The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-01-07
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
ON SECRET SERVICE
Calmly Reveals Tenor o.
Debate-Didn't Mean to
Hurt Feelings.

HufI FeellngS.
Washington. Jan. 6.-Accepting the
challenge of the House of Representa-
ives regarding the secret service, yet
President Roosevelt today transmitted
20 the house a reply to the resolution
Ealing for an explanation.
Mr.. Roosevelt stands firmly upon his
original position that the government
requires a detective organization for
the investigation of suspicious of fraud
IN any branch of the public servicei
BE declares he did not mean to make
my 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 with an appeal
Tor a higher salary for the chief of the
secret service. The message in part
follows:
! have made no charges of corruption
against congress nor against any member
of the present House IL I had proof OF
such corruption affecting any member of
federal government has jurisdiction. action
could at once be brought, as was done in
he cases of Senator'S Mitchell and Bur
hermann and briggs, at different times
since have been president. This would
imply be doing my duty in the execution
spect to persons. Blu 1 do not regard it
as within the province or the duties of the
president to report to the House alleged
posed corrupt action. Of a member 'in
lis official capacity" The membership of
Il wi mir the NnuyAr rf tho HnI1Sa q1Nna T N
the prosecution of criminals and the en-
torcement of the laws the president must
a careful reading of this message will
show that I said nothing to warrant the
statement that s'the majority OF the con-
sressmen were in fear of being investi-
gated by the secret service men," or that
congress as a whole was actuated by that
motive" did not make any such state
never made any such statement about
ongres as a whole, nor, with a few In
syitable exceptions. about the members Of
congress-. in any message or article or
speech. On The contrary I have always
not only deprecated but vigorously resent
ed the practice of indiscriminate attack
demnatton OF all congressman, wise and
anwise, fit and unfit. good and bad alike.
No one realizes more than I the import
ance of cooperation between the execu-
tive and congress. and no one holds the
authority and dignity of the congress of
The United States IN higher respect than l
with the practice Of judging men, for good
pr for i'll, not on their several merits, but
III a mass, as members of one particular
body or one caste.
Some Evidence.
Tho 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
favor Of the provision was that the con-
gressmen did not themselves wish to be
investigated by secret service men. This
L 4 1farnonf ri ryhtoH vr.oc ~ kk~@1. $3.50
no one. still less upon the congress-, is
sustained by the facts.
II you viii turn to the Congressional
inclusive, you will find the debate on this
and Mr.. Fitzgerald aid Of fn New York z kke appeay
In this debate as the special champions of
the provision referred to. Messrs. Par
OF those who opposed the adoption of the
amendment and upheld the right of the
government to use the most efficient
means possible in order to detect GRIMM
ais and to prevent and punish crime. The
amendment was carried in the commmit-
tee Of the whole. where no votes of the
unable to discriminate by mentioning the
members who voted for and the mem
hers, who voted against the provision, but
its passage. the. Journal records. was
greeted with applause. / am well aware,
however, that in any case of this kind
many members who have no particular
r. ~ S+d5G ~ tlS poIiiL IL iSSuC, L SoII-
tent simply to follow the lead Of the
committee which had considered he mat
ter, and l have no doubt that many mem
bers 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
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 l simply spoke
of the action of the House as a whole, and
as apparently there is a desire that |
should thus discriminate. l will state that
I think the responsibility rested on the
committee on appropriations, under the
lead of the members whom I have men
toned.
Now as to the request of the congress
hat I 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 by
secret service men.
Right in Record.
The part of the Congressional Record to
which I rave referred above entirely sup.
ports TINS statement an1,or IWo n ia the i11es o.
One concerned the question whether the
law warranted the employment of the Sc
cret service in departments other than the
treasury, and this did not touch the merits
OF the service III the least. The other line
of argument went to the merits Of the
service, whether lawfully or unlaWfully
employed. and here the chief il not the
only argument used was that the service
should be cut down and restricted because
it's member had t~'shadowed" or invests
gated members of congress and other Off
GERS Of the government
A careful reading of the Congressional
Record will also show that practically the
only arguments advanced in v of the
limitation proposed by Mr.. Tawney's COM
1nittee. 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. Mr..
Sherrey stated that there has been PRO
nounced abuses growing out of the use
of the secret service for other %urposes
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 congress, senator's"
and Others ought to be Investigated by
the secret service, and that they hould
not investigate a member of congress-
who had been accused of conduct un-
becoming a gentleman and a member of
congress"
Attack on SIeuths.
What appears In the record is filed out
and explained by In article which APP
reared in the Chicago 1nter-Ocean of
January 8, 1904, under a Washington head
line, and which marked the beginning of