New-York tribune., 1918-09-22
All Hearst s Papers
And Magazines To Be
Investigated by u. S.


The financing of William Randolph
Hearst's ten daily newspapers and six
magazines will be "probed to the mar
row"-to borrow a phrase used by the
German-American Alliance-when the
United States Senate begins it's investi-
cation of the payment of $375,OOO by
fifteen GermanAmerican brewers to
Arthur Brisbane for the purchase of
"The Washington Times" This was
stated on high authority yesterday
The brewers who gave this sum to
IIearst's chief editor will be called as
witnesses, together with other Ger
man-Ame erican brewers who loaned
Brisbane S183,000 four years prior to
the payment of the larger sum-which
is characterized by high Federal Of
fetal as substantially gift.
A. Mitchell Palmer, Alien Property
Custodian, who made public the docu-
ments revealing Brisbane's relations
with the brewers. has been trying to
learn how Hearst acquired "The Chi
cago Herald" which he consolidated
with "The Chicago Examiner" shortly
after Brisbane bought "The Washing
ton Times" with the fund raised by the
brewers.
Most of the brewers who proved such
benefactors of Hearst's chief editor
were also generous in their support of
ro-German organizations engaged in
disseminating Hun propaganda.
Brewers Defended Germany
These men, before this country en-
tered the war, were as rabid as Hearst's
newspapers in their defence of Ger
many and the Kaiser and in their SLAM
ders upon the Allies. Information in
the hands of the Federal authorities
shows that this is true.
G. Pabst, one of the brewers who
gave $4,000 toward the Brisbane fund,
gave, it was shown at the United States
Senate investigation into the German
American Alliance, $4,000 to that Hun
propaganda organization. Jacob Rup-
pert, who gave $4,000 to the Brisbane
fund. was also supporter of the Ger
man-American Alliance, and member
thereof, and was also a member of the
financial committee of the Friends of
Peace, the organization founded by
jeremiah OLeary, who was defended
ter President Wilson had branded him
as disloyal. O'Leary is now awaiting
trial on q charge of treason, which car
res with it the death penalty.
Others who contributed to Brisbane's
fund who were members Of the Ger
n-American Alliance and of the
Friends of Peace included George
Ehrct, who gave $4,000 toward the
Brisbane fund.
Theodore Sutro, editor of Hearst's
"Deutsches Journal" which ceased pub
Office Department had refused to give
it certificate of loyalty, was one of
the founders of the German-American
Alliance and president of the New
York State branch. At the big mass
meeting held by the Friends of Peace
at Madison Square Garden Sutro
played prominent part.
Sutro was member of the press
committee of the Friends of Peace, of
which George Won Skal formerly editor
of the "Staats-Zetung" and associate
of Captains Boy-Ed and Won Papen and
ether German spy masters, was chair
editor of Hearst's "Deutsches Journal"
was also member, as was George Syl-
vester Vierck, editor of "The Father
land" and Victor Ridder, one of the
owners of the "Staats-Zeitung" Both
of these last two organs have been
shown to have received funds directly
from the German Foreign Office since
the war started.
Before the Senate has finished with
the investigation of Brisbane's rela-
tions with the brewers and the Hearst
newspapers, an effort will be made to
lay bare the entire Hun propaganda in
this country in so far as it affected
Germany's attempt to subsidize Ameri-
can newspapers.
Alexander konta, whose letters to Dr.
Bernhard Dernburg and Captain Hans
Tauscher, two Hun plotters, which were
made public by the Alien Property Gus
todian, showed that the Germans as
early as 1914 contemplated substituting
the American press with the aid of the
brewers, will be asked to throw what
light he can on the Hun press pro-
gramme.
konta's son, Godfrey Konta, is coun-
sci to Brisbane. The latter has not
toen examined by the government au-
thorities. but the former has. The
elder Konta, when his relations with
Dernburg, Tauscher, Boy-Ed and Won
Paren were at their height, was ac-
, tively engaged in defending Germany