Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-01-07

n No1N1iiS acres more,
How II Was Dona..
All these Investigations in the LAND
cases were undertaken In consequence OF
Mr. Hitchcock, the then secretary OF ths
n ,.ia.a becoming convinced that there
department and the ramificat!ons- of the
frauds were SO far-reaching that he was
afraid to trust his own officials to deal IL
OF the secret service men accordingly re
signed ahd was appointed in the interior
dspartin.ens to carry on this work. The
first thing he discovered was that the
special agents division or corps of de.
tecrtves of the land office of tho interior
depa rtment was largely unaer the contrci
4 OF the land thieves; and In consequence
the Investigations above referred to ila4
10 DC made by secret service men.
I'll. ~ Tie present law. for which Messrs'
nave mentioned above are responsible
nad Then been TN effect. this action woult
have been impossible and most OF the
/ criminals would Unuuestionably have
cared. No more striking instance can be
Imagined of the .ie.sirabiiity Of having a
central cerps Of skilled investigating
;lseits who can az any time be assigned,
]! II necessary in large numbers To investi-
s;ue 'oii" violation Of the federal stat
pubit, service In this particular case
most or the men Investigated who were
huohc servants were i'll the executive
| prahcn OF the government But in Ore.
cor. Where 81 enormous acreage OF fraud
u'eniiN alienated public land was recov-
cred for the government, a United State.
| senator. Mt Mitchell and a member OF
the lower House. Mr. Williamson, we're
4 convicted On evidence obtained by 5eG
transferred from the secre, service. and
anotasr member OF congress was indicted.
ms secret service was Used 10 assist ii
ine investigator of crimes under the
p';onaee laws. and owing partly theretS
| n.liile.ous convictions Were. secured and
line objectionable practice was practicall,
stamped out. at least in many districts
ne most extcnsive smuggling of silk and
! par,inc':t vas Investigated by agents OF
the secret service in New York and Sc.
! attic tile and successful prosecution of the
/ Offenders undertaken. Assistance of the
utmost value was rendered TO the depart.
merit Oh Justice in the beef trust investi.
/ Cation at Chicago. prosecutions were fol.
| lowed vi, and fires Inflicted The cotton.
leak scandal in the agricultural depart.
neat was investigated ana the RESPONSE.
| Connection with lottery Investigations IL
disclosed In letter last sent 10 mo by The
United states aftorne1 COR Delawane run.
Lotteries Destroyed
i sr!is. dehtru"t,on t,f tsl. Honduras Ma
! tioha Lottery company successor to the
i,ouis!ana Lottery company. was entirely
| the YORK of .he secret service.
| ffis excellent work was accomplished by
| VI NiliSie and hts sutorlinatcs l thought
IL might be ,i..eia' to recall this prosecn.
| Three hundred thousand dollars In fire.
we're collected b.: the government In Tho
lottery s, cases Again. tn. ink contract
fraud II the bureau OF engraving and
printing q bureau of the treasilry depart
menD vas Investigated by the secret ser
i vice AID ms, the guilty parties brought to jus
this vas not Investigated by The secret
seT.ire but by a clerk down there" con
NeNing the impression that the clerk wa.
not In the secret servicc. As r matter of
J fact. lie was IN the secret service; his
l.ame was Moran, aud lie IVES promoted To
assistant CHIEF for the. ey:elience u: hiy
work in ,ilis case
The tota! expense Cor the oface and field
force OF tho secret service last year was
Slio- CO; and By this one investigation they
saved the government eve: $llO.GD u year.
Thanks to the restriction; i,nrosei by con
sress. 1t is now very difficult toy the sec
rotary or .te treasury 10 use the secret
service freely. even IN his own department;
TOR instance, te them to rapeat what
they Cid 80 admirably in the case Of this
crippled by the law fo-bding it 20 EN-
pioY detective agencies OF course. tie
government cail detect the most danger
| Gus crimes and punish the worst crir,l,-
! aals. only by the use. either of thu. secret
service OF of private detectives to hamper
IL Iii using the one. and forbid i TO resort
10 the other. car inure To the benefit OF
none save tho criminals.
Just Che Facts.
I The facts above given SHOW besand pos
s:bility of dount ina. what the secreta.,
of the treasury and 7 aG both written
prior. to the enactment Of the obnoxious
provision. and what L have since written
| IN IN my message !. The congress. state the
provision is OF benefit only to the criminal
class. and can 3s OF benefit Only to the
criminal class; y 1t had been embodied
iaent. all the prosecutions above mon
toned, and many others OF The same gem
eral type. would either not have been
undertaken or would have been under
| taken with the government at IL great dis
| advantage: and many. and probably most
| of tie chief offenders would have gone
a,. n hoiYl ,,,,~ ,{x.l,.,
their crimes
| Such body as the secret service. such
q body of trained investigating agents. oc-
cupying a permanent position in the gov.
| eminent service, and separate from loca.
Investigating forces i'll different depart
lnentS is am absolute necessity If the hest
work is to be done against criminals. II
is by far tho most efficient Instrument
! possible TO use against crime. or course.
the more efficient an instrument is this,
| more dangerous it is If misused To the
argument that force like shls San be
! inisused. il is only necessary to answer
that tho condition of its usefulness, lie
handled properly, is that it shall be so ef-
iicient az TO be dangerous lie handled Inn
properly Any instance OF abuse by the
secret service or other investigating force
i'll che departments should be unsparinglv
punished; and congress should hold itself
ready AT ans and all times to investigate
the executive departments whenever there
is reason 10 heiieve thai amy such instance
Of abuse has occurred. wish 10 ampha-
I he view ,hat this is not only .ae right of
congress. but elnphatcally its duty To
Use The senlct service in the investigation
of purely private political matters
would be gross abuse 3;.g there has
| been single instance uf s,lci, abuse
daring m. tcr.n Is president.
Raise Wilkes Pay.
| In conclusion. mos, earnestly asie in
the name OF :sooi government and decent
I administration. in the name OF honesty
and for the purpose of bringing 10 Justice
! violators of the federal laws wherever
| they may be found. whether IN public or
| private life. that the action taken by tho
action was taken, the Senate committee.
under the lead of the late Senator AN.
| son, having before IL Il strongly wurded
| protest lApi.eHd!x ID from Secretar, Cor
J telyo,; like tina; he had sent To Mr. Taw
1 ne!, accented the secretary's views ana
the Sebat" passed the bill in the silaps
/ presented ny Senator Allison. In tia
insisted OH the retention Of the provision
| they hao inserted, and the Senate yielded
| The chief Of the secret service il PAID
salary utterly inedaquate to the import
| ancc of his functions and 10 the admir-.
| able way in whica he has performed
them earnestly urge that II he increased
| to IS 900 per anEuni. { also urge t,at .he
secret service be placed where il properly
| belongs ana made q bureau in the de-
| partnlent cl justice, as the clltef os tEs
| secret service has repeatedly requested
| but whether this is done or not Il should
| he explicitly provided that tho secret ser
/ vice ear ne used TO detect and t,v:,is;I
| crime wherever it is found.
| Theodore Roosevelt
! The White House, January s. la9