The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-05-29
Organized Steamship Company
Here for Sole Purpose of
Stirring up Trouble
With Allies.
SHORTLY BEFORE WAR
Money Loaned Americans to Buy
Grain to be Placed on Board
Ships to Raise an
Issue.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.
/ WASHINGTON, May 29.--Another
startling German plot was revealed
before the house interstate com
merce committee today.
Secretary of War Lansing dis
closed the fact that Germans or Ger.
man officials" attempted shortly be,
fore this nations war declaration to
ences with England and France
through organization Of a big steam
ship company that was deliberately
to violate foreign trading with the
enemy acts. The plot is now being
investigated by the department of
justice upon authority Of reliable
government information, Lansing
told the committee.
Secretary Lansing, Secretary OF
Comm cree Redfield and Assistant
Attorney General Warren, author of
most of the war legislation, were to-
day before the interstate commerce
committee in behalf of the Adamson
trading with the enemy act, intro
duced last week.
Lansing was questioned by COM
mittee member regarding the real
need for such an act.
"There was an attempt" Lansing
said, "by Germans or German Off
cials-I do not know which-to form
a breach between this country and
either England OF France A steam
ship company was organized with an
American board of directors to make
trouble-before the American decla-
ration Of war with Germany, be-
tween the United States and England
or France"
Lansing declared that before this
country entered into the war, Ger
many sent an agent here, or dele
gated one of her spies on American
soil-to organize the steamship COM
pany.
This agent, he said, loaned Ameri-
cans the money to buy grain and
place it aboard ships in order to
raise some issue between this coun-
try and one of the allies over the
question of seizure of American car
goes.
There are many cases, Lansing
doubtless inspired by Ger
many, while we were neutral of or
ganizations effected in this country
for the sole purpose of creating fric-
ton with Great Britain or France"
All of the officials who testified be-
fore the committee intimated that
German propaganda had caused much
Of the correspondence between the
United States and allied countries re-
Sarding seizure of American cargoes,
consigned to neutral coun-
tries, that really were for eventual
re-ShiDment into GERMANY
Both Lansing and Redfield declared
that the Adamson trading with the
enemy act is designed to prevent any
commerce between American citizens,
either here or in Germany, or German
citizens in the United States and
German firms, or between such citi-
zens and firms Of countries allied with
Germany.
Lansing, Redfield and Warren said
that the Adamson bill-an admins.
tration measure-was modelled some
what after the trading with the en-
emy act of other countries.
Great Brftain's act prevents trad
ing with any subject of Germany or
Austria.
The American act is designed more
to prevent trading with any firm
whose products might get into Ger
many.
Plotting In South America.
WASHINGTON, May pa cam.
paign by German propagandists to
align South and Central American
countries against the United States,
was exposed by the state department
today.
In three of the southern republics,
TIE propaganda has assumed menac-
ing proportions. This is in Argentine.
and Colombia
In Brazil the activity of the propa-
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