Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-06-21


fSlSj "A ETi tion.' is 1T present arou~ing the
EiJE1T/E& serious interest of the allies.
Ey>GN INK Investigations of the methods
RSE4AAAO employed and of the extent la
which The system has proved profitable to Germany
have been made in several countries. writes j. T.
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 denUncatOn of the evil, of the wide
extent to which il is practccd and of the msdiouS
danger which il 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 han
died any important business for those corporations,
especially if the business in Germany. and
even if il involved the simplest and most open and
nbOye-board kind of transactions. were almost ill.,
variably confronted with incidents of secret
ice meddling.
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 10y friends To keep
close eye on his papers and effects and. aS far
possible, to travel only with such baggage could
he taken in passenger compartments on the trains.
This. however always feasible and one
trunk he struck by the eager insistencc of
German speaking employee of the forei=nowned
hotel, in which for special reasons he had stopped,
I'm attending to the checking of the trunk on the
train. The writer watched this employees actions
while the trunk 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 it was plainly visible
in the open baggage ear. the chief inspector re-
fused to listen to circumstances. the alleged
ground that the trunk routed via the eastern
bank of the river while the writer's ticket 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 central Ger
man city. An appointment 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
recognized them as SUCH The inspection 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 done and the
names of the firms concerned the pretext for the
questions being the doubt that the printed part
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 molestatiOn caused by hav.
ing put the German authorities to the necessity of
making this special investigation. total of about
three dollars was involved
Soon after this incident the writer became con-
iDc1OuS "A that m itv
was being tempered with and. after Il watch had
oeen 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 prying open the desk and making a
record Of Its contents.
When condolences were exchanged with other
representatives. of American corporations 1t was
learned that the experience was a common one
ana 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 simu-
taneously with the American agents every time
that the latter had something new To offer Incl
dents can be vouched for where agents for Amsvi-
can corporations in Italy and other countries on
receiving from America new machines radically
new models. found to their amazement that Ger
man agents had already visited their customers
had described the new machines models and had
ueuOunceu their alleged weak points and their
desrabiity for various reasons. The German
agents knew more about the American machines
than the American agents
of course. sweeping CONGRATULATIONS to be
avoided and all statements which likely To up
Get the equanimity OF those satisfied with the
course OF established routine and liable to he char
acterized as grotesque and, If emphaticaily set
forth, they are liable also fail of effect on those
who refuse to he disturbed in their fixed ideals
Lord Roberts IL should he remembered WAS n
nuisance to the jority OF the British reading pub
lie when he kept up his tircsone warnings about
the true meaning of Germany'S military prepara-
lions. and II should not be forgotten that Gen
leonard Wood, when half dozen years ago he be-
gan to urge preparedness In America. was de
Oounced as u professional alarmist eager to obtain
Eower and chance for distinction. And 50 those
who raising the cry OF alarm regarding the So
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 /, one
OF supreme moment.