The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-19
Officials Womed at Report
OF German Spy System Here
Widespread Activity Of Teuon Smpathzers, Many Sus-
pected Of Being Dangerous, Has Shown the Govern
ment's Detective Force to Be Inadequate.

Government officials daily are growing
more worried over the crop of dangerous
cranks developed by the war, the per-
sistent reports of vast German spy
system In this country and the lack OF an
adequate Secret Service to do the govern
ment's detective work which has been In
creased greatly by the European war. The
widespread activities of German syrnpa-
| thizers, many of them suspected Of be-
| ing dangerous has revealed the secret
Service division of the Treasury Depart
ment and Bureau Of Investigation of the
Department OF Justice to be wholly in
adequate to cope with a situation of I'M
precedented peril.
! That there is a large and trained force
Of German spies in this country. just as
there was in England. France. Russia
| and Italy before the war started, Is no
, longer doubted by officials in close touch
! with affairs That their trail leads to-
ward the German Embassy has been
more than once established. 1t Is IN
derstood on gpod authority tmat Capt.
| Won Prieger, chief of the German Sc
Just as he did in the other countries men
| toned. One report is that SEQ German
spies are operating
How hopeless it is for the United States
government to combat German activi-
ties here is shown by the fact that all
told there are less than 800 men avail
able for detective work under the
United States government. that many Of
these men are not highly trained in their
profession, and that II they performed
the regular duties assigned to them they
would have time for nothing else.
Appropriation Not sumcient.
There are two reasons for the unfor-
tunate situation. The principal one Is
the failure OF Congress to appropriate
sufficient sum OF money to allow this i'm
portant work to be properly carried on.
The other is the unexpectedness Of the
work that has been thrust upon this
branch of the government service by
the activities of the Germans.
The total appropriation for the Secret
Service for the present fiscal year Is
s145, 000 which includes expenses as we'll
as salaries. The appropriation for the
detection of crimes by the Department
of Justice is $4s5, COO.
While the government carefully guards
the exact number as well as the person
mel of its detective agents, IL has been
learned that there are considerably less
than 100 Secret Service operatives in the
entire country. probably nearer sixty.
Force Has Big Task.
This totally inadequate force Is doing
pro-German cranks, to prevent attacks
upon United States arsenals and powder
plants, to protect ships Of the navy and
merchantmen from anti-administration
agitators, to ferret out spies. who are
believed to be operating against the in
terests of the government all over the
country, and even in the government de-
partments in Washington. and to take
all necessary steps to unearth and punish
attempts to violate the neutrality laws
of the nation-and at the same time to
keep up its usual work of running down
everyday criminals.
1t is easy to see what an enormous
amount of work these men have to do.
when 1t Is remembered that they must
get the evidence In all cases arising under
the Sherman antitrust law. the white
slave law. the public land laws, threats
of all kinds against public officials. to
run down all counterfeiters. and, in fact.
do a thousand and one other things rel
quired by the criminal statutes Of the
United States
Had to Rely on villa Agents.
As an example of how the Department.
Of Justice Is forced to work because oil
the inadequacy of its force 1t had to rely
recently upon the efforts of the Villa