The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-10-22
.PRO-CERMANS WOULD
BLOCK LIBERTY LOAN
Efforts Being Made in Some Sections
to Defeat Bond Issue


man agents in the United States, &C
cording to reports to the treasury
department, have directed their en-
ergies toward defeating the Liberty
loan. Their organized propaganda
has borne fruit, from Minnesota to
Texas, it is asserted, in scattered To-
calities where weak efforts have
been made, not openly, but by indi-
rect methods, to discourage subscrip-
tons.
The work of the pro-German
agents, officials assert, has been car
ried on for more than two weeks.
Some of the workers had the
temerity, reports to the treasury in
dictate, to conduct their operations
here in the national capital.
Official recognition of the propa-
ganda against the loan was voiced
today by Colonel Herbert NJ Lord,
representing the war department at
the war risk insurance conference,
at which details of the new soldiers
and sailors insurance law are being
explained to officers and enlisted
men from the various cantonments.
Organized Effort
There has been an organized eff
fort" said Colonel Lord, who was
chairman of today's meeting, "to
discourage and defeat the loan"
This effort, he added, has been
made by seeking to misrepresent
the patriotism of the new national
army" An official account of the
proceedings of the conference, which
was behind closed doors, issued to-
night by the treasury department,
reads as follows:
I'm convincing REPUTATION of the
SANDER, which was to the effect that
the men of the new national army
opposed the war, Colonel Lord an
nounced that subscriptions from the
army for the loan already aggre-
gated $26,000,000 and that some Of
the subscriptions were written in
foreign languages.
"The announcement caused great
enthusiasm among the delegates for
the army and navy, marine corps
and coast guard (attending the con-
ference), 500 of whom swarmed up
to the platform following the address
and signed war insurance applica-
tions, all of which except forty were
for the maximum of 100000"
Pro-German Plan
Assembled from various sources
the efforts of workers against the
loan appear to have been directed
along four main channels:
Attempts to discourage prospec-
tive buyers of Liberty bonds.
Efforts to prevent certain banks
from handling the bonds. 49,
The publication, in certain news
papers and other mediums of pub
licity, of editorials and articles
which, while not directly opposing
loan subscriptions, tend to discour-
age buyers.
The prevention, so far as local
and sporadic efforts can prevent, of
the placing Of Liberty loan posters
and advertising literature where it
Will be most benehc1al.
Attempts to discourage buyers by
the personal plea method have been
confined mostly to the east. In
stances have been brought to the at
tention of officials where buyers
have been approached, apparently in
spirit of great friendship, and ad-
vised not to buy the bonds.
Pressure on Banks
Efforts to prevent banks from
handling the bonds have centered
chiefly in Wisconsin, Minnesota,
North and South Dakota, Montana,
Missouri and Oklahoma. The presi-
dent of Wisconsin bank has ad-
vised the treasury that his de-
positors, mostly Germans or of Ger
man parentage, have withdrawn
many thousands Of dollars from his
bank because he aided the first Lib
erty loan.
These depositors, he added, had
taken their accounts to two rival
banks on the understanding that
those banks would not aid the
second Liberty loan. The two banks,
he reported, were not aiding the
loan in any way.
Many banks have felt the pressure
Of German influence in this propa-
ganda, reports indicate. So pro-
nounced was the movement that the
states of Minnesota, North and South
Dakota and Montana recently de-
cided that they would withdraw state
funds from any bank which did not
support the loan.
In Missouri and Oklahoma the
pro-German element is said to have
applied strong pressure on bank d.
rectors and officers to induce them
to refrain from participating in the
fotation of the second loan. This
movement, however, proved to be a
boomerang, it is said. The banks
turned deaf ear to these represen-
tations and subscriptions are now re-
ported to be increasing heavily in.
that section. A check is kept by the
treasury on all newspaper editorials
and articles referring to the loan,
not only in publications printed in
English, but in the foreign language
press as well. A number of such
publications, it is asserted, have
been industriously printing editorials
and articles Of tone apparently
studied to produce impressions I'M
favorable to the loan.
The fourth phase Of opposition