Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1917-09-25
BERNSTORFF TRIED
GERMAN P[OTSHERE
PROVE DTHAT HE ASKED AU
THoRlTY FROM BERLIN TO
ExPEND $4,000.
WAS TO INFLUENCE CONGRESS
Lansing Makes Public Text Of Mes
sage Sent by Ambassador-Lit-
tie Surprise Expressed in
Official Circles.

Washington.-Th American gov
ernment's publicity spotlight reveal
ing German intrigue in neutral lands
turned upon the expenditure of mon
ey by the Berlin foreign office in an
effort to influence congress on the
eve of the ruthless submarine cam
paign which drove the United States
to war.
Secretary Lansing made public with
out comment the text of a message
sent by Count Won Bernstorff to Ber-
lin last January. asking authority to
use $4,000 to influence congress by
and through an organization which
the foreign office was reminded had
performed similar service before. To
supplement this move Won Bernstorff
suggested an official declaration in
favor of Ireland for it's effect here.
Organization Not Identified.
The organization to be employed
was not named in the message, and
Mr. Lansing did not discuss its iden-
tity. 1t was freely suggested among
other officials, however, that it was
one of the societies which flooded
members of the house and senate with
peace messages when President Will
son was asking that a state of war
be recognized.
This disclosure adds another chap
ter to the amazing story begun with
publication of the famous thinner
mann note in which Germany pro-
posed an alliance with Mexico and
Japan against the United States, and
which has included the German-Swe-
dish breaches of neutrality in Argen-
tina and Mexico. 1t connects the
German government and Count Won
Bernstorff directly and conclusively
with Vaccinations which the Amer
lean public has assumed were part
of the worldwide Teuton intrigue,
but which many people firmly be-
lieved were carried on or financed
in this country by German Ameri-
cans without actual authority from
Berlin.
Little surprise was occasioned eth
err in official circles or at the cap
itol. although members of congress
were highly indignant. There was
some talk at the capitol of demand
ing an investigation, and Senator
Overman, chairman of the senate lob
by committee, and Representative
Flood, chairman of the house commit
tee on foreign affairs, arranged to
go to the state department and ask
for further information.
Generally, however, the disposition
was to regard as absurd any sugges-
ton that any part of the $4,000
sought by Won Bernstorff was intend
ed for members of congress.
Text of Message.
The Won Bernstorff message. dated
January %, 1917, follows:
Il request authority to pay out up
to $4,000 dollars in order, as on for
mer occasions, to influence congress
through the organization you know
Of, which can perhaps prevent war.
Il am beginning, in the meantime,
to act accordingly.
I'm the above circumstances a pub
lie official German declaration in ia
vor of Ireland is highly desirable in
order to gain the support of Irish in
fluence here"
This message was sent nine days
before the German government pro-
claimed its unrestricted submarine
warfare.
Duplicity Apparent.
When he write it Count Won Bern
storff was assuring the American gov
eminent and press that under no cir
cumstances would Germany violate
her pledges of the Sussex case or do
anything that might draw the United
States into the list of her enemies.
With the Lusitania and other cases
in allegiance the American govern
ment had made no move since the
Sussex pledge and there was nothing
on the surface to foreshadow i'm
pending trouble.
Two weeks later, when Won Bern
htorff was handed his passports, he
professed ignorance of prior knowl-
edge of his governments intentions
to throw its promises to the winds.
Evidence has been accommodating to
prove that the ambassador not only
was cognizant of. but actually di-
rected, the activities of Boyd and
Won Papen. the military and naval
attaches. who were sent home long
before the United States broke rela-
tions with Germany because of their
connection with bomb plots, passport
frauds. spying and other phases of
the almost unlimited operations in
this country of the German secret
service.