New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1919-03-12

IDEA OF LEAGUE CONCEIVED
IN LONDON; PATRIOTISM
ONLY MASK, CHARGE

I The following news item, furnished
/! by the Associated Press, covering il
! part the peculiar activities Of the so
i called Security League, posing as SORT
OF super patriotic organization, reveals
some surprising facts that will no doubt
be quite interesting to Review readers
1 Failure of the National Security
League to file an itemized statement OF
expenditures during the last congress
slonal campaign, was declared a direct
violation of the corrupt practices act
IN report submitted to the House
today by the special committee appointed
4 to, investigate the leagues activities.
! The report was signed by six of the
sven members of the committee.
| Penalty May Be imprisonment.
In the Judgment of the committee, .
| the majority report stated, 'the National
Security league has violated the pro
visions of that act, the penalty for which
/ is a fine OF not more than 81 900 or i'm
prisonment for not more than one year,
| or both"
| This act provides any political organi-
cation which endeavors to influence a
congressional election in two or more
states should file expense accounts with
the clerk of the house of representatives.
The committee asserted the league had
taken part in the campaign in nearly
every state
| 1t was charged in the report that
!, the league was supported by the large
interests of the country which made
enormous profits as the results OF the
entrance of the United States into the
/ ar and that its plea of doing patriotic
work by circulating the so-called "acid
test chart showing how congressman
voted on important measures in recent
years and other literature was only a
lmask behind which it could serve the big
Interests and protect them during re-
construction.
! Activities of the organization were
| denounced by the committee. The
league was organized ostensibly, the
report stated, to arouse the country
to a realization of its unpreparedness,
but later it threw aside this pretense''
and entered the political field to urge
/ the election of a congress which would
support the special interests, branding
nearly all members of congress as dis
iloyal.
ssThe real purpose of the league, .
said the report, was to elect to con-
! gress majority which would entertain
Tits views on the great questions of re-
construction which follow the war. The
light made by the league upon the
loyalty Of men OF the highest patriotism
was SO glaringly unjust and so patiently
false that it failed in its purpose, but the
1 failure was due to an error o. judgmen nj
on the part of the league, not because
1 of the lack of vicious purpose
i Conceived by "Big interests.
! The idea Of forming the league, tn.
4 report said, was conceived by S. Stan
1 wood Menken, IAN attorney represent
4 ing sugar, steel and other large interests,
while he was in London. Other repre-
sentatiyes of like interests took UP thu
idea, the report added, and became
most active in its organization.
"Co-incident with the organization
Iof the league the thought of fnancin,
lit commenced" it concluded, "and Q
) coupling it with names Of persons il
4! which the people would have confidence
Hon. Joseph II. Choate Of New Yorl
i was made honorary president, an
! upon his death Hon. Elihu Root wa
! selected to take his place.
Judge Alton B. Parker was selecte
as honorary vice president.
Given Nonpartisan Label.
These two gentlemen were selecte
for several reasons. One was to CIV
the league the appearance OF being nor
q partisan in politics, Mr.. Root being
and Judge Parker democra
I'll No doubt another reason was that th
81 league desired the use Of their names f
. the purpose of conjuring up money
t carry on its comtempl activities Z
i, The committee laid stress on the fat
s that large contributions had been I,
i ceived by the organization from t
E Carnegie interests, John D. Rockefelle
4 j Pierpont Morgan and others 'havir
S large interests here and abroad.
Z The principal officers Of the leag,
luere described by the committee as