The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-17

The Seeds Of Treason and the Sewers
OF the Seeds Of Treason.
Once more we call attention 10 the
time limit prescribed by the Const1-
tuition for such activities and utter.
snces on the part Of 'German-Amer'
ican" citizens Of the United States as
arc illustrated In the documents
which the World Is publishing for the
good of the country.
The World properly describes the
process of intrigue and bribery in the
guise of subsidy as the Sowing broad.
cast the seeds Of treason throughout
the United States" That Is what II
Is; the seeds of treason, but not Urea
son Just al present. 1t Is important to
distinguish clearly between tho two
aspects of this business:
First, as to those American citizens
whose sympathy for the German
cause takes the form Of material as
distance Of one sort or another rem.
dered In secret cooperation with Der.
lin, or In the form of utterances de-
noting q sense Of allegiance to Ger.
many superior TO the claim Of 10y.
atty to the United States. This gen
eral attitude is frequently denounced
az Unreasonable" The Constitution,
however, clearly defines the unpar.
donable sin Of treason:
Treason against the United States
shall consist ONLY in levying war against
than. or in adhering TO their enemies.
giving them aid or comfort. .
The Congress shall have the power to
declare the punishment Of treason"
The punishment of treason was first
declared by the Congress to be death
by hanging. 1t Is now death or i'm.
prisonment. But the definition admits
of no constructive" treaSonS Until
the United States Government is &C
tually at war, until certain Of its citi.
zens are actually levying war against
the republic, or until certain Of it,
citizens r actually adhering to a for
eign Government actually at war with
the United States, or giving aid and
comfort to a foreign Government ac'
tually IN enemy Of the United States
there can be no reason in the case OF
such citizens; and, Of course, nc
method Of proceeding against then
for trea sonable behavior. Their cd
sential disloyalty may be patent 10 al
observers. There may even he con
elusive evidence that this ~dlsloyalty
10 purchased or inspired, Ia one way
or another, by the agents Of a foreign
Government; but the crime of trea,
raises its armed hand against The
Government, or actual war begin,
with a foreign Government. Then tht
time limit is reached. The seeds OF
treason have terminated and all a
once the gallows crime is there,
It Is so easy TO acquire a dangerou,
habit during a recognized period oI
immunity that we implore our fellow
citizens who sympathize strongly ant
naturally with the German cause, anC
who are not oyerparticular as 10 tn,
form in which their sympathies ex
press themselves, 10 ponder well tn,
slightness of the transition by which
deeds and words now legally immun,
may suddenly become the deeds an,
words of a crime for which the pun
tshment Is death.
The second aspect of this conspirac,
or cooperation between the represent
atives Of the Kaiser's Government an,
hyphenated citizens owing their undl
yided political allegiance to the Unite,
States is much simpler 70 far a
the possibility of represslve action
concerned. We refer TO the posidol
OF members Of the German Embass
who may be shown by the govern
mental Investigation now in progress
70 have used their presence and pr,
ileges in this country 10 disseminat
the seeds Of treason among certain G
our citizens
Nearly a year ago when we ma
from Shanghai reports OF the perm