Evening star., 1909-02-25
Smith Attacks Secret Service.


ord documents he had not read on the
floor. but which he wanted to go into his
speech.
Smith Attacks Secret Service.
Representative Smith of Iowa then Sc
cured time from Mr. Tawney to answer
Mr.. Bennett. His speech was spirited,
even bitter. throughout. and he frequently
referred to the secret service men OF the
Treasury as chief detectives" and said
that no respectable man would take such
employment. Mr.. Smiths remarks were
frequently interrupted by outbursts or
applause by both sides of the chamber.
"One of the requisites in the makeup
of a common detective said Mr.. smith,
lis that he shall be common liar. Any
lawyer knows that he can win his case
nine times out of ten if the face of
loathsome detective Is exhibited In cour'
by the other side
Mr. Smith said that respectable men
would take places special agents, pos'
office inspectors Or other places requ,Llns
some thought or expert knowledge Wher
they would not become cheap So a DAY
common detectives.
Mr.. Smith declared In emphatic tones
that Mr. Bennets statement that Secre'
tary Garfield and Attorney General Bona
parte had expressed divergent views with
respect to the secret service was 1ncor'
rect He declared that there was no sub.
stantial difference between Mr.. GARFIELD
and Mr.. Bonaparte on this subject and
that he would take the word of either one
of them against that OF Chief Wiikle ol
the secret service.
Mr.. Smith further said that although
secret service men had worked on land
frauds in the west, they had made no dis
coveries of important. frauds. but that as
were dispensed with by the Interior De-
partment and special agents and Inspect
ors were put to work fraud aggregating
s1OO. 600. 900 had been unearthed. In this
connection he characterized the secret
service force as worthless" and said
that not a single official of the government
had praised that force except Chief viii
ke, at the head of 1t. He then read
from the testimony Of Mr.. TroWbridge
referred to above, roasting the secret
service.
"The secret service men are no good.
cried Mr. Smith, except in the vain
glorious boasting of Wilkie."
Representative Driscoll OF New Yor'i
also denounced the secret service.
President Bitterly Attacked.
Representative Cook of Colorado made
bitter attack on President Roosevelt.
He said he had usurped the power OF
the judiciary, and that honorable men
of Colorado had been charged with crime
for political effect. Speaking about Roose-
welt, he said:
'He is almost a daily threat on the
peace and prosperity of the country, and
should be knocked on the head by de-
cision of the Supreme Court Of the United
States"
Mr. Cook said that Mr.. Roosevelt was
dictatoral and loved the lime light.
"Such keen political speculator, said
he, "and a man of so much Strenuosity
has never before been seen in this coun-
try. Let us hope that his like will never
be seen again.
At this point Mr.. Tawney. who had
yielded Mr.. Cook the time to make these
remarks. jumped uo and withdrew what
was left of 1t, saying he had not yielded
to Mr.. Cook for the purpose of permitting
him to make a personal attack on the
President.
House Opposes Commissions.
When Chairman Tawney called up the
sundry civil bill this morning he offered
resolution. before the House went into
committee of the whole, directed at the
Presidents recently created council Of fine
arts. and other commissions made by the
chief executive during recsnt years, much
to the dissatisfaction of members of Con-
gress. The resolution was designed to
permit a vote on the provisions of the
sundry civil bill, which, If adopted, Will
have the effect of practically smothering
such councils and commissions. -
Representative Herbert Parsons OF New
York objected to the resolution, assert
ing that it was designed to prevent eX-
perts along various lines from giving theiI
services to the government free.
Mr.. Tawney jumped up and asked Mr.
Parsons If he knew that already there
was an express provision Of law prohibit
ing the acceptance of voluntary and free
services by the government.
Mr.. Parsons hesitated for moment and
then inquired of Mr.. Tawney If this were
true why such a provision as that con-
templated was necessary.
Mr.. Tawney replied that the various
commissions now prepared data and
dumped it in on the government depart
ment in Valueless form, requiring the
services Of government employees to
straighten it out and put it in shape
BY this means the councils, commissions,
etc. evaded the law.
Representative Parker Of New Jersey
also objected to the resolution, but II
was adopted by an overwhelming vote on
division of 140 to so. Representative
Parsons demand for the yeas and nays
was refused. Indications point to a
lively row on the provision when it is
reached in its regular place in the sundry
civil bill.
The Provision Again Adopted.
By a vote of 1o3 to Al, the provision
eliminating the employment of the secret
service was re-enacted. Just before the
vote was taken Mr.. Tawney closed the
argument by declaring since last June o,
perhaps before Chief Wilkie had beer
running a campaign for the repeal OF the
limiting provision. He read extracts from
a letter written by Chief Wilkie to one
of his men, describing the enactment by
Congress as technical interference an6
asserting that at this session of Congress
the provision would be repealed.