Evening star., 1917-09-22
HEFL|N'S CHARGES Z
SPURON HOUSE TO /.
BERNSTORFF PROBE
Believed Plans to Use $50, 600
Fund Should Be Run Down
in All Detail.
Mr.. FLOOD CONFERS = :
WITH Mr.. LANSING
No New Light Shed in Case-Secres
tary of State Sees No Reflection
on Congress.

on Congress. :.
Chairman Flood of the House foreig1s
affairs committee declared today, after7j
comforting with Secretary Lansing. thaeS
he thought there probably would be sa}
House investigation of Count Won Bern ~
storff's plans to influence Congress- by
spending $4,000 as revealed in his disc
patches to Berlin.
Secretary Lansing sees little that ui
congressional inquiry could develop, buoA
charges made on the floor yesterday -bys3
Representative Heflin Of Alabama, that I
certain members have acted suspi- 4
ciously.'' and veiled accusations made by !.
other representatives in interviews /,
probably will force an investigationsS !
Mr.. Flood said.
After returning to the Capitol frOnld
the State Department Mr.. Flood begani
conferences with House leaders to learN>l
their views on holding an inquiry. Hell
declared that Secretary Lansing gave
him no new details regarding the Won
Bernstorff message. -
Mr.. Lansing's Ststement. u
After his conference with Chairmal1
Flood. Secretary Lansing authorised th0f
following statement:
"If there is any MISUNDERSTANDING. ~
wish to say very emphatically do nofJ
see how the Bernstorf message In any,
way reflects upon Congress or any,
member. Apparently it was the purpoeg
to employ agencies to infiuenc themto$3
which they would have no kDowie64ec
and in case they were Influenced woui0i
be entirely innocent. L do not know
what the organization was. This exe4
pose is apropos of German methods Oh
peace propaganda and there is no stn43
tention of casting suspicion on mso$'
bers of Congress-. -
Senate Postpones Action.
Senate leaders today informally.
agreed to postpone any action regard1s
ing an investigation until Monday ~
least, planning to await possible furt
ther developments. Senator Marttn1
democratic leader, advised delay Wng4t
Senator Overman. chairman OF the toless
Investigating committee, propo0ed ~:
announce Willingness of the c0mWt<t44.
| to begin an inquiry il the Senate shcul9
favor such course.
Deem Action Necessary.
Following the fat statement by RASeS.
resentative Hefiin of Alabama that
thirteen or fourteen members of Cone
gress in both houses. had acted in q
suspicious manner, there was q distinct
feeling at the Capitol today that the
that distributors of the corruption fund
must be located and that 1t must be-
traced through it's devious channels
The names of the propaganda breeders, Z
their organizations, their dupes and {
their tools must be brought to light
according to many members OF the Sen~t
ate and House. who are anxious to have
a clear-cut issue made OF the tnformA-
tion carried in the Won Bernstorn meD--
sage that the German government has 3
been dealing with an organisation
whose business it is to influence Con.s
gress."
Should Take the Initiative.
Il believe that the men who have acted
thus suspiciously" said Representative
Hefiin today, should themselves demand
an investigation. And / want to say.
that l believe that there should be Q
single standard in America at this time
There are men in Congress whose
speeches have resulted in draft riots
Men have been arrested and jailed for,
expressing the sentiments uttered IN
Congress by certain senat tors and repre-s
sentatives who are left to go free and
scatter their ideas up and down the
world.
Senator Husting of Wisconsin. who. on
April 27, 1916, vigorously assailed the
American embargo conference, today
said he believed there is "a master
propaganda lurking somewhere in the
country" To find this man the Wiscon-s
sin senator is planning resolution OF
inquiry. Senator Husting has copies OF
all the kilograms sent out at the fu-
stance of the American embargo confer~,
ence whose office in Chicago was the
headquarters of the sentiment against
shipping munitions of war to the ale
lies. "a
Work of the Organization Cited. III
This organization was charged by thG$|
senator from Wisconsin with havtno|
disseminated much .anti-war propa6
ganda. and all of it was made part n
the permanent records OF the governl
ment in the pages of the Congressiona|
Record. -
Talk of the Bernstein >telegram LEI
members of Congress today to recall n
instances where southern negroes have q
conclusively that German agents had
promised to turn over the south To-
them if they would aid Germany.
Representative Heflin has given to thG Il
Department of Justice a letter he res n
ceived from a negro in his district. writ~S
ten by another negro. stating that 0erl}I
man agents had been at work fomente5l
ing discord and promising the negfo<4}|
the state of Texas
This is an important link in a chafntI
we are forging" said the Departm661 I.
of Justice official to Representstt&t
Heflin.
Representative venable of Mississippf1 (
called attention to this fact on thu
floor of the House yesterday afternoonS
Members Are Angry.
And the more they think about It the
madder they get.
That is the sentiment among senator's
and representatives over the revelaA
tions OF Bernstorff's proposal to infiu4
ence Congress through an Organizations
by the use ola corruption fund.
They are angered over the afIrouo
to this government and by the breac1
of diplomatic faith on the part OF tKG
Likewise they are b1t401
in the reflection that some Of IT,
own number, by acts and utteranon
have at least appeared to be fnnuencu
by some pressure, whether manu6no3
tured sentiment or not.
But what Congress should do abou1
1t is a perplexing problem. the sub3oo&
of divided opinion. If an investigakiol
by committee of Congress coul6E
promise practical results. everybody
would favor 1t. Yet, 1t il asked, whHl
is there to investigate of a fangikll
character? Where would they begln@
Would Trace the Results.
Discarding as unworthy the int1n6
ton that any of their own numbop
received money outright -
senator's ana. representative WVg