the various departments. He re-
futed the statements that land fraud
Investigations were stopped because of
the provision referred to and cited
the appropriation of 100000 given
last year for the land office alone for
detecting frauds, an amount, he said,
double that allowed before The pres
| ident, said Tawney, further had COM
p1etely misquoted his speech mention
ed in the message whether Intention
ally or not" and he read from the
congressional record certain extracts
to support his statement.
AS to Moran the assistant chief of
| the secret service division of the treas
ury who was promoted for unearthing