New-York tribune., 1917-07-31
Committee Votes Against
Restricting German Fire
Insurance Firms
Would Have Access
To All War Plants
Fight Will Be Made on
Floor to Block Proposal
Of Frelinghuysen
tFrom Ths Tribuns Bureaul

Washington, July 90.-The Senate
Commerce Committee, in considering
the trading-with-the-en bill, has
yielded to the arguments Of Senator
Frelinghuysen, of New Jersey, and has
adopted an amendment which virtually
permits unrestricted operation by Ger
man owned and controlled fire insur-
ance companies.
AS the bill now stands in committee,
these insurance companies can send
their inspectors at will to munitions
plants, aeroplane factories, ship yards,
or any other plant on which they hap
pen to have either direct insurance or
reinsurance. Thus the German owners
or officers connected with these COM
panles have absolute access to informa-
tion which might be of tremendous
value to incendiary German agents.
Opponents Plan Fight
Against this amendment, which seems
to have been adopted without discus
sion Of this phase of the situation by
the committee, there is promised Bit
ter fight on the floor of the Senate, by
Senators who believe that the principle
, underlying the Presidents proclama-
tion closing the door to marine insura
ance of the many German owned or
controlled marine insurance companies,
should be applied also to the fire in
surance companies.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen's plea to the COM
mittee, in which he was backed by As
sistant Attorney General Warren Of
the Department of Justice, was that
to forbid American insurance COM
panies, for instance, to carry their rein
surance with German owned or con-
trolled companies would be seriously to
involve the American companies. 1t
would be a severe strain on the Ameri-
can companies, Mr.. Frelinghuysen and
Mr. Warren told the committee, to have
this great bulk of reinsurance suddenly
wiped out, so to speak, leaving the
American companies carrying the en-
tire risk.
Fails to See Danger
Mr.. Frelinghuysen is heavily inter-
ested himself in insurance companies,
and Senators who attacked the pro-
uosal said to-day they had no doubt
that he had not thought of the posi-
bility of German incendiary agents OBJ
tanning information on American war
plans through the simple eXpedIent OF
German agents visiting as insurance
INSPECTORS the plants where vital sup
plies for the American army and navy
are manufactured.
They expressed considerable sur,
prise. however, that Mr.. Warren should
have approved the Frelinghuysen pro-
nosal inasmuch as he has had charge
Of ali prosecutions Of neutrality VIOLA
tions during the war. 1t was under
NJ Warren's direction that the bureau
~ investigation, as the Department OF
Ir.t;ce secret service is called, at
tonnted 10 suppress the wave OF oomo
rints Men who had a personal part
- that fght are scornful OF ocGa-
I;o,ai ranks. They frankly dread the
o,o,arized movement such as they rec
oaoiza f1,, was run by Boyd and Won
Papen. -,
Secret Service Men Worried
T-boss men were delighted when the
Tho Tribune began its fight to have the
German marine insurance companies
Senrived of the valuable information
they were so easily obtaining. iney
ore aehast now at the twisting, OF the
prading-with- the enemy act in the SEN
ate committee which would permit IN
formation as to plants manufacturing
var materials to go into German hands.
The only thing the Senators on the
coro m mittee seemed worried about was
that the premium money for this rein
smrance[or ~ straight insurance as the
case might be-might reach Germany
So So tbev Carefully provided that the busi-
nsss must be conducted under strict
superyision, and that no monies must
ba sent home to Germany.
REPORTS Of the conduct OF the pusI-
mass. however, may be mailed to Ger
mani at will. Senators outside the
committee who are opposed to this let
ting down the bars, pointed out tnat IN
such technical reports 1t would De al
most impossible for censors to check
code which might reveal almost any
Information which this government de-
sired to conceal.