Tombstone epitaph., 1916-02-20

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 together into one big mosaic picture. revealing some vast undertaking and supplying information of great impor- tance to the administration.
 It is by many such investigations conducted in this country and perhaps abroad that the administration has gathered information that has enabled the federal officials to foresee inter- national events before they really hap pened and to prepare for contingen- cies with proper care. Much of the important work which the secret serv- ice has done has been performed un- der the direction of the state depart ment. which has a confidential fund for such investigations, and which calls upon the secret service chief to supply the men for the work.
 While the public hears little of the details of the work of the secret serv- ice. the chief has agents all over the country and ali over the world. men of great skill. many of them of high edu- cation. others of little school educar tion but graduates in the university of human nature and of criininology. men of great courage and necessarily of tremendous resourcefulness. They may be here today and in the far East month hence. They may be in New York this morning and may start for Europe tomorrow on some mis- sion.
 An investigation in China may re- quire the presence there of several men. There may be a counterfeiting plot that has clue leading to Mexico. There may be a conspiracy to start a revolution in Mexico that has trails leading 10 Barcelona, Spain; to Paris, London and to Mexico City. In every direction that may be necessary men are dispatched to n-ake investigations and to report to the home office. Many a revolutionary plot matched in foreign countries has been frustrated because clue was obtained here and the plot ters traced and exposed.
 The limitations under which this work has been carried on Is shown by the laws under which the service is authorized and the money is appro- priated. The appointment of the chief of the secret service, his assistant and a few clerks is authorized by one law. The sundry civil bill appropriates money for the hiring of agents at so much a day, but at the same time makes it impossible for those men to be assigned to work in any other dc partment, thereby making restrictions that prevent the chief from getting tho best work from them.
 For instance, if the chief has a man who has proved himself specially capa- ble in a certain line of work and if just such a man is needed in a cer- tain department of the government the chief cannot detail him for the task because the law specially provides that no man hired by the chief or the secret service for work in the treasury de- partment can be assigned within the year to an investigation outside that department. The law also provides that the chief cannot detail more than four men to any special investigation.
 When the secret service was organ ized in 1865 the initial appropriation was made for detecting counterfeiters and running down other felonies." Aside from the chief and a few clerks the secret service Is really kept alive by a yearly appropriation in the sun- dry civil bill. The service, however. had greater latitude than at present up to the time when President Roosevelt in 1907 got into a controversy with congress because of the fact that he caused investigations to be made con- corning certain congressman. In re- venge congress adopted the restriction that prohibits the use of the secret service men for any other purpose than the detection of counterfeiting and the protection of the president: That provision has limited their activ- ity and makes it necessary for the chief to hire other men for work re- quired by other departments.
 The secret service received $145 900 last year and asks for $225. 900 for the coming fiscal year.