The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-02-23
DEATH TO SPIES
BILL is PASSED
Drastic Law on Espionage Gets
Senate Approval.
IT INCLUDES IA MEASURES

Heavy Fine or Imprisonment Provided
Against VioIators in Time of Peace.
Fine, Imprisonment or Death Is the
Penalty During War-Proposed Act
Covers Many Offenses.
WASHINGTON, D. C.-The admin
istration espionage bin, providing Sc
we're penalties for spying on matters
of national defense and furnishing con-
Spiracies to violate American neutral
ity, was passed by the senate by a
vote of go to 10.
The bill as passed takes in fourteen
separate measures suggested by the
department of justice and was put
through virtually unchanged, despite
the opposition of several senators,
who declared its terms so stringent as
to imperil American liberty of speech
and of the press. 1t has not passed the
house.
Spy Section Is Drastic.
The spy section is far reaching,
two years Imprisonment or $4,000
Cne to approach or enter any place
connected with the national defense
to obtain information unlawfully or to
make photographs, blue prints, plans,
ETC., of things connected with such de-
Tense or model or anything else OF Ia.
toned defense value. Where these
things are done for foreign govern
ment in time of peace, whether recog
nized or unrecognized by the United
States, the penalty is increased to
twenty years imprisonment and in
time of war to life.
Death in Time of War.
Any person who in war time, with
the intent that it shall be communi-
Gated to the enemy, shall collect,
record, publish or communicate or at
tempt to elicit any information" with
respect to the movement, numbers,
etc., of the armed forces of the United
States or its war materials or it's plans
of military or naval operations, cor
any other information relating to the
public defense or calculated to be-"
shall be punished with death or by
fine and not more than thirty years
Imprisonment. This penalty is reduced
to three years Imprisonment where
there is no intent that the information
be communicated to an enemy, but
where it might be useful to such enc
my. The president is given arbitrary
power to designate other things and
places in addition to those specifically
named which shall be included in the
term national defense.
Canal PeriIed, Says President.
WASHINGTON, d. G.. = President
Wilson has written strong letter to
Senator Stone, chairman of the senate
committee on foreign relations, asking
him to renew his efforts to have the
pending treaty with Colombia ratified
because of complications that may
arise on the Panama canal if the re-
lations between Germany and this gov
eminent result in war. The President
makes it clear that German agents in
Colombia are already active with
view to making trouble for this gov
eminent along the canal.
Rigid Censorship Is On
WASHINGTON, d. Cat the grim,
gray building that houses the navy de-
partment in Washington, the most
rigid censorship ever established
shrouded in mystery every maneuvre
of the nations big sea fighting force
The censorship was radically tighten
ed, as the naval bureau of operations
showed signs of extraordinary activi-
ty and extra guards were stationed in
the corridors outside the bureau office
keeping every passer-by moving. The
orders were so strict that when Lieu
tenant Commander Byron McCand-
less, personal aide to Secretary of the
Navy Daniels 1oitered in the corridor
for chat with fellow officer, he was
gently but firmly moved on"