The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-12-26
LUxDERG'S PLOTS EXPOSED.
WASHINGTON GIVES OUT STORY
SHEDDING LIGHT UPON UN-
EXPLAINED ACTIVITIES
OF LATINS.
Tells OF Attempt to Make Secret
Alignment OF South American CoUn-
tries Against United States.

Washington, Dec. 20.-Through a.
long series of kilograms exchanged
by the notorious Count Luxburg. for
mer German charge IN Argentine, aud
the Berlin foreign office, the State
department tonight disclosed further
facts about German diplomatic trick
cry and at the same time shed ligh;
upon some hitherto uneXp'airel ac-
tivities of certain Iat:n-Amerlcan
statesmen
LuXburg, in one OF his messages.
dated August /, reported that Pres-
ident Iroygen of Argentine ut lat
had made up his mind to conclude a
secret agreement with Chile and Bo-
livia for protection against North
America before the confcrenre idea
is taken up again" The conference
idea" is assumed to have been the
plan for n Latin American neutrality
conference, strongly supported by
Carranza, of Mexico, and much dis
cussed in some OF tha South Ameri-
can countries, while the proposed Sc
cret agreement may explain repcrrs
that have come from Buenos Aires
recently Of President Iroygens pro =
posals for n league Of South Ameri
can nations.
In Latin-American diplomatic
quarters here it is regarded ts ccr.
tain that the disclosures will result
very quickly in an Argentine declara-
ton of war against Germany. Con-
gress and a majority Of the people
favored this step when the American r.
government published tlct Spurius
Versenkt (sink without trace)
message of Luxburg. and it is believ-
ed that the presidents opposition
will now be swept away, !: II IS not
withdrawn.
The messages given out today wele
made public by the State department
in agreement with the Argentine gov
ernment. which, in an accompanying
statement by it's foreign minister
says 1.-The inaccuracies" of the Ger.
man diplomats reports are SO sur
prising that no epithet will fit them.
The first of Luxburg's intercepted
messages were transmitted 20 Berlin
by the Swedish legation at Bueros
Aires in its diplomatic code, and
publication of that fact by Secretary
Lansing not only threw Argentina
into n turmoil, resulting in the dis
missal of the charge, but precipitatcd
crisis in Sweden. No explanation is
given OF the means by which the later
messages were sent.
All of the correspondence was ex-
changed during July, August and ear
iy in September, and most of it dealt
with the negotiations then in prog
ress over the sinking of the Argentine
SHIPS by German submarines. Before
the messages fell into the hands of
the American government Germany
virtually had settled the matter by
agreeing to pay indemnity and to
treat Argentine ships according to
international law. Secret reports now
reveal that Argentine on its side was
10 keep its ships out OF danger by not
allowing them to sail for the war
zone, an easy task in view of the fact
that she had almost no shipping left
Throughout the message Luyburg
owells upon his difficulties with the
lofeign minister and upon his influ-
ehce with the president. Finally he
was conducting negotiations directly
with the president.
How far President Iroygen's pro-
Ject for an anti-North American al
nance went the correspondence does
not develop. 1t merely says that he
made up his mind to conclude the
agreement with Bolivia and Chile, "a
mutual rapprochement for protection
Vis-a-vis North America" being the
FSA POoS eto dSSCTlDeQ. III the con-
Guiding telegram of the series, how
ever, Luxburg, addressing an unnam-
ed person in Santiago, Chile, proba-
bly, the German minister there, says
that as long as Chile is neutral.
Germany after the war will
be able to carry out her South Amer
lean policy just as we'll as if not more
easily in opposition to an infatuated
and misguided Argentina as with Ar
gentina on her side"
This apparently was written when
the likelihood of the president hold
ing Argentina out of the war appear
ed to be fading.
Ambassador Naon, of Argentina.
declined tonight TO make any COM
ment up on the matter, further than 1