Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-09-27


their passports long ago, when the
government secret agents learned
that they were guilty Of engineering
the numerous dynamite plots in mu-
nitions factories, which had aroused
the country for months.
In this connection there Is an in
teresting side light on Count Won
Uernstorff's action. With Capt. Boy
Ed and Won Papen gone from the
United States he found himself alone
as the leader OF pro-German plotting.
al the same time he was trying to as
sure the state department OF The
friendship existing between the Unit
ed States and Germany.
The $4,000 which Count von Bern.
storff proposed to pay for the influ-
ence Of congress Is described by Off
Gals as being merely a drop in the
bucket" as compared with the gigan-
tic "slush fund maintained by Ger
many for the conduct of Propaganda
in the United States. This fund. 70.
ports indicate, ran upward of . 5,O00,-
600. Why Count Won Bernstorff should
have found it necessary 10 cable tor
approval to spend $4,000 OF 1t is a
mystery which has not been explained
to the entire satisfaction Of the au.
thorities.
rrA~.ne.@a.I 0sAh> 1 tLAIA
In all probability there will be =
joint congressional investigation of
the affair.
Secret agents of the department Of
Justice have gathered evidence to
show that Count 0 Bernstorff did
rot intend to use the money directly
to influence members Of congress.
There is no evidence, SO far as al be
learned, that any member, except pos
sibly one. ever received any payment
from German sources for eXpounding
the cause of Prussianism. So far as
the one member is concerned. the
chain Of information against him Ia
not complete.
What Count Won B%ernstorft intend.
cd to do. officials believe, was to as
sist one of the numerous organiza-
tons in the country which We're at
that time engaged in creating senti-
ment against any action by congress
which might lead toward war. There
were half a dozen Of these organiza-
tons, which were extremely active in
pro-German propaganda. All Of them
b~esieged members of the senate and
! house. urging them constantly to keep
the United States from entering the
conflict on the side of the allies.
Among the organizations were the
American Peace Conference Of De-
troit, the German-American Alliance
OF New York. the American Truth So
ciety Of New York and Labor's Ma.
llonal Peace Council.
The belief that Count Won Bernstorfi
intended to use the machinery of the
American Peace Conference in the
scheme to intluenc congress comes
through the collection Of evidence
that 1t was ready at the time to launch
a gigantic campaign to further the
German cause. The appropriation o
$4,000 would not have been sufficien,
to do all the work expected, but 1t Il
said that 1t would have gone a Ions
way toward starting the propaganda
and the sending Of letters or tele
grams urging peace.
Ihis same organization, at the tim,
known as the American Embargo con
ference. sent thousands of telegram;
to Washington IN the spring of 1871,
&c the president, to the state depar:
Ment and to members Of the senat,
n house. AT the time the headuuar
tiers OF the conference we're in Chi
!, cago, on Clark street, but after tn,
scheme was uncovered in the senat
! the lame was changed and the outfit
l was moved to Detroit. w. X. McDor
aid is named as the general manager
There were nine forms OF message
IL all, printed on a single sheet an,
sent out through the country b
agents. together with instructions r,
semblins the endless chain method.
Senator Husting gathered a mass q
information about the scheme an
made a specrh in the senate exposin
g what was being done. His address
caused a great sensation and prccip
! tated much favorable comment at III
d time.
) This hodv uo. ,,,... :, -,