McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1917-09-28
GERMAN PLOT TO
SWAY CONGRESS
AsTOUNDs NATION
Revelations by Secretary Of
State Lansing Bring Storm
of Denunciation.
BERNST0RFF WAS PAYMASTER
Ambassadors Request for $4,000 Re-
garded as Indicating That Money
Had Been Used Before for
Same Purpose.

| OdIfie purpose.
Washington Members of congress
| government officials and members of
the diplomatic corps have not vet re-
! covered from their amazement at the
astounding revelations made by Sec
rotary of State Lansing of the plans
of Count Won Bernstorff, former Ger
man ambassador to the United States,
to expend $4,000 In an effort to influ-
ence congress and prevent this coun-
| try from going to war with Germany.
The revelation of this plot, follow
Ing the disclosures of other cases of
German duplicity in its diplomatic re-
lations with the United States and
! other countries, had the effect of
sweeping away such antiwar propa-
ganda as may still have been alive in
the national capital and giving more
convincing evidence of the hostile acts
which forced the United States into
the war.
| How Plot Was Revealed.
| Here is the statement of Secretary
Lansing:
'The secretary of state issues the
following statement from Ambassador
BernstOrff to the Berlin foreign office,
dated January %, 1917:
az request authority to pay out I'D
to $4,000 fifty thousand dollars), in
order, as on former occasions, to influ-
ence congress through the organiza-
ton you know Of which can perhaps
| prevent war.
az am beginning in the meantime
to act accordingly.
| I'm the above circumstances, a pub
lie official German declaration in fa-
vor Of Ireland is highly desirable in
order to gain the support of Irish in
fiuence here"
Capital Stunned by Revelations.
The publication of this letter ap-
parently revealing the fact that Bern
storff had previously influenced
congress through the organization you
know Of" actually stunned the cap
itol.
On the floor of the house, congress
men were denounced as Suspicious"
1t was openly stated by some that they
believed their colleagues had received
German money.
According to Representative Tom
Heflin, Alabama, he believes he could
name IS or IA men in the two houses
Of congress who have acted suspi-
ciously.
Tess of Chic and Howard of Geor-
gia both declared the German propa-
ganda worked directly, with money
changing hands and reaching govern
ment officials.
Additional startling revelations Of
the free use Of money by the Ger
man government to sustain the Ger
man propaganda in the United States
will follow Lansing's expose.
These revelations, it was indicated,
will corroborate the indictment Of
the German embassy as the disburs-
ing bureau for propaganda. Certain
Irish-American agitators In the coun-
try who have allied themselves with
hostile German-Americans may expect
to be the next objects of the govern
ment's attack.
conviets Count Bernstorff.
The shower of indictments Of Ger.
man clandestine pre-war activities In
this country Is relied upon by the
state department to set at rest all
doubt remaining In any quarters that
the German government officially
through Count Won .Bernstorff con-
spired flagrantly, as asserted in Presi-
dent Wilson's war proclamation, to di-
vide the American people on the is
sues of the war, 1t is believed by the
state department that public opinion,
after digesting the contents of the
series Of exposes, may be depended
upon to deal effectively with those
who became the catspaws of the Ger
man embassy.
The message was decided by Scot
land Yards experts after vain at.
tempts by Americans.
Expulsion might have been Won
Bernstorffs fate as remotely as 1915 II
the state department had then known
as much about the secrets of the Ger
man code as 1t knows today.
Other Shots to Follow.
One by one the exhibits in the evil
dence In the case, 1t was said at the
state department, will be given to the
public.
That Americans In high public posi-
lions lent themselves to the German
embassy's plan to split congress on
the question of war, further decided
messages in the possession of the gov
eminent are expected to demonstrate
conclusively.
More than one of these well-known
persons has been under public sus
picion, but proof of their completely
with the German government has moi
come forth. 1t is known that evil
dence Of the most damaging and con
vincing character has finally beer
obtained by the agents of the govern
ment.
Vice President Marshall made Q
clear-cut statement of his views to