New-York tribune., 1918-10-16
Spies!
To the Editor of The Tribune.


CNIR: Under the laws of the United
~ States ever since 1863 all spies are
legally and properly triable by court
martial, and if convicted they should suffer
death. (U. S. Revised Statutes, Sec. 1343.)
Articles of War, Art 80: "Any person
who in time of war shall be found lurking
or acting as a spy in or about any of the
Notifications, posts, quarters or encamp-
ments of any of the armies of the United
States, or elsewhere, shall be tried by
general court-martial, or by military
commission and shall, on conviction there
Of suffer DEATH" (Reenacted in 1860
Article of the Navy: "All persons who,
in time of war, of rebellion against the
supreme authority of the United States,
are found in the capacity of spies,
or who bring or deliver any seducing letter
or message from an enemy or rebel, or
endeavor to corrupt any person in the
navy to betray his trust, shall suffer death,
such other punishment as a court-mar-
tial many adjudge."
Articles of War, Art. 81: "Whosoever
knowingly harbors protects or
holds correspondence with or gives intelli-
gence to the enemy, either directly or in
directly, shall suffer death. or such other
punishment as court-martial or military
commission may direct" a U. s. Com
piled Statutes 1916), Secs. 23OSa. 1856
Article of War 81. Reenacted in 19-5)
The court of last resort of every Anglo
Saxon country justifes the enforcement of
martial law against civilian spies. secret
agents and war traitors during national
war, whether they are native, naturalized
or foreign.
Stieber, chief of the Prussian spies in
the wars of 1866 and 1870, says in his
memoirs that in the presence of Won Bis
marck he told an officer of the Prussian
General Staff that his (invisible) army of
$4,000 Prussian spies was as much Prus-
sian "army" as the (visible and much
larger) fighting army" of Won Moitke, and
that Won Bismarck tacitly admitted it.
Lanoir, German Spy System in France"
70.72.)
The militaristic feudalism which has
wantonly attacked US in the course of its
struggle for world power or downfall ius-
titles its attempt to conquer the world by
asserting that all free governments are
dsintegrating; that ali free peoples are
either corrupt, decadent or degenerate:
that treaties, international law and consti-
tut1ons are all alike-nothing but scraps of
paper; that feudaism, with its war lords.
krupps, spies and cannon fodder, is so su-
perior to all free governments and all free
people that it is above all laws-divine, in
ternational or human; also it asserts that
no free government or free people has any
rights which feudalism is bound to respect
How many spies do our leaders of
thought and action estimate there are
here?
Senator Overman says ("Congressional
Record" March 20, 1918, p 453D: ~
stated upon this floor when the espionage
bill was up-and I was criticised for max
ing extravagant statements-that there
are 100000 spies in this country, and am
here to say now that believe, instead of
100000, there are 100000"
Ex-Chief of Secret Service Flynn's
views ("New York Times" Sunday, Janu-
ary IL, 1918, Section q, D. d:
1T is estimated that the number of per-
sons-men and women-who are now
working in the United States in one way
or another to help Germany and her allies
exceeds 100000"
1.-TWO hundred and fifty thousand would
sound more like it," said William J.
Flynn, the recently resigned Chief of the
United States Secret Service, when he was
asked about it, HENRY A. FORSTER.
New York, Oct 5, 1918.