Show PRESIDENT ENDS SPECIAL MES AfiE Explains Clause in Last MesI Message Message Mes Mes- I sage Referring to the I Secret Service REPLIES TO RESOLUTION Gives Reasons for Wanting I Work of Secret Service Extended Washington Jan Jon 4 President t I Roosevelt today sent to the house o of oC representatives es a a. special message e In reply to a resolution attacking a clause In his regular message of oC some weeks ago In relation to the secret service Jn ill part the President Bays Bays' To the tho House of oC Representatives I have ha received tho the resolutions of the house of at representatives of or D December cember 17 1908 running as 08 follows Whereas Thoro Thore was contained In tho the sundry civil cl appropriation bill which passed congress nt at its last last ses- ses blon ilon and became a a. law a n. provision In reference inference to the tho employment of ot tho I secret service fler In the Uio treasury department depart I ment nent und and I Whereas In the tho last annual message 1 of r f the President of the United States I Ito to the two houses of congress It was stated slated In Iti reference l to that provision It lt Is 18 not too much nuch to say that this amendment has been of or benefit only and could be of or benefit only to the criminal classes and It watt was further stilled The chief argument In favor of or tho the t provision ro was that the congressmen congressmen con con- gressmen dirt not themselves wish to ho he Investigated In h 1 by secret service men It a was further stated But ut If It this is not riot con 1 jred dc a tl special ex exception exception ex- ex could be he mado O In the law prohibiting pro pro- the uso use of or tho the secret service force torce In In investigating members of ot con con- cress gress res It would be far better hetter to do 0 this than to do what actually was done and md strive to prevent or at nt least to hamper effective action against criminals criminals crimi crimi- I nals IJ by tho the executive branch of ot tho the government So and urd 4 ae The plain tho above words is that the thc majority of tho the congressmen were vere In tear fear of ot being Investigate In b by secret service s men ana ana that congress as ns a whole was actuated by b that moth c e C In enacting the provision provision pro pro- vision Islon In question and Whereas Your committee appointed to consider these statements of the President and to report to the house cannot Ibid find In tho the hearings s before committees nor In the tue records of the house or ur any Justification of thIs thin Impeachment of ot the tho honor and Integrity Integ integ- rity it of tho the congress s and Your loUl committee would In order old to make an un Intelligent en and comprehensive l e report Just to the President n nt as well as na to the congress congre I t to have nil all the tho Information which the President may lavo havo to communicate now therefore I be he e it Resolved tJ That the President be ro- ro quested to tra transmit to tho the house any evidence upon which ho bl based sed his statements that the chief argument in I favor Or avor of or tho the provision pro was wan that the congre congressmen did not themselves wish to be Investigated In by h secret service servicemen men nen and nd also to transmit to tho the house any evidence ence connecting any ony member of or the house of ot representatives tives tl of tho the Sixtieth con congress with Ith corrupt corrupt corrupt cor cor- rupt action in his official capacity and to Inform the house whether h ther he has Instituted proceedings for tor tho the punishment punish punish- ment of an any such Individual by bJ the courts or ot has r reported ported an any such al alleged ul- ul delinquencies to the house f rep rep- es lr Cant Can't Understand I am nm wholly at a a. loss lollS to understand tho thu concluding portion of tho UIO Jr tion 1 l have made n no charges of cor coV cor against congress nor again ll any member of ot the present house IrI IrI Ir IF I 1 had proof of such uch corruption affectIng affect affect- Ing ng any member of tho the house In an any matter as kS to which the federal government govern govern- ment has jurisdiction action would at once be brou brought ht as aw was yas done in the cases of Senators Mitchell an and Burton Burton Burton Bur Bur- ton and Representatives Williamson Herrmann and at different times since I have ha been President ent This would simply be doing my dut duty i In the execution and enforcement of tho the laws without respect to persons i But Jut I do not re regard ard it us within the province pro or the duties ditties of ot the President to report to the tho house alleged delinquencies delin delin- of members member or the supposed supposed sup sup- posed corrupt action netlon of a a. mem member or In jn his official capacity The membership mem mem- of ot the tho house hous Is by the Constitution Constitution tion pl placed ced within the tro p power of tho the house alone filone In the prosecution of criminals an and tho the enforcement of or the tho laws lawn the Pr President must resort to the tho courts of C the United In Tn tho the third anti ami fourth clauses of or the lr preamble il It Is stated the meanIng mean- mean jug Ing of my words la is that the majority majority ma ma- of at the tho congressmen are In fear of being investigated by secret service servicemen men Inen and that congress ti as a a. whole was wan actuated h by that motive In enactIng enacting enact enact- ing lug the provision In question anI that this thiN Is la an Impeachment of ot tho the honor and Integrity of the congress Those These statements arc are not I think In accor accordance anco with Wi the th facts The perI por- por I lion tion of fr my mr message referred re to runs as follows orr lasne e. e year cal nn an amendment ment was in incorporated In- In in tho measure providing for tor tho tim secret service which provided pro that there should be no detail from the secret service and find no transfer H it l is hi nut not too much to say tJi that t this has been of benefit bene beno- a fit un only HOly und and could be pf f benefit only to th the tho criminal clauses classes Tf rt deliberately Int introduced for tho the purpose of ot diminishing diminish dimInish- lug ing the of ot war o. o against aln t it c uld cc-uld not have ha been een better to tn end It tor forbade the practices that had bad ha been followed to a a. greater or less extent b by the tue executive I lt of or various departments ts for tor 20 0 years ears can To fo these thelle practices we owe the tho I securing of or tilt the evidence which enabled us UIS to lo drive great teat lotteries out ot of busI business bus busi I ness and secure a quarter of ot a n million or of dollars In lines from their promoters 1 1 These practices have lIu enabled us UK to discover die dis I cover some of ot the tho most outrageous frauds frauds- in connection with the Ute theft of oC government 10 land and government tim tim- her lIer jor b by great corporations and by In- In These practices have hn ena- ena lel us to get some Dome of or the tho evidence e Indispensable in order to secure the conviction of or the wealthiest and most formidable criminals with whom the government go has to deal both those operating In violation of the trust anti law aw and others Tho The amendment In question was of oC benefit to no one excepting ex- ex to these criminals and it seriously seri serl- hampers rs the government In the detection election of oC crime and the securing of justice Moreover It not only affects departments out outside of ot the treasury but ut It tends to hamper the secretary of oC f the treasury himself in the effort to utilize the employee of his department so o as to best meet the requirements or of f the public service It forbids him r rom preventing frauds upon the cue cuc- ome service from In In branch mints and assay Uny of- of and has seriously serIous crippled him it H t prevents the tho promotion of oC employee In n the secret service and this further discourages good effort eUort In its present form orm the restriction operates on only to the he advantage of or the criminal of ot the wrongdoer The chief argument In favor of or tho the provIsion revision was that the congressmen did didot not ot themselves wish to be Investigated ted b by y secret service men Very little of ot such uch Investigation has hes been done Inthe in inthe the he past vast but It Is la true trite that the work oC 01 f the secret service agents was 2 partly responsible re for tor the Indictment and conviction con- con of oC a senator and a congressman for or lan land frauds In Oregon 1 I do not believe that It is In the public Interest branch of to o protect criminals in any an the ne public service ser and exactly as w we have o avo again an and again during the pst prost seven even years cars prosecuted and convicted such uch criminals who were In the ecu ecu- the ivo branch of or the government so In my 01 ij- ij belief we wo should be given s ample means mc to prosecute them if found toun In Inthe inthe the he legislative e branch But If this is not considered desirable a special cx- cx could be made In the law pro pro- the tho use uso of if the secret service orce force in Investigating members rs of or the tho congress It would be far better to do dohis this his than to do what hat actually was done and strIve to prevent or at least to hamper effective action against criminals crim- crim nals b by the executive branch of or the tho government lie tto ns A careful reading of or this will show that I said eald nothing to warrant warrant warrant war war- rant the statement that the tho majority of or tho the congressmen con were In fear of beng be- be beIn beIng I In Ing ng Investigated by the H secret service ser servicemen men uen men or 01 that congress as a whole was wa actuated by that motive I did not make any such statement In this mes meso sage Moreover I 1 have ha never made any such statement about congress as 08 a 1 whole nor with a few inevitable ex exceptions cx- cx About the members of or congress con con- gress grese in an any message or article or 5 sP speech c I Ionly On the he contrary I have havo always not only deprecated but vigorously resented resent resent- ed the practice of Indiscriminate attack attack at ot tack upon congress and Indiscriminate con condemnation of all congressmen wise and unwise e. e fit and good and ond bud bad alike Uke No one realizes more than I the Importance of operation co between the executive and congress and no one holds the authority and dignity of ot the congress to the United States in hl higher her than I do I have hae not the tho slightest sympathy with the practice of ot Judging men for good or for Ill not noton noton noton on their several merits but In a n mass as ns members member of or one particular body or orone orone orone one caste To 10 put lit together all men holding or who have hold held a particular office whether heUler it be the tho offIce of ot President or Judge or senator or member of the house houwe o of representatives and to class thorn them All without regard to their Individual Indi vidual differences as good or bad seems to me utter utterly Indefensible and It Is equally indefensible whether the tho good are confounded with the bad in a heated and unwarranted championship of all or in a heated and unwarranted assault t I would neither attack nor defend all ali executive officers in a 0 mass whether presidents president governors governor cabinet officers or officials of ot lower rank ronk nor would I attack or defend all nIl legislative officers In a 0 mass The safety of ot the government government govern govern- ment mont rests very largely lanely in the ability of ot the tho plain everyday citizen to discriminate die dis criminate between those public 8 servants rv- rv ants who serve Herve hIm him well vell and those pub nub lIc lie servants who servo serve him Ill ili HO Ito can not thus thull dl discriminate if It he ho is persuaded persuade to tu pu s Judgment ment upon a B. man not with reference to whether he Is an tive or legislative officer whether ho belongs to one ono branch or the other of tho the government This allegation in the resolution therefore must certainly be due to an entire failure to understand und my m ms' ms mes s. s SQ sage e. e The President cites his hlo rea reasons ons for tor an on extension of at the work of ot the secret service and gives a Ion long list of cases cales In which the secret service men have havo done excellent work ork for the govern govern- m ment ent |