Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-11-08
MILLION ALIEN
ENEMIES IN j. S.
Government, Out Of Patience
with Their Activities, Pre-.
pares a Quietus.

washington. Nov. 7.-This government
10 about to take the most sweeping and
drastic action against dangerous enemy
aliens in the United States. All the agen-
cies charged with the investigation of
the activities OF spies and the guarding
Of property have been busily engaged in
obtaining evidence for new plan Of pre-
venting the destruction to property.
Although the order has not been issued,
II 10 believed that informed Germans and
those under surveillance will be removed
100 miles from the seacoast, while q con.
siderable number Of new detention camps
to contain German suspects may be au-
thorized. Attorney-Gener Gregory. in
denying to-day that the order for the re-
moval of informed Germans from the coast
had been issued. indicated that the gen.
eral subject was under careful considera-
ton.
Attorney General Gregory is expected to
take up the matter with President Wilson
and Secretary Baker very soon. While
the utmost secrecy is observed at the de-
partment Of justice as to the course that
will be pursued. no attempt is made to
conceal the fact that the patience of the
government has been exhausted, and Ger
man spies and suspects will be rounded
up It is feared that unless this Is done
another wave Of sabotage will occur SINH
lar to that conducted by direction Of the
German embassy agencies.
As custodian of enemy property, A.
Mitchell Palmer has called attention of
the department of Justice to the great
amount Of property belonging to Ger
mans which might be destroyed to pre-
] vent 1t coming into the governments
possession. Mr.. Palmer became .cogni-
can't Of such q probable movement
through the destruction of such prop.
erty at Baltimore. Secret service
agents furnished a list Of German
goods. including a vast amount of cot.
ton in New York. Since the Baltimore
nre and tho frequent fires in Brooklyn
Mr.. Palmer has asked that extraordi.
nary precautions be employed by the
secret service agents in New York tc
guard against the destruction of cottor
there, valued at several million dollars
| Oficials of the government are in
sisting that the policy of permitting
Germans to have their liberty as before
the war should be discontinued. The
only steps taken to overcome German
activities have been the internment Of
German suspects in camps, while the
great body Of German citizens have
been allowed to have considerable free
dom. President Wilson himself wished
to try out this policy, but in some quar-
tiers the opinion prevails that he is nov
satisfied that strong military measures
must be employed. The wholesale de
struction of supplies at Kansas City
Brooklyn and Baltimore, occurring II
the last few weeks. has convinced thu
government that leniency toward en-
envy aliens must end.
1t is estimated that there are nearl!
a million enemy aliens in the United
States. That it will be impossible t
adopt measures to carefully observe al
these IL apparent, but that many o
them will be forced into detention
camps or compelled to leave centres
where war supplies are being manu-
featured and concentrated Is now GER
tain. There may be an exodus from
the coast States Of southern and mid
die western States Such plan 4
practicable. for II enemy aliens wer
forced to leave the coast cities ant
placed in camps in the South they coul'
be guarded easily. One official sug
gested that 1t would be cheaper t
build camps for enemy aliens simila
to the army cantonments.
While plans for handling the situa
ton have ben worked out by secre
service and department of justic
agents, announcement will not be mad
until after conferences with Presiden
Wilson and Secretary Baker. Action
expected soon after the next cabine
meeting.