Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-12-30
i. S. IND|CTS EIGHT
IN BIG WAR PLOT
Rep. Buchanan of Illinois Among
Those Accused.
H. R. FOWLER ALSO NAMED
Lamar, "Woif of Wall Street" Frank
Monet and Others Accused
Charged With Conspiracy to
Wreck Arms Plants.

New York, Dec 29-The federal
grand jury indicted for conspiracy to
foment strikes in American munition
factories, the following men:
Congressman Frank Buchanan of
Illinois.
H. Robert Fowler, former congress
man from illinois,.
Frank S. Monnett, former attorney
general of Ohio.
David Lamar
Jacob c. Taylor, president Of Labor's
National Peace council
Franz Won Rintelen, a German agent.
H. B. Martin.
Herman Schulteis.
Fomented Strikes Is Charge.
All of the indicted men, except La
mar and Won Rintelen, are officers or
former officers of the peace council.
an organization which, the govern
ment charges, was formed and
financed by Rintelen to bride labor
leaders to call strikes in munition
plants. in furtherance Of German prop
uganda in this country.
Lamar, who has been called the
wolf Of Wall street. is charged with
being Rintelen's assistant. 1t is said
hundreds of thousands of dollars
passed through his hands, and it is al
legged he benefited personally to the
extent of 100000.
RinteIen Is a Prisoner.
Rintelen is at present a prisoner in
England. He was seized by the British
authorities at Falmouth while fleeing
from this country under a false pass
port. He is at present under indict-
ment here, charged with conspiring to
procure a bogus passport as an Ameri-
can citizen. No effort will be made,
however, to obtain his return to this
country, as the offenses with which
he is charged are not eXtraditable
All Of the indictments were returned
under the Sherman antitrust law and
charge conspiracy to restraint Of the
foreign trade of the United States.
The maximum penalty is one year i'm
prisonment and fine of $4,000 -.
AS. soon as the grand jury reported
its findings, agents Of the department
Of justice, acting with United States
deputy marshals, were instructed to
arrest the indicted men.
Organized in May.
Labor's national peace council was
organized in May of this year, after
the arrival in this country on April 8
of Franz Won Rintelen, who is report
ed to be high in the councils of the
German government. He apparently
commanded unlimited funds, having
100000 to his credit in one New York
bank. According to federal officials
his mission was not merely to start
propaganda against the expectation of
munitions to the allies, but also to stir
up trouble between this country and
Mexico. In the latter respect, it is
said, his efforts were failure from
the start E#E
The first important meeting of the
peace council, which was ostensibly
organized to promote the cause of in
ternational peace, was held in Wash
1ngton in June. Congressman Buchan-
an was elected president, Fowler gen
era1 counsel and Monnett was named a
member of the committee on resolu-
lions. Buchanan resigned July 81 and
was succeeded by Jacob C. Taylor, a
leading labor union official of New
Jersey. s~7 a"1
% 81 Strikes Fail of Effect.
9 Rintelen, according to secret sery-
ice agents. finally discovered that he
was pouring out his money without re-
suit except to enrich the men he en-
plcyed as his agents. Some strikes
were called, but they failed to have
any important effect on the exporta-
ton Of munitions The German agent |
decided to leave the country. He first
endeavored, with the aid Of Andrew d. |
Meloy, an American mining promoter. |
to obtain an American passport. Fail |
ing in this, he sailed under a Swiss |
passport, using the name of Edward Y. /
Gasche. Meloy subsequently was ar
rested and turned states evidence.
Anton F. Mente, young Hungarian |
in whose room police found a large
quantity Of acids and chemicals used
in the manufacture of high explosives,
pleaded guilty to violating the tene- /
ment house act in having explosive or
materials in his home and
was sentenced to one year in prison.
Congressman Buchanan is serving
his third term in congress. He was
elected to the Sixty-second congress
and reelected to the Sixty-third and
Sixty fourth from the Seventh congress
5ionaI district. This is his first DO
itical Office. Prior to his going to CON
yress he was active in union labor cir
sIes He served four consecutfvei
.erms as president of the Bridge and
Structural Iron Workers union. Ia
politics Congressman Buchanan is 8
ooked upon as a Harrison-Dunne fol-
over.