Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-06-20
ZzSS H2NP -TCWBONAW, OW~E
OWWEnS ~MRU2RS

nm mas come 70 De looked upon as a natlOn-
SS al institution, and that every German
- has been immensely proud of it as one
of the glories of the Fatherland.
And now to discover that this great industry
has stopped to the bribing of officials fact ad-
mitted by the Krupp firm, after the charge chad
been made in the Ieichstag-and that 1t had been
supplying French newspapers with material for
war-scare articles, SO as to induce the German
government to buy more armament from the
Krupps, is more to Germany than a scandal. 1t
is a catastrophe.
The charges were made in the %reichstag by DR..
Liebknecht, the Socialist deputy, and in the col
umns of the Vorwaerts, the Socialist newspaper.
1t is a coincidence that it was that newspaper
which ten years ago printed another scandalous
story about the Krupps. which caused the death
of the then head of the works, Friedrich Alfred
Krupp.
1t was impossible to refute him. because the
minister of war, Gen. Won Heeringen, was obliged
to admit then and there that an inquiry was going
on which had already revealed that "one of the
Krupp officials" had bribed officers to reveal GER
tain information. The following day the Krupps
Issued a statement in which they admitted that
their representatives in Berlin had maintained
friendly relations" with their former comrades"
OF the, war department for the purpose Of obtain
ing business information" and had bestowed
small present con certain under officials"
1t was on Friday that Liebknecht exploded his
bomb and forced Won Heeringen to reveal that
secret inquiry and on Saturday that the Krupps
made their admission of bribery. On Sunday the
Vorwaerts published the text of the instructions
sent by the Deutsche Munitions und Wafenfabrik
o its Paris agent to leave no stone unturned'
persuade some popular French newspaper to
publish a statement that France intended to dou-
BILE her orders for machine guns. The object was
to get the. German government to order machine
guns from the Deutsche Munitions und Waffen.
fabrik.
On Tuesday the popular indignation had risen
SO high that Gen. Won Heeringen's plea for a sus-
pension of judgment until his private inquiry had
done its work was forgotten. The budget commit
tee of the r%eichstag voted to appoint a parliamen-
tary commission of inquiry into the scandal. This
commission, however, despite the protests of the
Socialists, was not vested with power to send for
persons and papers.
Although the Krupp works date from 1910, when
Friedrich Krupp established his forge at Essen, 1t
was his son, Alfred Krupp. who was the real
founder of the industry. Friedrich died practical
ly bankrupt in 1926. leaving little more than the
secret Of his cast-steel process to his son. and it
was 80 years before any striking results were
achieved.
1t was in 1910 that Friedrich Krupp purchased
a small forge in Essen, where he devoted himself
to the problem Of manufacturing cast steel, but
though the article was put on the market by him
in 1915 1t commanded but little sale, and the firm
was anything but prosperous. He employed only
three orkmen.
Alfred Krupp was born April &c, 1912, and at
the time of his fathers death was only fourteen
years old. His mother carried on the works until
Alfred reached his majority, so that twice in the
history of the works have they been managed by
women. The present head Of the industry is
Bertha Krupp, the granddaughter Of the woman
Mho became its manager in 1926.
The Krupps had so little money that Alfred. on
his fathers death, was compelled to leave school
to assist his mother. He displayed a phenomenal
aptitude for the foundry business, and the works
developed with increasing rapidity after his In
fuence was felt in their management. By lS4S
the firm had expanded so that 122 workmen were
employed.
AS late as 1S4s, the year in which his mother
relinuuished the sole management Of the works
into his hands, he melted the family plate to pay
his workmen. Today the mighty industry fur
nishes employment to a majority Of the workmen
OF three cities and a dozen coal and iron mining
towns. The ships built from 1t. equipped with
it's steel, and armed with its cannon, are on all
the seas, and wherever steel Is used the name OF
Krupp is known. The capital Of the firm now Is
about $50, 900 900.
success, when he made a three-pounder muzzle-
loading gun of cast steel. At the great London
exhibition Of 1851 he exhibited a solid fawless
ingot OF cast steel weighing two tons. thus estab-
fishing the fact that an important firm existed In
Germany capable Of turning out samples OF excel
lent workmanship. The Essen works were every
where spoken OF, and the output watched Win
the closest interest. The manufacture or Weldless
steel, tires for railway vehicles was another IN
yention which followed soon after.
The making OF heavy ordnance. which mas mace
the name Of these works famous the world over,
wis not then a prominent part of the business
One of the first large orders he got for firearms
came four years after the London exhibition. wnen