Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-20
With The Other Editors
Germany's Schemes Against Neutral Ma.
firms

Machiavelll taught that any intrigue
that would serve the state was permiSsi-
BILE, but that it was a crime 10 allow 1t 10
be discovered prematurely. How com
pletely the Germans practice the Machia-
vellian code Is suggested anew by 'the
official statement concerning Germany's
plan TO have Mexico engage in war with
the United States The statement for the
most part tracks the unofficial ones
which preceded. German %-cruple~ are not
excited by the moral aspect Of the mat
ter: II processes. and perhaps with sin
cerlty, 10 see nothing wrong IN intriguing
against 4 government while pretending
friendship for II. But the German mind
i painfully disturbed b. the curiosity as
Ia how the proof of it, pertidy was dis
closed. 1T D. not known the Official
statement. with remarkable n%aiv,te. goes
on 10 say. 'by what means the American
government acquired knowledge 81 the in
structions transmitted by secret ways to
Mexico. ii seems that trea~on-and trea-
son II probably iS-haS been committed
on American territory Only Machiavel-
hans 10 whom the crime j. in being dis
covered could give voice Ia the particular
anguish which this statement betravs.
II j. easily po~~oible. however. that the
German perturbation j. due To- something
more than the humiliation Of being found
out. II j. probably intensified by the fear
that Washington knows Ut other plots
and lntrlgues begun al q time when il could
not be pleaded that they were made legiti-
mate by the Immincnce III war with the
United States. And the likelihood IN that
Washington knows Of several such plots.
II probably has proof that Berlin has not
restricted it, Vaccinations III Mexico IT,
the Carranza government. hut that it has
been equally active, and more successful.
in using Villa. How Villa has been get
ting the money and ammunition w carry
on his operations could be- answered much
more confidently now than would have
been possible a few months ago. Ii i~ not
eXtrayagant ~ thing hat German agents
have been financing Villa for a year or
have only now the acknowledgement of
chargeahle To German in~tigation. We
nave only now the acknowledgement VII
a Peruvian newspaper that ii has been
hired ever since the war tu fnmrnt prriu-
dice and hatred Of the United States. II
would be absurd IA suppose that this IN an
ISOLATED ease. II IL rational. on the other
hand ~ suppose that most ~ the anti
American propaganda that has been wit
Messed during the last two years in ull the
South and Central American republics
was bought and paid for by agents eff
the German government. N viii probably
be disclosed. if it has not already been
disclosed to the higher Officers III lhc GOV
eminent, that Germany began. almost at
the inception WI the war. tu foment
trouble for the United States in the hope
that the dangers thus created would dis
Suade u from resentlug any of the injuries
Germany might think eNpcdicnt IN iuflict
on II IN prosecuting the war on its enc
mics. II was probably Il method Ger
many conceived 10 enforce neutrality on
the United States despite any nroyura-
tlon 1t might see fit IL give.-GalveSton
News