The Elbert County tribune., 1917-09-28
Revelations by Secretary OF
State Lansing Bring Storm
of Denunciation.
BERNSTORFF WAS PAYMASTER
Ambassadors Request for $4,000 Re-
garded as Indicating That Money
Had Been Used Before for
Sane Purpose.

/
retary of State Lansing of the plans
of Count Won Bernstorff. former Ger
man ambassador to the United States,
to expend $4,000 in an effort to infiu-
ence congress ard prevent this coun-
try from going to war with Germany
The revelation of this plot, follow
Ing the disclosures of other cases of
German duplicity in its diplomatic re-
lations with the United States and
other countries, had the effect of
sweeping away such antiwar propa-
ganda as may still have been alive in
the national capital and giving more
convincing evidence of the hostile acts
which forced the United States into
the war.
How Plo. Was Revealed.
Here is the statement of Secretary
Lansing:
''The secretary of state issues the
following statement from Ambassador
Bernstorff to the Berlin foreign office.
dated January %. 1917:
81 request authority to pay out up
to $4,000 (fifty thousand dollars), in
order, as on former occasions. to influ-
ence congress through the organiZa-
ton you know of which can perhaps
prevent war.
I am beginning in the meantime
to act accordingly.
In the above circumstances, pub
lie official German declaration in ia
vor of Ireland is highly desirable In
order to gain the support of Irish in
fuence here"
Capital Stunned by Revelations.
The publication OF this letter ap-
parently revealing the fact that Bern
storff had previously Influenced
congress through the organization you
know Of" actually stunned the cap
ltol.
On the floor of the house, congress
men were denounced as suspicious"
1t was openly stated by some that they
believed their colleagues had received
German money.
According to Representative Tom
Hefiin, Alabama, he believes he could
name 13 or IA men in the two houses
of congress who have acted suspi-
ciously.
Fess of Ohio and Howard of Geor-
gia both declared the German propa-
ganda worked directly, with money
changing hands and reaching govern
ment officials.
Additional startling revelations of
the free use of money by the Ger
man government to sustain the Ger
man propaganda in the United States
will follow Lansing's expose.
These revelations. 1t was indicated.
will corroborate the Indictment of
the German embassy as the disburs-
Ing bureau for propaganda. Certain
IrishAmerican agitators in the coun-
try who have allied themselves with
hostile Communications may expect
to be the next objects of the govern
ment's attack
convicts Count Bernstorff.
The shower of indictments of Ger
man clandestine pre-war activities in
this country is relied upon by the
state department to set at rest all
doubt remaining in any quarters that
the German government officially
through Count Won Bernstorff CON
spired fiagrantly, as asserted in Presi-
dent Wilson's war proclamation. to di-
vide the American people on the Is
sues of the war. 1t is believed by the
state department that public opinion,
after digesting the contents of the
series of exposes. may be depended
upon to deal effectively with those
who became the catspaws of the Ger
man embassy.
The message was decoded by Scot
land Yards eyDerts after vain at-
tempts by Americans.
Expulsion might have been Won
Bernstorff's fate as remotely as 1915 If
the state department had then known
as much about the secrets of the Ger
man code as 1t knows today.
Other Shots to Follow.
One by one the exhibits In the evil
dence In the case, 1t was said at the
state department, will be given to the
public.
That Americans In high public posi-
| tions lent themselves TO the German
embassy's plan to split congress on
the question of war, further decoded
messages In the possession of the gov
ernment are expected to demonstrate
conclusively.
More than one of these well-known
persons has been under public sus-
picion, but proof Of their completely
with the German government has not
come forth. 1t Is known that evil
| dence of the most damaging and con-
vincing character has finally been
obtained by the agents of the govern
ment.