Denver labor bulletin., 1918-07-27
UNDERL WING GERMAN DIPLOMATIC
RELATIONS THAT EXISTED WHEN F,
AMERICA CAME INTO THE WAR
Colorado Patriotic League
Sons of the Ann Revolution South Side
Club by Senator Edward v. Dunklee.
PART II.


great vindication of the attitude Of
the United States in the recent Next
can disturbance If we had been
drawn into war with Mexico, and thus
fallen into the snares of Germany,
as many wished, who knows where we
would have been today. Harassed
on the south, at war over the seas,
our ships attacked, no aeroplane pro-
gram, we would have indeed presented
pitiable and helpless spectacle to
the world. The Zimmerman note to
the German ambassador at Washing
ton, after the promise of territory,
recites as follows: "You are in
structed to inform the president of
Mexico Of the above offer of terri
tory, when it is certain that we break
with the United States. Then you
suggest that the president of Mexico
on his own initiative should commun-
icate with Japan, suggesting adher-
ence at once to this plan. At the same
time offer to mediate between Ger
many and Japan. Also please call the
to the ruthless submarine warfare
which promises to compel England to
make peace in few months. (Signed)
Zimmerman"
1 have emphasized the words ION
his own initiative" because this
sounds the keynote of all German
diplomacy" or German "trickery"-
to use the other country as the cats
paw to pull the chestnuts out of
the fire. She did this with Austria
when the war began, by having her
apparently quarrel with Serbia; she
did it with Russia, in apparently max
ing her the aggressor and pleading
self-defense to the German people;
1A l,ar Ill
diplomatic dealings since the time of
Bismack. She probably did it before,
but was not SO closely watched or her
acts recorded.
A second indirect cause was the
treachery, for years, of the German
ambassador, Won Bernstein, and his
secret agents, to this country, under
the expressed direction of the imperial
German government. Altho he pre-
scented smiling and friendly counte-
nance, he was constantly on the alert,
pulling his network of German agents
over the entire country, encouraging
them to incite strikes among the la
boring men, discomfort among the
poorer classes, and i'll feeling between
capital and labor. Probably many of
the infamous dealings and plans will
never come to light and we will not
know that a greater part of the Sc
rious labor troubles in recent years
were "made in Germany" The am
bassador, in trusted circles, was able
to learn the weak spots in our ma
tional makeup, and he sent there at
once his most experienced agents. The
origin of the 1. w. w. and the various
anarchistic propaganda societies has
long been suspected. Perhaps book,
entitled Confessions of Kaiser "a
~
explanation; at any rate, we know
that the instructions in Hayti and
Santo Domingo were of German ORR
gin; we know that the Danish Islands
nearly fell into German diplomatic
hands; we know that South America
was overrun with German agents, who
succeeded in keeping those small ma
lions astir with strikes and riots and
uprisings.
Nor did this spy system stop with
incitations, it carried its trail further
and started fires, blew up munition
plants, destroyed life in insidious
ways and left upon the books of
investigating committees a long list
of such phrases as "cause of fire I'M
KNOWN" Spontaneous combustion"
electric wires crossed" etc.
These agents were in many in
stances trusted officials in their COM
munities, were of high standing by
day, with an American flag pinned
to the lapel of their coats; at night
they were German secret agents, TAX
ing their orders thru the German am
bassador from Berlin. They were
taking advantage of our form of gov
eminent, our freedom of speech, our
trusting of our neighbors. Freedom
extended to some becomes license,
onI fhiq ho with tho Cor
man agents.
was the growing alarm that has been
spreading for years from the German
policy of militarism. Germany has
used her so-called "shining armor"
policy, or the policy of military threat,
whenever her aggressions were ques-
toned. America has realized that she
was entering, truly, war Of self
defense, and that il she did not fight
overseas she would have to fight later
for life on American soil. With Eng
land conquered (and it must be adj
mitted that for . while this did not
appear improbable), and with Canada
with Mexico, a German ally, on our
south, certainly there would be cause
for alarm.
Germany has evidently openly
adopted "rule or ruin" policy; she
has overrun her small and helpless
neighbors in most hideous and Hun
like manner. Certainly there is every
reason to suppose that as the larger
nations were defeated they would also
be 80 treated and 80 crushed under
the heel of militarism. The kaiser
openly told Ambassador Gerard, with
all the candor Of . tyrant, II will
stand no nonsense from America after
the war" We have indeed been told