The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-08-01
Gigantic Hohenzollern War Plot
Exposed byMan from inside

Senator Owen in the course of a
recent speech in the Senate put into
the record pamphlet written by a
German capitalist August Tyssen, who
has violently attacked the Hohenzol-
lern dynasty for precipitating the war.
Herr Tyssen is one of the chief iron,
coal, and steel magnates of Central
Germany. He is seventy-eight years
of age. Thyssen possessed until the
beginning of the war huge mines,
ironworks, docks, and even harbors,
in British India, in other English col
onial dependencies, as well as in
France and in Russia, all of which
have been sequestrated by the govern
ments Of these three powers as prop
erty belonging to German foe. He
has vast docks and shipbuilding works
at Vlaaringen, near Rotterdam. He
controls the Vulsan Iron and Steam
ship Building Company of Germany.
Herr Thyssen's pamphlet is as fol-
lows).
I am writing this pamphlet because
I want to open the eyes Of Germans,
especially of the business community,
to facts. When the Hohenzollerns
wanted to get the support of the COM
mercial class for their war plans,
they put their ideas before us as a
business proposition. A large num-
Der Of business and commercial men
were asked to support the Hohenzol-
lern war policy on the ground that it
would pay them to do so. Let me
frankly confess that ! am one of
those who were led to agree to sup
port the Hohenzollern war plan when
this appeal was made to the leading
business men of Germany in 1928.
I was led to do SO, however, against
my better judgment.
In 1912 the Hohenzollern saw that
the war had become a necessity to
the preservation Of the military sys-
tenn, upon which their power depends.
In that year the Hohenzollerns might
have directed, if they had desired, the
foreign affairs of our country so that
peace would have been assured in
Europe for at least fifty years. But
prolonged peace would have resulted
certainly in the breakup Of our mi
tary system, and with the break up
of our military system the power OF
the Hohenzollerns would come to an
end. The emperor and his family, as
I said, clearly understood this, and
they. therefore, in 1912, decided to
embark on great war of conquest.
But to do this they had to get the
commercial community to support
in their aims. They did this by hold
ing out to them hopes of great person
al gain as a result of the war. In the
light Of events that have taken place
SINCE August, 1914, these promises
now appear supremely ridiculous, but
most of us at the time We're led to
believe that they would probably be
realized.
Promises Of Vast Conquest!
I was personally promised fr
grant of 10000 acres in Australia and
a loan from the Deutch Bank of l50,-
600 pounds, at 8 per cent, to enable
me to develop my business in Aus
tralia. Several other firms were
promised special trading facilities in
India, which was to be conquered d
Germany, be it noted, by the end OF
1915. A syndicate was formed for
the exploitation of Canada. This syn
dictate consisted of the heads OF II
great firms; the working capital was
fixed at $2O,OO0,000 half of which was
to be found by the German govern
ment. E
There were, have heard, promises
made of more personal character.
For example, the conquest OF Eng
land' was to be made the occasion OF
bestowing upon certain favored and
wealthy men some of tn emost desir-
able residences in England, but Of this
have no actual proof.
Every trade and interest was ap-
pealed to. Huge indemnities We're, OF
course, 10 De leVlSu vi IHC SohduSASA
nations, and the fortunate German
manufacturers were, by this means,
practically to be relieved Of taxation
for years after the war.
These promises were not vaguel
given. They were made definitely by
Bethmann-H ollweg on behalf of the
emperor to gatherings of business
men, and in many cases to individ-
uals. have mentioned the promise
of grant of 10000 acres in Australia
that was made to me. Promises OF a
similar kind were made to at least
eighty other persons at special inter
views with the chancellor, and all
particulars Of these promises were
entered in a book at the Trades De
partment. fsx
But not only were these promises
made by the chancellor; they We're
confirmed by the emperor, who, on
three occasions, addressed large pri-
vate gatherings of business men in
Berlin, Munich, and Cassel in 1912