davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06

Phoenix is busted and the city eoun eii has ordered aB issue of interest bearing xarrants tS pay salaries.
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06

"Kid Wilson, wanted in Colorado on train robbery charge, has been arrested in Los Angeles by Sheriff Livingston of Yuma county, who will receive reward from the Colorado
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06

Harry Duey, the Bisbee broker, charged with embezzlement in connec tion with the failnre of Duey X Over lock, will be tried at the next term of the Pima county court.
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06

MONEY TO LOAN on valnables or real estate of any description. P. o. Box 973.
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06

The school population of Graham county is 5661.
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06
FOR SALE

FOR SALE-Sixteen quage puEnp gun.
 \ Price sl6 Address Box S72. City
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06

MoHenci boasts of GIa monster s,ev- enteen inches in length
Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-08-06

N. A. Perry of New Mexico has abandoned the idea of opening new bank at Phoenix
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Condemns Judging Men In a Mass

I 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 particular body or one caste. To
put together all men holding or who
have held particular Office, whether
II 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 diff
ferences, as good or bad, seems to me
ndefensible whether the good are con-
founded with the bad in a heated and
unWarranted championship of all. or in
a heated and unwarranted assault upon
all ] would neither attack nor defend all
legislative officers in a mass, whether
presidents, governors, cabinet officers or
ofhcials Of lower rank; nor would I at
tack or defend all legislative officers in
a mass. The safety of free govern
ment rests very largely in the ability
or the plain, everyday citizen to dis
ants who serve him well and those
public servants who serve him i'll. He
can not thus discriminate if he is per-
suaded TO pass judgment upon man,
not with reference to whether he is a
mt or unfit public servant, but with ref
erence TO whether he is an executive or
legislative officer, whether he belongs
10 one branch or the other of the gov
ernment
This allegation in the resolution.
therefore, must certainly be due to an
entire failure to understand my mes
sage.
The 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 congressman did not them
selves wish to be investigated 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 congressional
$3.50 inclusive. you will find the debate
on this subject. Mr.. Tawney of Mime
sofa. Mr. Smith of Iowa. Mr. Sherley
Of Kentucky and Mr. Fitzgerald of
New York appear in this debate as the
special champions of the provision re-
ferred to. MessEs. Parsons. Bennett and
Driscoll were the leaders of those who
opposed the adoption of the amendment
and upheld the right of the government
10 use the most efficient means possible
in order to detect criminals and to pre-
vent and punish crime. The amend
ment was carried in the committee of
the whole, where no votes of the indi-
vidual members are recorded, so I am
the members who voted for and the
members who voted against the pro-
vision, but its passage. the Journal rec
ords, was greeted with applause
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 committee which
had considered the matter, and l have
no doubt that many members of the
Messrs. Tawney and Smith without
having had the opportunity to know
very much as to the rights and wrongs
Of the question.
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Puts No Restrictions on the Service

Incidentally | may say that in my
Judgment there is ample legal authority
for the statement that this appropria-
tion law to which reference was made
imposes no restrictions whatever upon
the use of the secret service men, but
relates solely to the expenditure Of
the money appropriated. Mr.. Tawney
in the debate stated that he had in his
possession "a letter from the secretary
of the treasury received q few days
ago. in which the secretary of the
treasury himself admits that the pro-
visions under which the appropriation
has been made have been violated year
after year for number OF years In his
own department. l append herewith
as appendix A the letter referred to. 1t
makes no such admission as that which
Mr.. Tawney alleges. 1t contains on the
contrary as you will see by reading
such abridgment of the rights dele
gated to the secretary of the treasury
by existing law" and concludes by as
rights in thus employing the service of
these agents" and that the proposed
modification which Mr.. Tawney sue
ceeded in carrying through would be
lators of criminal statutes of the
United States" I call attention to the
fact that in this letter of Secretary
Cortelyou to Mr.. Tawney, as in my let
ter to the speaker quoted below, the
explicit statement is made that the pro-
posed change will be for the benefit of
the criminals, d WHICH L
simply reiterated in public form in my
message to the congress this year, and
which is also contained in effect in
the report of the secretary of the treas
ury to the congress.
careful reading of the Congress
sional Record will also show that prac-
tically the only arguments advanced in
favor of the limitation proposed by Mr.
Tawney's committee. beyond what may
be supposed to be contained by implica-
ton in certain sentences as to abuses"
which were not specified, were those
contained in the repeated statements
of Mr.. Sherley. Mr.. Sherley stated that
there had been pronounced abuses
growing out of the use of the secret
service for purposes other than those
intended" putting his statement in the
form of a question, and in the same
form further stated that the private
conduct of members of congress,
senator's" and others ought not to be
investigated by the secret service, and
that they should not investigate
member of congress" who had been
accused or conduct unbecoming a gen
tleman and a member of congress"
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
President Flags Enemies of Federal Secret Service
Roosevelt in Special Message Exposes Solons
Responsible for Measure Aimed at
Federal SeuthS

WASHINGTON. Jan s.-The galleries
or the house were packed today and
nearly every member was in his seat in
anticipation OF the presidents message
on the secret service. The members
were in the greatest good humor at the
beginning OF the reading and on sew
eral. occasions at the conclusion of
some particularly forcible paragraph
the whole house burst into laughter.
only to be called to order sharply by
Speaker Cannon One Of these out
bursts occurred during the reading Of
that portion Of the message in which
the president expressed the opinion
that many members in voting on the
sbssl were not aware as 10 whether they
were voting right or wrong. but simply
followed the lead OF Representatives
fawney and Smith OF Iowa.
As the clerk proceeded. however. and
the presidents telling blows were de-
fivereo the members sobered very per-
ceptibly and at this stage there were
audible murmurs of dissent and dis
approval This occurred when the clerk
read the passage charging that Repre-
sentative Tawney had misquoted Secre-
tary Cortelyou. Members were silent
during the last half of the reading, and
some Of them Immediately after ad-
5Ournment gave utterance to vigorous
criticisms Of the president.
He flrst called Us names and now
he calls Us fools. was one Of the ex-
pressions. Chairman Perkins of the
subcommittee in charge OF the subject
said: L don't think the presidents
message has put the house in any bet
ter humor. We shall meet tomorrow to
consider the subject as it is modified by
today's message"
II is believed in Washington tonight
that the presidents message disposes Of
the secret service controversy, so far
as the house is concerned. The senate
VIII 80 ahead and make an investiga-
tiOn Of the secret service and if there
is any serious rebuke OF the president
IL viii come from that body.
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
DIamS Committee on Appropriations

I would not ordinarily attempt in
this way to discriminate between mem
bers of the house, but as objection has
been taken to my language, in which
simply spoke Of the action of the
house as a whole, and as apparently
there is a desire that / should thus
discriminate, will state that / think
the responsibility rested on the COM
mittee on appropriations, under the
lead Of the members whom I have
mentioned.
Now as TO the request Of the congress
that / give the evidence for my state
ment that the chief argument in favor
OF the provision was that the congress-
men did not themselves wish to be
investigated by secret service men,
The part Of the Congressional Record
70 which 4 have referred above entirely
supports this statement Two distinct
lines of argument were followed in the
DEBATE. one concerned the question
whether the law warranted the en-
ployment of the secret service in de-
partments other than the treasury, and
this did not touch the merits of the
service in the least. The other line
Of argument went to the merits of
the service. whether lawfully or un-
lawfully employed, and here the chief
II not the only argument used was that
the service should be cut down and
restricted because. its members had
"shadowed" or Investigated members of
congress and other officers Of the
government If we examine the debate
in detail II appears that most of what
was urged in favor of the amendment
took the form of the simple statement
that the committee held that there had
been violation of law" by the use
of the secret service for other purposes
than suppressing counterfeiting (and
one or two other matters which can be
disregarded(, and that such language
was now TO be used as would effectually
prevent all such violation of law
hereafter Mr.. Tawney, for instance.
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Shows Value Of Government Sleuths

All these Investigations in the land
cases were undertaken in consequence
of Mr.. Hitchcock, the then secretary of
the interior, becoming convinced that
there were extensive frauds committed
in his department., and the ramifications
OF the frauds were so far reaching that
he was afraid to trust his own officials
to deal in thorough going fashion with
them. One of the secret service men
accordingly resigned and was appointed
In the interior department to carry on
this work The first thing he discov-
cred was that the special agents divi-
sion or corps of detectives of the land
office of the interior department was
largely under the control of the land
thieves, and in consequence the investi-
cations above referred to had to be
made by secret service men.
If the present law, for which Messrs.
Tawney, Smith and the other gentle
men l have above mentioned are re-
SponSible, had then been in effect, this
action would have been impossible, and
most of the criminals would unquestfon-
ably have escaped No more striking
instance can be imagined of the de-
STABILITY of having a central corps of
skilled investigating agents who can at
large numbers, TO investigate some
violation of the federal statutes, in no
matter what branch of the public serv-
Ice. In this particular case most OF
the men investigated who were public
servants were in the executive branch
of the government. But in Oregon,
where an enormous acreage OF fraud
ulently ALLEVIATE ed public land was re-
covered for the government, United
States senator, Mr.. Mitchell, and mem
ber of the lower house, Mr.. Williams
son. were convicted on evidence OBJ
tanned by men transferred from the
secret service, and another member of
congress was indicted
From 1901 to 1904 successful inves-
tigation of naturalization affairs was
made by the secret service. with the re-
suit Of obtaining hundreds of convic-
tions of conspirators who were con-
victed of selling fraudulent papers OF
naturalization. subsequently con-
gress passed very wise law providing
a special service and appropriation for
the prevention of naturalization frauds;
but unfortunately. at the same time
that the action against the secret serv-
ice was taken, congress also cut down
the appropriation for this special serv-
ice. with the result of crippling the eff
fort to stop frauds in naturalization.)
The fugitives Greene and Gaynor, i'm
plicated in peculiarly big government
contract fraud, were located and ar
rested in Canada by the secret service,
and thanks to this they have since gone
to prison for their crimes.
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Important Work of Secret Service

AT the time of this publication the
work of the secret service, which was
thus assailed, included especially the
investigation of great land frauds in
the west, and the securing of evidence
to help the department of justice in
the beef trust Investigations at Chi
cago, which resulted in successful
prosecutions.
In view of Mr.. Busbey's position, l
have accepted the above quoted state
ments as fairly expressing the real
meaning and animus of the attacks
made in general terms on the use of the
secret service for the punishment Of
criminals. Furthermore, in the per-
formance of my duty. to endeavor to
public questions of note, l have fire.
quently discussed this particular mat
ter with members of congress; and on
such occasions the reasons alleged 20
me for the hostility of congress to the
secret service, both by those who did
and by those who did not share this
hostility, were almost invariably the
same as those set forth in Mr. Bushey's
article. L may add, by the way, that
these allegations as to the secret serv-
ice are wholly without foundation in
fact.
But all of this is of insignificant
Importance compared with the main.
the real issue. This issue is simply,
Does congress desire that the govern
ment shall have at it's disposal the most
efficient instrument for the detection of
criminals and the prevention and pun
ishment of crime, or does 1T not? The
action of the house last May was en-
phattcally an action against the inter-
est of justice and against the interest
of law abiding people, and in it's effect
of benefit only to law breakers. / am
not now dealing with motives; what
ever may have been the motive that
induced the action of which / speak,
this was beyond all question the effect
of that action. Is the house now will
ing to remedy the wrong?
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
President Advised Against Wrong

For a long time 1 contented myself
with endeavoring to persuade the house
not to permit the wrong. speaking in
formally on the subject with those
members who, l believed, knew any
thing of the matter, and communicating
officially only in the ordinary chan
nels, as through the secretary of the
treasury. In a letter to the speaker on
April 30, protesting against the cut
ting down of the appropriation vitaHy
necessary if the interstate commerce
commission was to carry into effect
the twentieth section of the Hepburn
law, 1 added: THE provision about the
employment of the secret service men
will work very great damage to the
and punish crime. There is no more
foolish outcry than this against spies;
only criminals need fear our detect
ives" q inclose. copy of the whole
letter, marked Appendix c. The
postscript is blurred in my copybook
and two or three OF the words can not
be deciphered.) These methods proved
Wpnayaiiing Wnava to prevent pre- Sr,,.t the wrong:
fellow members on the appropriations
committee paid no heed to the pro-
tests; and as the obnoxious provision
was Incorporated in the sundry civil
slider or discuss 1t on its merits, as
should have done had it been in
separate bill. Therefore / have now
taken the only method available that
gress; and as all efforts to secure what
/ regard as proper treatment of the
subject without recourse to plain
speaking had failed, l have spoken
plainly and directly, and have set forth
the facts in explicit terms.
Since 1901 the Investigations covered
by the secret service division-under
the practice which had been for many
years recognized as proper and legiti-
mate and which had received the sane
tion of the highest law officers of the
government-havec covered wide range
of offenses against the federal law By
far the most important of these re-
lated to the public domain as to which
there was uncovered far reaching and
widespread system of fraudulent trans
actions involving both the illegal ac-
quisition and the Illegal fencing of
government land; and, in connection
with both these offenses the crimes of
perjury and subornation of perjury
Some of the persons involved in these
violations were men of great wealth
and OF wide political and social inf1u-
ence. Both their corporate associations
and their political Affiliations, and the
lawless character of some of their en-
ployes, made the Investigations not only
difficult but dangerous In Colorado
one of the secret service men was as
sassinated. In Nebraska it was neces-
sary to remove a United States attor-
ney and a United States marshal before
satisfactory progress could be made in
the prosecution of the offenders
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Limitation of Government Police Termed Boon
Long Sought by Criminal Classes
Throughout Country

being located in Omaha, in the whole
sale district there He is reputed to be
quite wealthy Stewards attorneys are
HaTl & Tinley of Council Bluffs, Ia.
who are also attorneys at that place
for the Omaha and Council Bluffs street
railway company. in which company
Harl holds considerable stock. Stewart
a director of the company. lie Is also
represented in Omaha by w. ]. Connell.
one OF the attorneys there for the same
company. Stewart is also represented
IN MS perjury case by Bill Gurley OF
Omaha, Neb., who at one time WIS quite
.osely connected in q political way
with the Union Pacific railroad com
pany; Stewart is also closely associated
with {. b. Hazelton, postmaster at
Council Bluffs. Harl & FINLEY and Ha-
zleton are all members of the same
lodge. Another close personal friend of
Stewart'S is Ed Hart, alias Water
works" Hart, president of the Council
Blufrs water company, and interested In
the street railway. Stewards father
was interested in and practically owned
and controlled during his lifetime q
railroad In Nebraska and did a great
deal of business with that road
Concerning this case the United
states attorney at Omaha states:
There are three cases against Stewart.
one for fencing, one conspiracy, one
perjury. all good cases and chances of
convection good
In connection with the Nebraska
prosecution, the government has by de-
ment of over a million acres of grazing
land; in Colorado of more than 1000
acres of mineral land, and suits are now
pending involving 10000 acres more.
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05

criminals, and it seriously hampers the
government in the detection of crime
snd the securing of justice. Moreover,
1t not only affects departments outside
Of the treasury, but il tends TO hamper
the secretary of the treasury himself In
the effort TO utilize the employees of his
department so as 10 best meet the re
quirements of the public service. 1t
forbids him from preventing frauds
upon the customs service, from inYes-
tigating irregularities in branch mints
crippled him. 1t prevents the promo
tion of employees in the secret service,
and this further discourages good eff
fort In its present form the restric-
tion operates only to the advantage of
the criminal. of the Wrongdoer.
The chief argument in favor of the
provision was that the congressman did
did not themselves wish to be investi-
gated by secret service men. Very little
of such inVestiga cation has been done in
the past; but it is true that the work
responsible for the indictment and con-
victton of senator and congressman
for land frauds in Oregon; 1 do not
believe that it is in the public interest
to protect criminals in any branch of
the public service, and exactly as we
have again and again during the past
seven years prosecuted and convicted
such criminals who were in the execu-
tive branch of the government, so in
my belief we should be given ample
means TO prosecute them If found in
not considered desirable a special eX-
ception could be made in the law pro-
hibiting the use of the secret service
force in investigating members of the
congress. 1t would be far better to do
this than to do what actually was done,
and strive to prevent or at least TO
hamper effective action against GRIM
inals by the executive branch of the
government"
A careful reading of this message
viii show that I said nothing to war
rant the statement that "the majority
of the congressman were in fear of be-
ing investigated by the secret service
men, or that congress as a whole was
actuated by that motive" 1 did not
make any such statement in this mes
sage. Moreover I have never made any
such statement about congress as q
whole, nor. with a few inevitable eX-
ceptions, about the members of con-
gress. in any message or article or
speech. On the contrary, 1 have always
not only deprecated but vigorously re-
sented the practice of indiscriminate
attack upon congress, and indiscrimi-
nate condemnation of all congressman,
wise and unwise, fit and unfit, good
and bad alike. No one realizes more
than I 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 L do.
The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Declares Meaning Is Too Obscure

4 an wholly at a loss 10 understand
the concluding portion q the resolu
tiOn. I have made no charges OF cor
luptiOn against congress nor against
any member of the present house. II
j had proof Of such corruption affecting
any member Of the house in any matter
jurisdiction, action would at once be
brought as was done In the cases of
senators Mltchel and burton, ana KEEP
resentatives Williamson, hermann and
briggs, at different times since / have
been president. This would simply be
doing my duty IN the execution and
enforcement Of the laws with respect to
persons But / do not regard il as
within the province or the duties of the
president to report 10 the house al
Legged delinouencies' of members, or the
supposed 'scorruDt action" Of q member
-in his official capacity. The member
ship OF the house is by the constitution
placed within the power OF the house
alone. In the prosecution OF criminals
and the enforcement OF the laws the
president must resort 10 the courts Of
The United States.
IN the tnird and fourtn clauses OF the
preamble il is stated that the meaning
OF my words is that the majority Of
The congressman are IN lear OF DelnS
Investigated by secret service men and
that congress as a whole was actuated
by that motive In enacung the proVi-
sion in question, and that this Is an
impeachment Of the honor and lnteg-
rity of the congress. These statements
are not. j think, in accordance with the
facts. The portion of my message re-
ferred TO runs as follows.
Last year an amendment was incor-
pOrated IN the measure providing for
the secret service which provided that
there should be no detail from the Sc
cret service and no transfer therefrom.
III is not too much to say that this
amendment has been Of benefit only,
ano could be Of benefit only. to the
criminal classes If deliberately intro
duced for the purpose Of diminishing
the effectiveness Of war against crime
id could not have been better devised to
this end 1t forbade the practices that
had been followed to a greater or less
extent by the executive heads Of vsri-
ous departments for 20 years. To these
practices We owe the securing of the
evidence which enabled us to drive
great lotteries out OF business and Sc
cure a quarter of a million Of dollars In
fines from their promoters These prac-
ffces have enabled US to discover some
OF the most outrageous frauds in con-
necffon with the theft of government
land and government timber by great
corporations and by individuals.