The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-06-08

EHGSxaAAAGJ employed and Of the extent to
which the system has proved profitable to Germany
have been made in several countries writes ]. T.
N. in Printers Ink. Some Of the broad facts dis
covered by the state agents in certain continental
European nations have been the subject of much
discussion and public men in France and Italy are
open in their denunciation of the evil of the wide
extent to which it is practiced and of the nsidous
danger which 1t represents
In the years Immediately preceding the war large
American corporations, like similar firms In Eu-
rope, came In frequent contact with the so-called
spy system in business" and oil those who han
died any important business for those corporations
especially if the business was in Germany, and
even If 1t involved the simplest and most open and
above-board kind Of transactions, were almost in
varably confronted with incidents of secret
ice meddng.
The present writer while attending to certain
business for a number Of American companies in
combination had occasion to travel frequently from
one country to another and had established head
quarters in Germany on the eve of the outbreak OF
the war. He had been warned by friends to keep
close eye on his papers and effects and, as far
possible, to travel only with such baggage could
be taken in passenger compartments on the trains
This, however was not always feasible and one
morning when leaving Milan for Germany with
trunk he was struck by the eager insstence Of
German7speaking employee of the foreign-owned
hotel, In which for special he had stopped
in attending to the checking of the trunk on the
train. The writer watched this employees actions
while the trunk was being labeled and felt reas
sured until he reached Basel In Germany, where
the train which had come through Switzerland was
to be divided in two sections and routed north to-
ward Berlin on both sides of the Rhine. The Gus
toms inspection Is made for Germany at German
Basel, but the trunk in this instance not taken
off the train and, although 1t was plainly visible
in the open baggage car, the chief inspector re-
fused to listen to remonstrances on the alleged
ground that the trunk was routed via the eastern
bank of the river while the writer's ticket was for
the Strassburg way This, however, was not In ac-
cordance with the facts.
week later notice was received that the trunk
was ut the customs department of a central Ger
man city An appointment was made for its In
specton and, instead of customs officials, two spe-
cial agents were present at the appointed time
the hotel porter who was to take the trunk away
recognized them as such The Inspection was thor
ough. Every document and every scrap of paper
was infinitely examined. Endless questions were
asked regarding the business documents and the
method of doing business which they implied, the
countries in which business was done and the
names of the firms concerned, the pretext for the
questions being the doubt that the printed part
of the business documents might be dutable as
being printed and the manuscript and typewriter
part of them might constitute contracts and there.
fore be subject to duties under other heads. The
contents Of the trunk were weighed and separately
classified and finally fees were levied under three
separate heads for the moestation caused by hay-
Ing put the German authorities to the necessity of
making this special investigation A total Of about
three dollars was involved
Soon after this incident the writer became con-
scious that his desk in an office In that same city
was being tempered with and after a watch had
been set, q German in the service of the same
American corporation, and already suspected as
being government agent, was caught red-handed
In the act of prying open the desk and making
record of Its contents.
When condolences were exchanged with other
representatives of American corporations it was
learned that the experience was common one,
and the comparing of notes seemed to show an ex-
PLANTATION for the surprising ability Of German
firms to learn the names of the foreign customers
of American corporations and the seeming coinci-
dence of their soliciting those firms almost stimuli
taneously with the American agents every time
that the latter had something new to offer. Incl
+ dents can be voIched for where agents for Ameri
can CORPORATIONS In Italy and other countries on
receiving from America new machines or radically
new models, found to their amazement that Ger
man agents had already visited their customers,
had described the new machines or models and had
denounced their alleged weak points and their I'M
fdeSirdDIIltyf I0f SVaTlOuSf fctSOHS. Inc NeIuldu
agents knew more about the American machines
than the American agents.
OF coRrse sweeping generalzations are to be
avoided and all statements which are likely to up
set the equanmity OF those satisfied with the
course of established routine and liable to be char
acterized as grotesque, and, If emphaticay set
forth they are liable also to fail of effect on those
who refsasesto be disturbed in their fixed idea's
Lord Roberts, 1t should be remembered, was
nf hn reading
lie when he kept up his tiresone warnings about
the true meaning of Germany's military prepara-
tions, and it should not be forgotten that Gen.
Leonard Wood, when half dozen years ago he be-
gam to nrge preparedness In America, was de-
nonnced as professional aarnist eager to obtain
power and a chance for distinction And so those
Who are raising the cry Of alarm regarding the Sc
rref service methods Of trade warfare being CON
tiueed by Germany declare that they are not get
ting the proper hearing and that the danger Is one
Of supreme uioments