The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-05-31

WW@&@4AAAA-J employed aud Of the extent Il
Nheh the system has proved profitable 10 Germany
nave been made ia several countries, writes j. 4
NJ. Ia Printers Ink Some Of the broad facts As
coNeF~d by the state agents Ia ccrtnln continental
EuF"penh nations have been the subject Of much
discussion aud public men In France aud Italy are
open IN their denunciation OF the evil. of the wide
extent 10 which Il Is prncticcd aud Of the lnsdotis
danger which Il represents
IN The years Immediately preceding thg war large
american corporations. like similar firms In Eu
rope came In frequent contact with the so-caiied
Sly system Ia business aud all those who han.
died any Important business for those corporatons
'7PV'ihiy " the business YVES In Germany, and
even II u involved the simplest and most open ana
"o"Nehoard Kind ut transactions. we're almost in.
Nhrably confronted with incidents Of secret sery-
Ice meddng
The present writer while attending 10 certain
business for number of American companies In
combination had occasion travel frequently from
one country To another and had established head.
quarters IN Germany the eve Of the outbreak Of
the war lie had been warned by friends 10 keep a
'i"Ne eye on his papers anu effects and an fur ms
'sHihle 10 travel only with such baggage as could
~ 'akth ia passenger compartments the trains.
ihS. however, was not always feasible nnd one
morning when leaving Milan for Germany with n
trunk he WIS struck by the eager lnsisfpnce az "A
"etihhh'speaking employee Of the foregn.nwned
motel IA which for special reasons he had stopnpd
~ attending 10 the checking nf the trunk ON the
Ha'h' me writer watched this employees actions
while the trunk was being lnbeIed ana fell reas.
snrrd until he reached Basel In Germany whore
The train which had cOme through Swityerland ,vos
=" oe dNld"d IN two sections and routed north To-
ward heriin on both sides Of the Rhine The cus
toms Inspection Is made for Germany nj German
hasel nut the trunk IN this instance was not taken
on the train and although u was plainly visible
~ ~ open baggage cur. the chief Inspector re-
fused to listen to remonslrancca on the alleged
ground THAT the trunk was routed Via the EASTERN
bahA 81 the river while the writer's ticket WINS for
the straashnrg way. This however was not M ar
coFdunee with the facts.
\ week later notice was received that the trunk
was AT the customs department Of n central Ger.
ihan cry. An appointment Was made for IT'S IN.
spectinn and, instead OF customs onlcIns two sn.
eial agents were present at the appointed time
the hotel porter who was % take the trunk nyyav
Feeush'Aeu them as such, The inspection was thor.
'agh every document and every scrap OF paper
was infinitely examined. Endless questions yyer,,
ASKED regarding the business documents nnd ~.
method of doing business which they implied tho
countries In which business wnz dome and th
ha'Ge> OF the hrms concerned. the pretext for IN.
aueat'nns being the doubt that the printed nart
OF me hnSihesS documents might be- dutlahle as
henk printed aud the manuscript ana tyne y,rtten
part@of them might constitute contracts aud th.
fere De- subject 10 duties under other heads Th,
contents of the trunk were Weighed and sepnrat.I,
classified and finally fees were levied under thrss
separate heads for the moestatton cnuse, nv hsv
iug put the German authorities 10 the n,cess,ty =,
making this special investigation A total of anon,
three dollars was Involved
Soon after this incident the writer beenus c,,.
sc'ous that his desk ia office In that same ritv
Was helng tatapered with and after a watch hnd
been sci. German in the service Of m, same
American corporation. and already suspected ns
being government agent was caught red h.n,,al
In the act Of prying open the desk and making n
record 81 lts contents.
When condolences we're exchanged with ,th,-
representatives Of American corparnf Inns A. ,,.
learned that the experience waS>a common an,
anu the Comparing Of notes seemed to show an eN.
p"ha''o@ Ter tie surprising ability of German
hrius 20 ,eBrn the names of the foreign customers
"f American corporations aud the seeming e,lnrl
d"her 81 their soliciting those aruS AllnoSt stimuli
tane"Lsly with the Americau agents every tn,4
THAT he latter had something new 10 offer met
dFn'f can be Neuehed for whcrc agents FOR Amrri.
'ap corporations tn Italy and other Countries GA
receiving from America now machines or r7tdi,,fl,
n@ar models. found to thelr auaEernent thar Ger.
man agrn,s had already visited their customers
had described the new machines er models and had
denounced their alleged weak points aud theft, an
desiahhit2 rsr various reasons, The German
sgeuts kne~ mose about the American machines
than the Ataerlcan agyats
az course sweeping CONGRATULATIONS ar, =, n,
avoided aud ali statements which arr likely to up
SCI the rluaulmiy Of thosc satisfied With the
Iours" ef established routine aud liable to he char
act~FtEsd - grotrSgur and. u emphatleauy set
forth they are liable also "a fail OF eject on those
Nho refuse to- b. disturbed IN their axr,l lssalx
Lord Roberts, II should be remembered was a
nuisance Ia the majority Of the British reading PUT
he Nhen he kept up his tirrsonc warnings about
the true meaning of Germany's military prepara-
tlun~. aud Il should not be forgotten that Gen
Leonard Wood, when half dozen years ago he be-
gan 10 urge preparedness Ia America was de
bounced professional alarntst eager to obtain
power and chance Tor distinction And So those
vho are raising the cry Of alarm regarding the Sc
eret service methods ~ trade warfare being con.
Quoted boy Germany declare that they are not get
ling the proper hearing aud that the danger Is one
~ supreme gOmeaL