Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-03-07
IIMAlEItAIANN ADMITS PLOT
Efforts With Mexico to Involve ia
pan-I'rcCautionary Measure.

Berlin, March Virtually adj
/ mitting the truth of the charges
| made i'm the United States that Ger
many plotted to obtain the aid OF
Mexico and Japan In event OF war
with the United States, Foreign Sec
retary Zimmerman to-day justified
such action on the ground that the
United States tried to array South
| American republics against Germany.
The Foreign Secretary's admis-
sions were contained in Il statement
made to a staff member OF the Trans
Oceanic News Agency. He did not
! deny or confirm the authenticity Of
the so-called "Iimmcrmann" letter,
purporting to contain his own propo-
sal to the German Minister at Mex
leo City that he ask Gen Carranza
to persuade Japan to join in a war
on the United States, in event Of hos
tilities. But he asserted that such a
course was thoroughly justified not
only as precautionary measure in
case the United States was the ag-
grcSSor, but also because OF reports
! reaching the German government
that the United States had made sim
liar attempts to array other countries
against the German Empire.
81 fail to see how such a plot is
! inspired by unrriendliness on our
! part" declared Foreign Secretary
zimmerman. ut would mean moth
ing but that we would use means uni
rcrsally admitted in war in case the
! United States declared war"
lie added, pointedly, that such a
move would be only Il purely dcfcn-
aive and precautionary measure by
Germany. and that the so-callcd
pilot" would fall through. if the
: United states did not herself take the
aggressive.
Secretary zimmerman based his
! charge that the United States had at
tempted to line up other ncutrals
| against Germany on statement
printed in the Argentine newspapcr
l,a Prcsna. LA Presna. he said,
charged that the United States last
year suggested common action
against Germany to the South Amer
lean republics.
Two German Views.
! Berlin, March 5.--Whilc some OF
| the German papers have received the
news Of the German Mexican i'll
! lrigucs with comparative indifTcr-
| cncc. others have vigorously de-
nounccd the policy OF Foreign Secre-
tary zimmerman, and among these
is the TagcS Icitung. Count Won Re
ventlow. formerly one OF the most ar
! dent advocates of unrestricted sub
marine warfare and Il general sup
porter OF extreme measures, writes
AS Il result Of the publication of
| the German offer to Mexico Senti-
mcnt which has heretofore been di-
| vided in America is now solidly be-
hind the President. This circum-
stance or its possible results are
hardly calculated to fill us with pes
SlmSm. However, those circles who
| have been basing hopes for the pres
crvation Of peace on divided public
| opinion in the United States are now
forced to deplore the turn things
have taken and to doubt the wisdom
OF the German policy which, so far
rs Mexico is concerned. may be stig-
matizcd as bringing a lighted match
III contact with powder cask.
viewed from this angle. the Of
fer to Mexico Is wholly Incompetent
sible in view Of Mexican conditions
and the further fact that an allied
Mexico held out no more promise
than the one which would have OK
plotted automatically German
American war. The offer OF such an
alliance would seem to rest largely
upon lack OF intimate acquaint-
ance with Mexican affairs and Ameri-
can relations. Those desiring a
policy permitting return Of the
United States to normal relations af-
ter the war cannot help but deplore
the German alliance plan from this
viewpoint alone. Mexico is from
flor moi In hnr hn t,tn
and the German offer will not be for
gotten soon. 1t is to be deeply de-
plored that the chancellor and for
eign secretary neglected to seize the
opportunity yesterday to express
themselves concerning this episode
and their political policies"
The LcEal AnZeiger strongly sup
ports the policy Of Secretary Zimmer-
mann. The AnZeiger says:
'Americans have not the slightest
reason to be provoked at our inten-
tions. without treachery which
brought the German offer to the
knowledge Of the United States gov
ernmcnt the Mexican government
would not have learned Of it until af-
ter the United States had declared
war on us. 1t is we'll known that
President Wilson attempted to incite
not only one, but every neutral State
to break off diplomatic relations with
us. This was at a time when Ger
| many had not committed q, single
hostile act AGAINST the United States,
but merely because we were finally
forced to make use Of a weapon cal
culatcd to hasten the conclusion of
peace. He has now no right to com
| plain when we. too, are seeking allies
| who might possibly help us to thwart
thn Lilo l,o ntI L. L.. L.