Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-09-14
|. W. W.. RAIDS MAY
INVOLVE ENEMIES
Officials Investigate Runners of
Financial Aid From Abroad.
ENGINEERS TASK IN FRANCE

Must Build Good Roads From Point Of
Embarkation to the Trenohes-Ma-
terials and Machinery Made In Amer
ica-Other Interesting. Gossip About
the War Heard In National Capital.
Especial Correspondence
Observation-Disclosures the supervision
of Attorney General Gregory the Sc
cret service and officials of the depart
ment of Justice have been quietly car
rying IN IN investigation into the ,ac-
tivities of the Industrial Workers
of the World and the peace propa-
gandists, some Of whom are members
of the Socialist party. The officials
worked hard and faithfully until the
hammer fell. Arrests were made In a
score of cities at the same moment and
much of their correspondence and
other papers seized.
This action by the department may
open one Of the greatest and most far
reaching Investigations made by the
government since the United States en-
tered the European. war. Developments,
it is believed, may show that the peace
propagandists have been financed by
the governments Of Germany and Aus
tria through their well known and well
organized system Of espionage.
The Importance that the government
attaches to the raids is indicated by the
extreme secrecy and pa~instaking are
with which they were conducted. In
order that news of the governments
action should not spread from city to
city in such a way as to permit papers
to be destroyed Assistant Attorney
General Fits, acting under direct or
ders from Attorney General Gregory,
directed that the raids should be made
simultaneously in all cities promptly
at 2 .. NJ, central time. The plans,
which had been explained in detail to
President Wilson by MI. Gregory and
had been approved by the chief execu-
tive, worked so well that within an
hour or so of the time set for the raids
word had been received from each of
the places saying that the work had
been completed.
According to the department of JUS
tice, no information concerning the
contents of the papers seized will be
made public until after the evidence
has been turned over to the federal
grand jury at Chicago, which is inves-
tigating the activities of the l. w. W.
No Trace of German Money Vet.
Thus far, 1t is said, the department
of justice has not been able to find
any direct evidence of German money
or German agents. This fact, how
ever, has not deferred the departments
agents from following up rumors that
large numbers of Austrians are Qctive
in the propaganda. Should these ru-
mors prove well founded it is probable
that the government will undertake to
intern all suspected Austrian aliens,
Just as it has done with regard to Ger
man aliens, regardless of the posi-
bility of such action provoking Austria
to a declaration of war.
The present situation is but n of
many that have developed to emphasize
the embarrassment which this govern
ment experiences by reason of the fact
that 1t is not at war with Germany's
allies. Diplomatic relations with Aus
tria and Turkey have been severed, to
be sure, but in any situation short of a
state of war the attitude of this gov
eminent toward these countries Is q