Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-11
AMERICA MUST BAR
GERMANS IN TRADE
Foe Property Custodian Says Huns
Should Not be Allowed to
Regain Foothold Here.

New York. Dec IA. Mitchell
Palmer, alien property custodian, re-
viewed the work of thirteen months OF
that office in an address delivered last
night at the Bar Association.
at is safe to say that the business
which the Germans built up In America
will be forever lost 30 them, he said IN
closing mo other course is compatible
with the safety of American institutions;
no other course will make American fields
of industry and commerce safe for
democracy for the German autocracy
was quite as apparent In It's economic
exploitation of the world as in its govern
mental and military domination of Cen
trail Europe
Il cannot TOO forcefully repeat that
the German industrial penetration of
Amer1ca has not been mere friendly
desire to trade and do business with the
world 1t mas been knife at the throat
of America"
Mr. Palmer said he did not mean to
advocate trade boycott against Ger
many out of a spirit of revenge.
But" he went on, sher territory
was not invaded and if she can get out
of the war with her home territory intact,
rebuild a stable government and still have
her foreign markets subject to her cx-
ploitation, by means no less foul and un-
fairthan those she employed on the battle
field, we shall not be safe from future
onslaughts." "
MAY BE 100000, 600 IN SEIZURES.
Mr.. Palmer estimated that to date
his office has taken over enemy property
to the value of S5O6, 400, 500 When all
reports are in, he said, the figure probably
will reach sSOO000,OO0.
Though he described at length how
the country was combed for property
coming within the provisions of the
law, Mr.. Palmer mentioned no corpora
tions by name. He detailed, the prop
critics great variety, both as to location
and character and told Of some of the
many devices and subterfuges whereby
their German owners sought to conceal
them under ostensible American owner
ship"
He recalled one case where q woman,
resident 10 this country, the wife of an
enemy alien, who was the manager Of
s. 900, 900 business owned by her father,
a German subject resident in Berlin, as
serted she had purchased all the stock
from her father for S150,000 aud had
given as security for this sum her note.
payable IN twenty years, without interest
Of the American property sold in
Germany Mr.. Palmer said it was mot
conceivable that it Will ever he returned
TO its American owners In kind"
WHY SHOULD UNCLE SAM PAY?
''Under the conditions now prevail
ing IN what was once the German en-
pire," he continued, "Americin investors
IN Germany will neither expect nor desire
70 continue business where they left of.
The United States will hardly be expected
TO pay these losses out of its own funds
when It has at hand more than sufficient
property belonging to German subjects.
whose claims against us will doubtless
he provided for by their own govern
ment III the same manner. BY simple
process OF Offsetting and adjusting these
claims between the United States and the
allied nations on the one hand and the
Central Powers on the other. each gov
ernmCnt viii have sufficient property
belonging to the enemy TO provide for
the claims of it Own nationals.
such a plan as this will require the
hquidation, extending possibly over a
long period OF time. Of all the enemy prop
erty in this country. There would be no
actual eonfisc+tion Of private property in
such a plan, for each government would
pay the claim of its Own people ard have
the property of its enemies with which to
pay them.
PROPERTY USELESS TO THEM.
''To turn over the German property
In this country to its former owners in
kind would be In effect a conhscation OF
the property, for the bitter resentrnents
accruing from this awful war are such that
human nature would have TO be recon
structed before the German would be
welcome as business man upon Ameri-
can soil within the next decade at least.
''H an American corporation, whose
stock Is owned by German subjects
were turned back tomorrow TO the con
troll OF Its former owners, its business wouli
melt away, its assets would shrink and its
former goodwill as a going business
would become q distinct liability
More than 100000 was realized
yesterday by the government from, the
sale by A. Mitchell Palmer, alien prop-
erty custodian, Of enerny-owned stock
IN two Woollen mills at Passaic, and a
third IN Garfield, n J.
Max ". Stoehr, who is suing in the
District Court TO prevent the sale of
enemy owned stock in the BOTANY