Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-05-23

RG3D9SSeAAAAAO employed ana OF the extent TO
which the system has proved profitable to Germany
nave been made in several countries writes j. 7.
d. 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 nsidious
danger which it 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 all those who ham
died any Important business for those corporations,
especially If the business was in Germany, and
even II 1t involved the simplest and most open and
above-board kind Of transactions were almost In
variably confronted with incidents of secret serv
Ice meddling.
The present writer while attending to certain
business for 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 as
possible, to travel only with such baggage as could
De 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 insistence Of
German-speaking employee Of the foregn-owned
motel. IN which for special reasons 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-
suredi 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 was not taken
OH the train and although it was plainly visible
IN the open baggage car, the chief inspector re-
fused to listen to remonstrances, on the alleged
ground that the trunk 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 at the customs department of q central Ger
man city An appointment was made for it's in
epecton and, instead Of customs officials two spe-
clai agents We're present at the appointed time
the notel porter who was to take the trunk ayyay
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 dutiable as
being printed and the manuscript and typewritten
part of them might constitute contracts and there
fore be subject to duties under other heads The
contents of the trunk weighed and separately
classified and finally fees levied under three
separate heads for the molestation caused nv hav
ing put the German authorities the necessity Of
making this special investigation. total of abont
three dollars was involved.
Soon after this incident the writer became con.
scious that his desk in an office in that same ctv
was being tempered with and, after q watch had
been set, German In the service of the same
American corporation and already suspected as
being government agent. was caught red-handed
in the act of pryng open the desk and making
record Of Its contents.
When condolences were exchanged with other
representatives of American corporations 1t was
learned that the experience was q 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 to offer. Incl
dents can be vouched for where agents for Amer-
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 nm
desirability for various reasons. The German
agents knew more about the American machines
than the American agents.
OF course sweeping congratulations are to be
avoided and all statements which are likely to up
set the equanimity OF those satisfied with the
of established routine and liable to be char
acterzed as grotesque, and if emphatically set
FORTH they liable also to fail of effect on those
who refuse to be disturbed in their fixed ideals
Lord Roberts, it should be remembered was a
nuisance to the majority of the British reading pub
lie when he kept up his tiresone warnings about
the true meaning Of Germany's military prepare
lions, and it should not be forgotten that Cen
Leonard Wood when half dozen years ago he be-
gan to urge preparedness in America was de-
nounced as a professional aarmist eager to obtain
power and chance for distinction. And SO those
who are raising the cry of alarm regarding the Sc
cret service methods of trade warfare being con-
Quoted by Germany declare that they are not get
ting the proper hearing and that the danger is one
of supreme moment.