Macon beacon., 1917-09-28
GERMAN PLOT TO
SWAY CONGRESS
ASTOUNDS NATION
Revelations by Secretary OF
State lansing Bring Storm
of DenunCiation.
BERNST0RFF WAS PAYMASTER
Ambassadors Request for $4,000 Re.
uarded as indicating That Money
Had Been Used Before for
Same Purpose.

W HNHtTEtbHF- AltiltttN Hi fhiRifNN1
government officials and members Of
the diplomatic corps have not yet re-
covered from their amazement at the
astounding revelations made by Sec
retnry of State Lansing Of the plans
OF Count Won BernstorG, former Ger
man ambassador to the United States,
20 cxpend $4,000 In an effort 10 lnfu-
encc congress and prevent this coun
try from going to war with Germany.
The revelation Of this plot, follow
ing the disclosures OF other cases OF
German dupliCty in It's diplomatic re.
lations with the United States and
other countries, had the effect OF
sweeping away such antIwar propa-
Ennda ns may stIll have been alive In
the national capital and giving more
convincing evidence Of the hostile acts
which forced the United States Into
The war.
\ How Plot Was Revealed.
Here is the statement Of Secretary
Lansing:
'The secretary Of state issues the
following statement from Ambassador
Bernstorff to the Berlin foreign Office,
dated January -, 1917:
"T request authority to pny out up
70 $50, 900 (hfty thousand dollars), in
order, as on former occasions, to lntlu-
ence congress through the organIza
~ rh
prevent war.
"I am beginning In the meantime
20 net accordingly.
"'In the above circumstances, pub
vor Of Ireland Is highly desirable In
order TO gain the support Of Irish In
fiuence here"
Capital Stunned by Revelations.
The publication OF this letter mp
parently revealing the fact that Bern
storff had previously "innuenced
congress through the organization you
know Of" actually stunned the cap
itol.
On the floor Of the house. congress
men were denounced as Suspicious v
II was openly stated by some Tint they
believed their colleagues had received
German money.
According to Representative Tom
1IehIn. Alabama, he believes he could
name l3 or II men In the two houses
Of congress who have acted suspi-
ciously
Fess Of Ohio and Howard OF Geor-
Eia both declared the German propn-
gnndn worked directly. with money
changing hands and reaching govern
ment officials.
Additional startling revelations of
the free use Of money by the Ger
man government to sustain the Ger
man propaganda In the United States
will follow LnnsIng's expose.
These revelations, II was indicated
will corrohornte the indictment OF
the German embassy Ms the diShurs
ing bureau for propaganda. Certain
Irish American agitators In the coun
try who have allied themselves with
hostile German Americans may expect
to be the next objects OF the govern
meut's attack.
Convlets Count Bernstorff.
The shower of indictments OF Ger
man clandestine pre-war activities II
this country is relied upon by tn,
state department TO set Mt rest nj
doubt remaining In any quarters tha
fhe German government oficiall.
through Count Won Bernstorff con
spIred hagrantly, as asserted In Presi
dent Wilson'S war proclamation, to di
vide the American people on the Is
sues of the war. Ii Is believed by tn
state department that public opinion
after digestng the contents of tn
series of exposes, may be depende
upon to deal effectively with thoS
who became the catspaws Of the Gel
man embassy.
The message was decoded by SEQ
land Yards experts after vain a
tempts by Americans.
Expulsion might have been Vo
BernstorTs fate as remotely us 1918
the state department had then know
as much about the secrets of the GeI
man code ms II knows today.
Other Shots to Follow.
One by one the exhibits in the ev
dence In the case, II was snld at III
state department, will be given TO IL
public.
That Americans In high public pos
tons lent themselves TO the Germn
embassy's plan to split congress c
the question OF war, further decode
messages in the possession of the go
eminent are expected to demonstra
conclusively
More than one Of these well-know
persons has been under public Su
picion, but proof of their compicit
with the German government has n,
come forth. Ii is known that ey
dence of the most damaging and co
yincing character has finally be,
obtained by the agents of the COVER
ment.
Vice President Marshall made
clear cut statement of his views