The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-25
BERLIN ASSAILS
PALMER IN WALL
OVER SEIZURES
Alien Property Custodian's
Report Said to Be Full
of Injustice.
SELF-ACCUSATION SEEN
The German Governments
Statement Sneers at
7. S. Efficiency.
"HORROR" TO THE VICTIMS
"HORROR" TO THE VICTIMS
"Peaceful Enterprises" Here
Said to Have Had No War
Connection.
Ry KARL II. Won WIEGAND
StoG Correspondent o. The ST.

Copyright. 1918; all ri0hts reserrcJ
BERLIN. July 24.-"UnscrupulouS
hate and injustice, not hesitating to
use any means whatsoever, and
covering itself with self-praising
hypocrisy. dominates this report"
With these words the German Gov
crnment characterzeS the report Of
\. Mitchell Palmer. former Alien
Property Custodian Of the United
States.
This report iS uncquale,l by any.
thing we have observed during the
war" continues the statement, 1t
males Us lose faith in the humanity
of our adversaries. We look with
horror upon the manner in which
Palmer has handled German property.
II is n Self-accuSation of n kind that
has never before been written against
America 10y an American"
Stating that it was unnecessary to
make an effort to argue against
Palmer's many mistakes, the state
ment says "a few remarks should
he made to throw light on Mr..
palmcr's proceedings"
Says Americana. Acted First.
In answer to Mr. palmer's justin.
cation that the German authorities
had proceeded in like manner against
American property in Germany the
statement says:
"Mr. Palmer should have known.
as reports were repeatedly made
about il through trade channels. that
The German Government had given
authority 10 take the necessary
measures only after the American
steps had already been taken. As a
matter of fact during the entire war
not one> American, private or busi-
ness. property was liqudated.
'The real cause of Palmer's pro-
ceeding finds expression in passage
of his report wherein the custodian
describes 1t as his task to capture
or destroy the German industrial
army on American soil. Palmer
speaks of an industrial army and
maintainS> that the most important
German Undertakings in America
served for the production of the es-
sentials of warfare. He then tries
to prove this surprising conception
by listing the firms producing chiefly
magnetos, woollen goods, especially
for women; chemicals, dyestuffs
pharmaceutical preparations like as
pirin, surgical instruments and simi.
lar war material
Thus it Is easily seen that his al
lega ations are unfounded We prefer
to assume that even in the face Of
their warlige feeling the undOubted
common sense of the Americans will
at once recognize the senselessness
of his accusations.
PaImer's Charge RidicuIed.
Mr.. Palmer's statement that Ger
many's hope for the future lies in her
Industrial conquest of the western
continent Is ridiculed, and referring
to the S7OO.OOOOOO which Palmer
cites as proof of this the statement
says
This sum. which Is the very high
est estimate of German investments
in America, doesn't reach one-half OF
the total value, for instance, Of Il
single American industrial company
like the United States Steel Corpora.
tion, and not even approximately |
per cent. Of the total value of Amerl,
can industrial enterprises.
After all the report Of the custo
dian seems to do conside ,able injustice
TO American enterprise If American in,
dustrial, commercial and scientific de,
velopmeRh would, as he says, be stllled
or throttled by reason Of the selfish
conduct Of German industrial inter
ests' should such ventures as he men
tons be permitted to have full play.