The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-17


German who represented In
Germany an American business house.
He made 1t a practice to 60 about in
Berlin and other cities and stand up
in cafes and beer halls in order to make
addresses attacking the president and
| the United States So bold did he
become that he even. in the presence
Of a number Of persons in my room,
one day said that he would like to
hang Secretary Bryan as high as
| Hannah and Pr esident Wilson one foot
| higher. The american newspapers
| stated that / called a servant and
had him thrown out of the embassy,
This statement is not entirely true.
selfshiy kept that pleasure for my,
self
| The case of Somborn gave me an
idea, and / cabled to the department
OF state asking authority to take up
I the passports of all Americans who
abused their own country, on the
grounds that they had violated the
| right, by their abuse, to the protection
OF a passport The department of
state sustained my view, and by my
| direction the consul in Dresden took
up the passports of a singer named
Rains and gentleman Of leisure
named Recknagel. who had united in
addressing a letter TO the Dresden
newspapers abusing the president II
/ was some time before I got Som
passport; later on I received from him
the apoioyi OF broken and contrite
man. and obtained permission from
! Washington to issue him passport
/ in order 10 enable him to return to
America
| vTIIFTFRs OF THEIR
OWN COUNTRY
OF course. these vtiiners Of their
J own country were loud in their
denunciations OF me, but the prospect
OF losing the protection OF their pass
ports kept many OF these men from
open and reasonable denunciatton of
their own country.
The German government actually
encouraged the formation of societies
/ which had for their very object the
/ scattering Of literature attacking the
president and the United States. The
! most conspicuous of these oryantxa-
tions was the so-called League of Truth
Permanently connected with 1t was in
American dentist who had been In
jail in America and who had been ak
/ PEELED from Dresden by the police
authorities there. The secretary was
a German woman who posed as an
American and had been on the stage
as snake dancer. The principal or
/
who had won the favor OF the Ger
may authorities by writing a book
! on Belgium denying that any atrocities
had taken place there. Marten Sc
cured subscriptions from many Ger
mans and Americans resident in Cor
many, opened headquarters In rooms
! on the Potsdamerstrasse and enxaxed
In the business OF sending out
/ phamphlsts and leaflets alta ck.nr
! raarfra nnA ~ ka -
! porters was a man named Stoddard,
who had made a fortune by giving
travel lectures IN America and had
| retired to his Ia ndaone villa In Meran.
in Austria Stoddard issued
pamphlet entitled What Shall We Do
With wilson, and some atrocfous at
ternpts at verse. all OF which WAS sent
broadcast by the League of Truth.
i OFFICIAL COTNIT.NANCE
no * FRS
This was done with the express per-
| mission OF the German authorities be-
cause during the war no societies or
associations Of any kind could meet,
be formed or act without the express
! permission and superintendent OF
/ both the military and police authori-
ties. Any one who has lived In Ger
! many knows that II would be fmpossi-
Bile, even IN peace times, to hang a
| wreath on public statue without the
/ perm ission Of the local authorities,
and yet on the emperor's birthday,
January 2T. 1915. this League Of Truth
was permitted to place an enormous
sMreath. more than four feet high. on
the statue OF Frederick the Great. with
an American flag draped In mourning
attached, and a silk banner on which
I WAS printed in large letters OF gpld.
| Wilson and HIS press ara not Amerf-
ca" The League OF Truth then had a
photograph taken OF this wreath.
i which IVES sent all over Germany.
again. OF course. with the permission
OF the authorities. The wreath and
attachm erts. In spite OF frequent pro-
Won Jagow. remained in this conspi-
cuous position until the sixth of May.
1915. After the receipt OF the Eus-
sex note ! again called Won Jagows
attention to the presence Of this
wreath. and told him. II this con-
tinufng insult to our nag aud presi-
dent was not taken away that would
40 tire NEXT day with n cinematograph
]. operator and take It away myself. Tho
next day the wreath had disappeared.
| This league. IN circulars, OCCASION
ally attacked me. and In q circular
| which 1t distributed shortly after my
/ return to Germany at the end Of d.
cember, 1918, II was stated, what
do you think of the American am
/ hassador? When he came to Ger
many after his trip to America he
brought a French woman with him. "
And the worst of this statement was
that 1t was true. But the league, OF
course, did not states that my wife
came with mr. bringing her French
4 maid b. the express permission Of
i the German foreian offlca
! I have had occasion many times
to wonder nj the curious twists Of the
/ German mind. hut I have never been
able TO understand on what possible
! theory the Germ an government per.
mitted and even encouraged the exis-
tence OF this League OF Truth. Ger
| tcinly the actions Of tho league, head
ed by snake iancer and a dentist,
would not f.,rroioe the American con-
| gress. President Wilson or mo into
falling In with all tho views Of the
/ German government. and II the Ger
/ man government was DESTROYS Of eth
ier the presidents friendship or nina,
why was this gang Of good for-noth-
| ings allowed to insult Unfortunately
their country. their president and their
Ambassador!
AMERICAN RECEIVER
OF FOREIGN PAY
a.