Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-05-31

| MXSEc/V W serious interest of the allies
| E&GAl MN Investigations of the method
! ptOAAAkO employed and OF the extent l.
which the system has proved profitable to German,
have been made In several countries. writes j. Il
| NJ 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 denuncation OF the evil, OF the wide
extent to which it is practiced and Of the insdous
danger which 1t represents.
In the years Immediately preceding the war large
American corporations, like similar firms In Flu
rope, came In frequent contact with the so-called
spy system In business" and all those who han
died any important business for those corporations
especially II the business was In Germany, and
even II IL involved the simplest and most open and
above-board kind Of transactions. almost In
vnriably confronted with incidents of secret serv-
Ice meddllng
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
be taken In passenger compartments on the trains.
rms, however, was not always feasible and
morning when leaving Milan for Germany with a
trunk he was struck by the eager insistence of n
German-speaking employee of the foreign-owned
hotel 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-
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 was not taken
on the train and, although 1t was plainly visible
In the open baggage car, the chief inspector re-
fused to listen TO circumstances, 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 Mt the customs department of a central Ger
man city. An appointment was made for its in
spection and, instead of customs officials two spe-
cial agents were present at the appointed time
the hotel porter who TO take the trunk away
them such. The inspection was thor
ough. Every document and every scrap of paper
was minutely 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
# the business documents might be dutiable as
icing printed and the manuscript and typewriter
'art of them might constitute contracts and there
ore be subject to duties under other heads The
ontents of the trunk were weighed and separately
classified and finally fees were levied under three
eparate heads for the molestation caused by hav-
ng put the German authorities to the necessity of
making this special investigation. total of about
hree dollars was involved.
Soon after this incident the writer became con-
cious that his desk in office In that same city
'as being tempered with and. after watch had
cen set. German In the service of the same
IN 81 Hv cttcp foJ
cling government agent. caught red-handed
the act OF pryng open the desk and making
scord OF Its contents.
When condolences were exchanged with other
representatives. of American corporations IL was
armed that the experience common one
nd the comparing of notes seemed to show an ex~
anation for the surprising ability of German
rms 60 learn the names OF the foreign customers
American corporations and the seeming coinci-
ance OF their soliciting those firms almost stimuli
neously with the American agents every time
lat the latter had something to offer. Incl
snts can be youched for where agents for Ameri-
IN corporations In Italy and other countries. on
celving from America new machines or radically
wv models. found to their amazement that Ger
an agents had already visited their customers
Id described the machines or models and had
their alleged weak points and their I'M
for various The German
rents knew more about the American machines
an the American agents.
OF course. sweeping generalizations are TO be
oided and all statements which are likely TO up
the equanimity of those satisfied with the
urse OF established routine and liable to be char
terized as grotesque, and. if emphatcally set
rth they liable also to fail of effect on those
no refuse TO be disturbed in their fixed ideals
,rd Roberts. il should be remembered, was
sance TO the majority of the British reading pub
when he kept up his tiresone warnings about
e true meaning of Germanys military prepare
ms. and IL should not be forgotten that Gen.
,onard Wood when half dozen years ago he be-
n TO urge preparedness in America. was de-
unced professional aarmist eager to obtain
wer and chance for distinction. And so those
10 are raising the cry of alarm regarding the Sc
ct service methods of trade warfare being con-
cted by Germany declare that they are not get
lg the proper hearing and that the danger is enc
supreme moment.