The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-15
THE EVIDENCE
AGAINST SWEDEN
Piles Up and May Involve
the Legation at Wash
ington
MINISTER'S ABSENCE
NOT YET EXPLAINED
Ekengren Remains Away
form the Capital Dur
ing Excitement


Washington, Sept. l5.-Persistent ru.
mors were ahoat in usually well.in.
formed quarters here yesterday to the
effect that the Swedish legation in
Washington would be the next to be- in
volved in the disclosures which the state
department is making concerning the DO.
gus neutrality of the Swedish govern
ment.
The state department refused either to
deny or affirm the report, which appears
to have originated in attempts to explain
the long .continued absence from this city
of w. A. +. Ekengren, the Swedish min
lister, during the hubbub attendant upon
what has been made public as to the pro-
German services of the Swedish legations
at Buenos Aires and Mexico City.
| The department practically admits
that it has other evidence involving the
neutrality of the Swedish government,
but refuses absolutely to indicate where
the lightning will strike next. The Brit
ish government, which is generally be-
lieved to have aided the United States
in unearthing the evidence thus far ad-
dued, has made little effort in the past
to conceal its suspicion of the Swedish
legation in Washington.
Held Up Swedish Mail.
1t was frankly because of this suspi. |
cion that the British have several times |
held up the Swedish diplomatic mail be- !
ftyaap he Ifni4ad tot nj 4
it has already been recalled in the de- |
spatches, since the present revelations
were made, that there was trunkful of |
documents which went back across the
Atlantic with Count Won Bernstorff I'M
der the seal of the Swedish legation that
was held up and examined by the Brit
ish authorities.
Official advices received at the state de-
partment yesterday from the American
legation at The Hague, and dated Thurs
day, state that up to that time the Ger
man government had not allowed the
contents of the "spurlos versenkt" tele-
grams of Count Luxburg to be printed
in any of the German newspapers
1t is thought here that this has been
due to fear of further criticism of the
German foreign office by the German
people At the time that the famous {
zimmerman letters were made public,
showing the efforts of the German for
eign office to involve Mexico and Japan l
in a plot against the United States in |
the event that this country joined the I
allies, there was strong criticism in Ger {
many of the stupidity of those direct c
ing the empires diplomacy. But for '
his Sf1tnJditxy ~ aha ROAD ~ q
speakers in the Reichstag, the United d
States might have been kept out of the b
war Ip
1t was this as much as anything else i
that led to the downfall of Zimmerman
as foreign minister. e
Efforts on the part of Baron Akerhielm d
TO find a loophole for his government in o
he suggestion that Minister Luxburg's b
kilograms had not been translated prop t
srly, and that instead of referring to the
Argentine foreign minister as "a no
5orious ass and anglophile" he had said
le was notorious as an anglophile"
rave failed to impress American officials.
"There is not the slightest chance that a
mistake was made it was fatty and v
confidently asserted at the state depart h
nent when the suggestion of Baron Ak
rhelm was called to the attention of t.
Ugh official ii
Newspaper correspondents are given W
o understand that the new evidence in
he possession of the state department B
not unlike the sensational disclosure of
thursday concerning the accommodating is
Ierr Folke Cronholm, Swedish charge
'affaires at Mexico City, referred to in 81
n intercepted letter from Won Eek
ardt, the German minister at Mexico ds
ity, to the imperial German chancellor NJ
S "the only diplomat through whom in is
from a hostile camp can be ri
btained. IN
Swedish diplomatic officials in other W.
attn -American countries, it is under 40
God, have been serving the German war w,
'rd in a similar capacity. g.
Argentina has already acted in re-
oonse to the first disclosure by Mr.. Ian bo
ng. Count Luxburg, the German min h.,
ter at Buenos Aires, who, with the
id, if not the connivance, of the Swed- n.
h minister, sent messages to Berlin, -
otting the destruction without a ~,
ace being left" of Argentine merchant :.
lips and referring to the Argentine for .nl1
en- minister as "a notorious ass and 81
lglophile," has been sent packing. -il'
Sweden, it is assumed here, has been cel
ked for an explanation of the conduct 81 ~
Baron Lowen, the Swedish minister, IT'
hose tenure of his present pest is like
to be short.
Mexico, according to Senior Bonillas,
e Mexican ambassador here, will sure
proceed at once to ask explanations
both Germany and Sweden concerning MY
e won Eckhardt letters. OF
In two short paragraphs of his remark
lie letter, the German minister dis Ry
1ses clandestine alliance between
mself and the Swedish charge to use gu,
exican soil as a base from which to Pls
v on the activities of "the hostile
mp" Tn
Though the United States at that a,
ne had not entered the war, the sub 70
arine controversy was still hot and \