The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-08
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
IMEORMATlON BUREAU
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Waahington. ID. O.
THE ENEMY's MILLIONS.
How German and Austrian Wealth III
America Is Being Found
and Cared For.

Washington, Jan. 5.-In the Wash
ington office of Mr, A. Mitchell PAL
mer. alien property custodian, 1o,50o
reports of enemy property holdings IN
this country have already been filed,
and. are now believed to have total
value of nearly a billion dollars
Liquid funds alone are estimated at
two hundred million dollars, and these
will probably be invested in liberty
bonds.
Altho. the last date for the filing of
reports by alien enemies having prop.
erty in the United States was the 2Oth
of December, there is reason to be-
lieVe that the task of finding and car
i g for enemy wealth is just begun
Some Investigators think That the
amount now the books is but
fraction of the total.
Misunderstanding of the purpose
and method of the eustodianship has
caused a great deal of difficulty The
enormous Withdrawals of postal and
other savings which allowed the crea-
ton of the office was evidently due
to an idea that the property of enc
mics was to be confiscated AS a
matter of fast, the duty of the custo-
dian is to conserve this property by
acting as a trustees for its owners,
and also to prevent any use of it which
would be detrimental to the United
States government.
Outstanding as to what constitutes an
enemy alien. Place of residence or
business is the true test of enemy
character, and not nationality or citi-
zenship. A subject of Germany, who
resides in the United States and obeyS
its laws, may continue in the posses
sion of his property and in business,
even tho he has not declared his in
tention of becoming an American citi-
zen. 1t is property located in this
f1C fIfafT hut nod rf,r
reside in enemy countries that is the
special care of the custodian. That
( is why the estate of Gladys Vanderbilt,
whose husband is an Austrian of Aus
trian residence. must be placed in the
hands of the custodian, while in al
most any town a German subject may
be found conducting a bakery and
building up a bank account as usual.
Thus the largest estates which have
come within the care of the custodian
are those of the two daughters of
Adolphus Busch, the American brew
er. Mr.. Busch owned an estate on the
Rhine and spent his summers in Ger
many. Both his daughters married
Germans and are resident in that
country. Hence their incomes, which
are said to be a thousand dollars a
day each, must be administered by the
custodian.
Misunderstanding of the purposes of
the custodianship is only one of the
difficulties which it faces. The great
variety of enemy holdings in this coun-
try, and the fact that many of the
holders are probably not aware of
their duties in the matter, make the
task of locating enemy wealth an
enormous one. Thus large sums in
American municipal bonds are held in
Germany and Austria. American trav-
elerS in those countries have frequent
ly been surprised at the interest ex-
pressed by Germans and Austrians in
the progress of various American cit
les, until they learned that a holder
of st. Louis or New York city bonds in
Vienna or Berlin is by no means rare.
1t is known that the kaiser at one time
purchased some bonds of the city of
New York, and he is also believed to
have owned some western securities.
Whether Wilhelm Hohenzollern still
has any property which the custodian
will have to administer for him has
not yet been discovered.
1t is also believed that large Ger
man and Austrian funds will be found
in the southern states. Germany,
pecially, was a large purchaser of cot
ton in the south. and the sudden stop
page of shipments when the war broke
out must have left in southern port
cities large amounts of money which
had been sent to pay for cotton.
Almost daily unexpected holdings of
enemy property are coming to light.
Information was recently received at
the custodian's office that a certain
wealthy German living in Germany
owns much property in the city of
Alexandra, Va, within eight miles of
Washington. He was once butcher,
made fortune by selling meat and in
vesting in real estate, and returned to
Germany to become a gentleman Of
leisure.
1t is expected that many voluntary
reports will yet be made by enemy
aliens who have but recently learned
what is their duty with regard to their
holdings in this country. Although
heavy penalties of fine and imprison-
| ment are provided for all who had not