The Red Cloud chief., 1918-05-23

b$AAAIO employed and Of the extent to
which the system has proved profitable to Germany
have been made In several countries. writes j. L.
M. 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 ana Italy are
open In their denuncaton Of the evil. of the wide
extent to which 1t Is practced and of the insidios
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 socaiied
"spy system In business and all those who han
died any important business for those corporations.
especially IL the business was In Germany, and
even If It involved the simplest and most open ana
above-board kind of transactions. were almost In
variaby confronted with incidents of secret serv-
Ice meddlng.
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 or
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
This, however, was not always feasible and one
morning when leaving Milan for Germany with
trunk he was struck by the eager insistence of
Germanspeaking 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 being labeled and felt reas-
sured until he reached Basel in Germany, where
the train which had come through Switzerland was
10 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
Off 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 was routed Via the eastern
hopk of writer's ticket
the Strassburg way. This, however, was not in ac-
cordance with the facts.
A week later notice was received that the trunk
was at the customs department Of u central Ger
man city. An appointment was made for Its In
spection and, Instead of customs officials, two spe-
cial agents were present ut the appointed time
the hotel porter who was to take the trunk away
recognized them such. The inspection was thor
ough Every document and every scrap OF paper
was mnutely 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 typewriter
oart of them might constitute contracts and there
Gore 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 mOlestaton caused by hav
inc nut 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
scious that his desk in Office In that same city
was being tampered with and. after watch hat
been set, q German In the service OF the same
American corporation, and already suspected al
being q government agent was caught redhandet
In the act of prying open the desk and making
record of its contents.
When condolences were exchanged with othe
attnnu xua
learned that the experience was common one
and the comparing Of notes seemed to show an eS
planatiOn for the surprising ability OF German
firms to learn the names of the foreign customer
of American corporations and the seeming conc
dence of their soliciting those firms almost simu
taneously with the American agents every tim
that the latter had something new to Offer Inc
dents can be vouched for where agents for Amer
can corporations in Italy and other countries
receiving from America new machines or radlcail
new models, found to their amaZement that Ge
man agents had already visited their customer
had described the new machines or models and ha
denounced their alleged weak points ana their III
desirability for various reasons. The Germa
agents knew more about the American machih
than the American agents.
OF course, sweeping generalzations are TO
avoided and all statements which are likely to
set the equanimity Of those satisfied with Il
course of established routine and liable to be cha
acterzed as grotesque, and, II emphatically
forth they are liable also to fail OF effect on tho
who refuse to be disturbed In their fixed idea
Lord Roberts, 1t should be remembered, was
nuisance to the majority of the British reading pu
lie when he kept up his tiresone warnings abo
the true meaning of Germany's military prepai
tions, and It should not be forgotten that G'
Leonard Wood. when half dozen years ago he
gan to urge preparedness In America, was
nounced as professional alarmist eager to obti
power and chance for distinction. And so the
who are raising the cry Of alarm regarding the
cret service methods of trade warfare being c.
Quoted by Germany declare that they are not g
ting the proper hearing and that the danger Is q
of supreme moment.