The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-27
ATTACK ON ODELL
PRESSEDBY BECKER
Prosecutor Gives Out Excerpts
He Says Were Written
to Aid Foe.
RUMELY IN LIMELIGHT
Urged Creel to Use German
Propaganda Article, but
Ruse Was Seen.

To substantiate his charge that George
T. odeli. former correspondent In Der
lin Of the Evening Mdtf. disseminated
tales of political and economic unrest IN
Germany that were inspired by the Ger
man Government In an effort to slacken
the military programme Of the United
States, Alfred L. Becker, Deputy state
Attorney General, gave out yesterday ex-
cerpts from articles written by Odeii
after his return to this country In No
vember. 1917.
The excerpts on their face make salts
factory reading to Americans. but Mr..
Becker charges that they gave false
impression Of the real situation in Ger.
many and were designed to mislead
President Wilson and the American peo-
pie. Odell admitted under examination
that articles of a similar trend which he
cabled before leaving Germany were not
only passed by DR.. Roediger, censor OF
the German Foreign Office. but were
written partly from material furnished
by such men as Herr Won Gwinner, the
Kaiser's financial adviser.
Magnihed wilson's influence.
Odell in one OF his articles. THE in
dustrial workers and the peasants want
1t for obvious reasons. The business men
want II.
THE liberal leaders hope and believe
that the downfall OF feudalism can be
accomplished without resort to force.
but II force is necessary it will be used.
THE revival of the U-boat warfare
last February was unpopular with the
It,at ax.I tNNn0V ar
mann's offer to Mexico to hand over
Texas, Arizona and New Mexico as rec
ompense for an alliance and in getting
Japan to switch over to the Central
Powers side in the war made them
thoroughly angry"
Mr.. Becker declared that 1t was the
policy OF Odell after he returned to this
country to try to create an impression
that the views of President Wilson car
ried great weight in Germany. He quoted
the following paragraphs from an arti-
Gle by Odell, and declared that they
described u situation that did not ex-
list:
ITO their initial desire for peace which
began to manifest itself a year ago the
German masses have now added the
wish to live on a par with the rest OF
the civilized world. Those prin-
ciples of peace first enunciated by Presi-
dent Wilson and restated by the Russian
revolutionists struck a responsive chord
In The hearts Of the German people.
They (the German people) demand
that the domination of Prussian Junkers
In the Reichstag shall be completely
eliminated. They demand these
changes not only because their political
leaders tell that it will make Germany
better and a stronger nation. but
chiefly because they have made up their
minds that democracy is the surest. in
fact. the only way to end this war, and
to insure permanent peace"
Rumely's Ruse Discovered.
Mr.. Becker said yesterday that DR..
Edward A Rumely, publisher Of tho
Erening Mail. who was indicted charged
with attempting to conceal the alleged
German ownership of the newspaper
from the Alien Property Custodian. tried
unsuccessfully to have the Committee
on Public Information send out an article
which Odell brought from Germany.
The article was written by Prof Ger
hardt Won Schulze Gaevernitz and was
printed in the Demsche Poritik OF Oc-
tcber. 1917 1t was entitled, "A Peace
by Reconciliation
Rumely sent a translation of the ar
ticle TO George Creel. chairman of the
January 3, 1918, with the following
note:
MY Dear Mr.. Creel: I am sending
you herewith proofs of a translation of
German manuscript which Odell
brought with him. 1t may interest you.
EDWARD A. RUMELY."
Creel returned the manuscript with a
note dated January Z. The note follows :
Dear Mr.. Rumely: return the
proofs sent me. together with a comment
on it by one of our finest experts.
Sincerely.
GEORGE CREEL."
The report of the examiner which
Mr.. Creel enclosed. continued the fol-
lowing comments:
The article by Won Schultze Gaever-
nitz is a specious bit of German pleading.
1T leaves the question of who started
the war to historical research
1T falsifies dates in order to make
the submarine war on commerce a con-
sequence OF the British blockade.
1t declares that President Wilson
has expressly shaken off the claims OF
France to Alsace- Lorraine and quotes
him as standing for peace without vic
to- or vanquished.'
ut argues for the status quo, with
various additions to Germany small in
lend, rich in children, poor in raw ma
terials. with economic preference in
Turkey. &c, ad nauseam.'
The only honest thing for American
purposes In the whole article Is a para
graph in which the author warns the
'Fatherland party of the danger of a
revolution toward which they are driv-
ing"
Mr. Becker said that the examiner was
wrong in rating as honest the prediction
OF Gaevernitz OF a revolution. He said
that this, like the rest of the article, was
a typical bit OF Prussian propaganda,
designed to convince America that the
Kaiser was near the end of his career
~ an autocrat and that no special
vignf on the part of the United States
was needed to hasten the end.