The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-01-07

/ tAfNA ~ ~ W tAt RpNNht ~ ~
over 1.000,0C0 acres OF grazing land; iI
Colorado Of more than 1000 acres OF min.
erai land, and suits are now pending In
volvfng 10000 acres more.
How II Was Done.
All these Investigations IN the land
cases were undertaken In consequences OF
Mr.. Hitchcock, the then secretary of the
interior. becoming convinced that there
We're extensive frauds committed IN his
department. and the manifestations OF the
frauds were so f~ar-reaching that he was
afraid to trust his OWL officials ~ deal In
t~horoughgoing fashion with them. One
signed and was appointed In the interior
department to carry on this work. The
first thing he discovered was that the
special agents division or corps OF de-
tectives OF the Ian office of the interior
department was largely under the control
of the land thieves; and In consequence
the Investigations above referred to had
TO be made by secret service men.
If the present law, for which Messrs,
Tawney. Smith, and the other gentlemen
| have mentioned above are responsible,
had then been In effect, his action would
have been impossible. and most OF the
criminals would unquestionably have es.
capped. No more striking instance can be
imagined OF the ~desirability OF having g
central corps of skilled investigating
agents who can at any time be assigned,
If necessary in large numbers, to investi-
gate some violation of the federal stat
utes, in no matter what branch OF the
public service. In this particular case
most OF the men investigated who were
public servants were in THE executive
branch OF the government. But In Ore
gon, where an enormous acreage of fraud
ulently allenated public land was rccoy-
cred for the government, a United States
senator, Mr.. Mitchell. and a member OF
the w House. Mr.. Williamson, were
convicted on evidence obtained by men
transferred from the secret service, and
another member of congress was indicted.
The secret service was used to assist I'm
4 line An mNGSTtRAIlNnHE of aprlnnAG a JnnAr 4 lie
peonage laws, and owing partly thereto
numerous convictions were secured and
the objectionable practice was practically
The most extensive smuggling OF silk and
opium in the history OF the treasury de-
partment was investigated by agents OF
the secret service in New York and Sc
attic and a successful prosecution of the
offenders undertaken. Assistance of the
utmost value was rendered to the depart
ment OF justice in the beef trust investi-
cation at Chicago, prosecutions were fol-
lowed up and fines Inflicted. The cotton
leak scandal in the agricultural depart
BILE parties located. What was done In
Connection with lottery Investigations Is
disclosed I'm a letter Just sent to me by the
United States attorney for Delaware, run
ming as follows:
lotteries Destroyed.
1.-The destruction of the Honduras Ma
btional Lottery company successor to the
Louisiana Lottery company was entirely
the work OF the secret service, . :
This excellent work was accomplished by
Mr.. Wiutle and his subordinates. l thought
ton" p. '"
Three hundred thousand dollars In fines
We're collected by the government in the
lottery cases. Again, the ink contract
fraud in the bureau of engraving and
printing "a bureau OF the treasury depart
vice and the guilty parties brought TO JUS
tice. Mi. Tawney stated In the debate that
this was not investigated by the secret
service but by a clerk down there con-
veying the impression that the clerk was
not In the secret service. AS a matter OF
fact, he was III the secret service; his
name was Moran, and he was promoted to
assistant chief for the excellence of his
work In this case.
The total expense for the office end field
force Of the secret service last year. was
Sl35.O0o; and by this one investigation they
saved the government over 500, 900 a year.
Thanks to the restriction imposed by con-
gress. 1t is now very difficult for the sec
Rotary OF the treasury to use the secret
service freely, even. in his own department;
for instance. 10 use them to repeat what
they did so admirably in the case Of this
crippled by the law forbidding IL to m
pioy detective agencies. OF course. the
government can detect the most danger
Gus crimes, and punish the worst cr!fni-
mails, only by the use. either of the secret
service or of private detectives: to hamper
1t in using the one, and forbid it to resort
to the other, can inure 10 the benefit OF
none save the criminals. .I
Just the Facts.
The facts above given show beyond pos
sibility, of doubt that what the secretary
of the treasury ana i had both written
prior TO the enactment OF the obnoxious
provision, and what I have since written
lin my message to the congress, state the
facts exactly as they are. The o%buixicus
provision is OF benefit only to the criminal
class, and can be CT benefit only 10 the
criminal class. II it had been embodied
In the law at the time when l became pres
ident, al! the prosecutions above uen-
toned. and many others Of the same gen
eral type, would either not nave been
undertaken or would ave been under
taken with the government at q great dis
advantage; and many, and probably most
OF tie chief offenders would have zone
scot free INSTEAD OF being punished for
their crimes.
Such a body as the secret services, such
a body of trained investigating agents, oc-
cupying a permanent position in the gov
eminent service, and separate from local
Investigating forces in different DEPART
ments, Is an absolute necessity il the best
work Is to be done against criminals. II
Is by far tho most efficient Instrument
possible to use against crime. OF course,
the more efficient an instrument is, the
more dangerous 1t Is il misused To the
argument that a force like this car. be
misused, 1t Is only necessary to answer
that the condition OF its usefulness, IL
handled properly, is that ii shall be so eff.
ficient as to be dangerous IL handled I'M
properly. ANY instance of abuse 5y the
secret service or other investigating force
in the departments should be imsparingly
punished: and congress should hold itsnIc
ready at any and all times to investigate
the executive departments whenever thore
Is reason 70 believe that any such instance
of abuse has occurred. ! wish TO empba.
size my more than cordial acquiescench In
the view that this is not only the right OF
congress, but emphatically its duty. TO
use che secret service in the investigation
OF purely private or political matters
would be a gross abuse. But there has
been no single instance OF such abuse
during my term as president. .
Raise Wilkes Pay. >
In conclusion, l most earnestly ask, IN
the name of good government and decent
administration, IN the name of honesty
and for the purpose of bringing to Justice
violators OF the federal laws wherever
they may lie found, whether In public or
private life. that the. action taken by the
House last year he reversed. When this
action was taken. the Senate committee
under the lead OF the late Senator ALI
son, having before II a strongly worded
protest Appendix ID from Secretary Cor
teIyou like that he had sent to Mr.. Taw-