The daily sentinel., 1909-01-04
ROOSEVELT MAKES
A CAUSTIC REPLY
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majority OF the congressman are in
fear of being investigated by secret
service men and that congress as
whole was actuated by that motive
in enacting the provision in ques-
ton and that this is an impeach-
ment of the honor and integrity of
the congress. These statements are
not, ! think, in accordance with the
facts. The portion of my message
referred to runs as follows
The president then quotes his mes
sage.
"A careful reading of this message
will show that / said nothing to war
rant the statement that the major
ity OF the congressman were in fear
of being investigated by the secret
service men or chat congress as n
whole was actuated by that motive. p
] did not make any such statement in
this message. Moreover. I have new
er made any such statement about
congress as whole, nor, with a few
inevitable exceptions. about the mem
bers of congress. in any message or
article or speech. on the contrary.
! have always not only deprecated but
vigorously resented the practice of
indiscriminate attack upon congress.
and indiscriminate condemnation of
all congressman, wise and unwise, fit
and unfit, good and bad alike
mo one realizes more than ! the
importance of cooperation between
the executive and congress. and no
one holds the authority and dignity
of the congress of the United States
in higher respect than ] do. have
not the slightest sympathy with the
practice of Judging men, for good or
for i'll. not on their several merits
but in mass. as members of one par
ticular body or one caste. TO put to-
gether all men holding or who have
held particular office, whether it be
the Office of president, or judge, or
senator, or member of the house of
representatives, and to class them ALL
without regard to their individual
differences, as good or bad, seems to
me utterly indefensible; and it is
equally indefensible whether the
good are confounded with the bad in
heated and unwarranted champion
ship of all, or in heated and un-
warranted assault upon all l would
neither attack nor defend all eXecu-
tive officers in mass whether pres
idents. governors, cabinet officers or
officials of lower rank nor would |
attack or defend all legislative Of
ficers in a mass.
1.-The safety of free government
rests very largely in the ability of
the plain. everyday citizen to discrim-
mate between those public servants
who serve him i'll. He can thus dis
criminate IL he is persuaded to pass
judgment upon man, not with ref
erence to whether he is a fit or unfit
public servant, but with reference to
whether he is an executive or legis-
lative officer, whether he belongs to
one branch or the other of the gov
ernment.
This allegation in the resolution,
therefore. must certainly be due to
Il stg..n
message.
"The resolution continues; That
the president be requested to trans
nit to the house any evidence upon
which he based his statements that
the chief argument in favor of the
provision was that the congressman
did not themselves wish to be inves-
tigated by secret service men This
statement, which was an attack upon
no one. still less upon the congress, is
sustained by the facts
"If YOU will turn to the Congress
sional Record for May L last, pages
5553 to $500. inclusive, you Will find
the debate on this subject. Mr.
Tawney of Minnesota. MIR. Smith of
Iowa, Mr.. Sherley OF Kentucky and
Mr.. Fitzgerald of New York appear
in this debate as the special cham
pions of the provision referred to-
Messrs. Parsons. Bennett and Driscoll
were the leaders of those who OPP
posed the adoption of the amendment
and upheld the right of the govern
ment to use the most efficient means
possible in order to detect criminals
and to prevent and punish crime. The
amendment was carried in the com
mittee of the whole. where no votes
of the individual members are re-
corded, so | am unable to discrimi-
nate by mentioning the members whc
voted for and the members who voted
against the provision, but its passage.
the journal records was greeted with
aDplause | am well aware, however,
that in any case of this kind many
members who have no particular
knowledge of the point at issue. are
content simply to follow the lead of
the committees which had considered
the matter. and | have no doubt that
many members of the house simply
followed the lead of Messrs. Tawney
and Smith. without having had the
opportunity to know very much as to
the rights and wrongs of the ques-
ton.
II would not ordinarily attempt in
this way to discriminate between
81 members of the house; but, as ob1ec-
tion has been taken to my language
in which | simply spoke of the action
of the house as n whole, and, as ap-
parently there is a desire that
should thus discriminate, | Will state
that | think the responsibility rested
on the committee on appropriations
under the lead of the members whom
| have mentioned.
s'Now rs to the request of the con
gress that | give the evidence for my
statement that the chief argument in
favor of the provision was that the