Evening star., 1909-02-03
WORK NOT HAMPERED
Secret Service Unaffected by
Congress Limitations.
CHIEF WILKE TEST|FIES
Details Operations to House Sub
committee Members.
FAVORS A GENERAL BUREAU
Attorney General, He Believes,
Should Have Charge Of Special
Cases to Be Investigated.
FAVORS A GENERAL BUREAU

its accustomed way. The investigation of
cases outside of the detection and capture
OF counterfeiters and the protection of the
President has not even been circum-
scribed. Not a man has been disconnect-
ed from the secret service branch Of the
Treasury Department as a result of limit
Ing provision. although last year Assist
| ant Chief Moran estimated that the serv-
Ice then carried twenty extra men, to be
ready to supply upon call at any and all
| times the frequent demands for sleuths
! that came from the executive depart
ments of the government.
All these facts and more were admitted
| by John r. Wilkie, chief of the secret
| service division of the Treasury Depart
| ment, when he appeared before the sun
dry civil subcommittee of the House COM
mittee on appropriations last week. The
yet.
Not the Same Activity.
When Mr.. Wilkie had made his pre-
| liminary statement to the subcommit-
tee Chairman Tawney and the other
! members lost no time in endeavOring to
| secure from the secret service chief a
| comparison of the work of the service
| for the six months preceding the en-
actment Of the so-called limiting pro-
vision and the six months that followed
it.
What I wanted to get at" remarked
Mr. Tawney, in beginning the examina-
| ton of Mr.. Wilkie, was a comparison
| between the work Of the first half Of
| the last fiscal year and the first half Of
| this year.
We'll" replied Mr.. Wilkie, there was
not the same activity during that period
| That year was one Of the lowest, l think,
| in the amount Of counterfeit circula-
tion.'
During this year has the service been
confined or limited to the purposes des-
ignated in the statute?" asked Mr.. Taw
! ney.
| YES" replied Mr. Wilkie, but there
have been two assignments for investi-
cations for the Navy Department One
may have been in the last fiscal year.
before the 1st Of July, but there Ger
| tatnly has been one since, at Norfolk,
but not paid for from this appropria-
tion, you understand"
What was the nature Of the investi
CATION in that case?' the chairman
| asked.
| "It was the investigation of thefts
from the navy yard at Norfolk replied
Mr.. Wilkie. "A man made an inveStl-
cation down there and arrested two con-
tractors and two gangs of negroes; The
negroes all confessed, but the district at
torney said it would be impossible to
convict the white contractors, because it
would be on negro testimony. But 1t will
be presented before the coming grand
| jury. That investigation was made last
December. and / do not know myself
what appropriation the expense was
charged to. 1t is not paid from our APP
propriation."
Paid by Navy Department.
paid by the Navy Department." in
quired Mr.. Tawney.
paid by the Navy Department., replied
| the chief, "but out Of what appropriation
l do not know. The account was not set
| tied through our Office
Have there been any other assign
ments from your division of men en-
ployed under your division to any other
departments during the present fiscal
year?' Mr.. Tawney asked.
Yes, I think one MORE" said Mr.. Will
kie "A man is still employed In the in
vestigation Of the Mexican revolution. He
| is employed under the neutrality act by
the State Department He has been down
| in Ell Paso about five months"
| At this point the committee endeavor-
ored to discover If, in this case, the pro-
vision Of Limitation was being violated.
and in reply to questions Mr.. Wilkie said
| that a secret service man. one Joe Priest,
had been detached from the secret service
| roll and was now employed by the State
Department under a special fund.
Mr.. Wilkie added that at this time last
year, before the passage of the limiting
provision, there had been sixty-five men
on the secret service roll and now there
were fifty-six The other nine had re-
signed. but had not severed their connec-
| tion with the government secret service,
| as they had been Immediately taken on
| by the Department of Justice.
HAS the Department OF Justice organ
lied a secret service division during this
| last fiscal year," inquired Mr.. Tawney.
II only know from what l have heard
| in a general way replied Mr.. W1lkie,
| "and Mr.. Finch, the chief examiner. con-
suited me during the present fiscal year
in regard to some suggestions on organi-
cation and SO on. l know in a general
way that they have force of agents over
there
Mr.. Wilke in reply to Mr. Tawney's
questions said that work done for the
Department of Justice by the secret serv-
ice branch of the Treasury. exclusive of
land fraud cases. from July 1, 1907, to
December 81, 1907. cost $4,000, while. for
the same period in 1903 and for the same
class of work, the Department of Justice
had paid SAC, 149.
Returning to Mr. Wilkes statement
that prior to the passage of the provision
of limiting he had sixty-fve men on the
secret service roNs and now had H1ty-slA,
Mr.. Tawney asked:
..The effect of this limitation upon the
appropriation for the secret service mas
been to reduce your force by nine men,:
| THAT is one OF the eHects, yes, SIT, re-
piled the chief
| "And these nine men are now employed
| in the Department of Justice under the
organization of their force of examiners"
! THAT is true.
Two Men Guarding Mr.. Taft.
Upon Mr.. Wilkie mentioning the fact
that in addition to two secret service men
assigned to guard President Roosevelt
there were also two with Mr.. Taft. Rep
resentative Sherley of Kentucky inquired:
| I'm that connection would you desire
AUTHORIZATION in the law Warrantlng the
| president hut the President-elect?