The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-08-10
~ FULTON THATCHER GRANT
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PART


I have purposely avoided dealing
with oil the implications this word
malta involves until this moment, for
under it lies something SO serious, so
deep-rooted that 1t cannot be lightly
undertaken. Collectively, let us re-
view the ramifications and crisis
cross INTERVIEWING Of lines, the inter-
locking of operations, all connected
directly or indirectly with Stavisky.
AS far away as French Guiana IN
South America we have seen his plans
laid and the fatal vengeance Of his
hand. In Germany the Barmat Kon-
zern, whose famous offices were at A
Unterdenlinden and whose operations
were on a huge international basis,
is directly associated with Stavisky's
group in France Furthermore, 1t will
be shown elsewhere that under the
cloak OF world wide banking systems
this Stavisky -Barmat association was
engaged In international espionage on
a tremendous scale. We have seen
Stavisky's finger-prints in Hungary.
His "jobs" in Switzerland we're
brought out by the Commissions
probing. In Belgium he was known
as Victor Boitel, and he subtracted no
small amount OF money from the
thrifty burghers Of that country. He
was prominent in London, known in
New York. In France, as we know, he
was like an octopus whose tentacles
numbered as many as the cities where
there was money to be taken.
Does this not suggest huge unity2
Does not this conjure up picture OF
something bigger and broader than
petty swindle schemes Of single In
dividual? It was upon this structure
that the newspapers based their con-
jectural probing.
Then . peculiar phenomenon was
noticed. Nearly every political figure
whose name became involved In the
Stavisky operations was member Of
the secret order Of free masons known
in Europe as the Grand Orient Lodge.
Its power Is tremendous. mysterious,
unfathomed, unknown. It Is a sort of
cedar chest where the robes Of French
republicanism are hidden away under
guard. It's origin Is obscure but its
intermingling In French history Is a
fact.
Organization Had Black Record
I ought to state at the outset that
the Grand Orient, although an order
OF freemasonry, has no possible con-
nection with the Masonic organiza-
tons of the United States nor with
any similar group in Europe. It Is
independent. mysterious, phantom
like.
The Grand Orient and its lesser
affiliated lodges organized and pre-
cipitated the French Revolution. It's
whispering members were the brains
Of the Revolution of 1848 and Com
mune Of 1871. Today 1t is none the
less powerful In current politics and
Is the real headquarters of the Left
Parties, from the Radical Socialists
to the vermillion Communists. The
Left bloc which has ruled France
without interruption since the fall of
the Tardieu government drew its
forces from that occult lodge whose
temple is in the rue Cadet.
It was natural thing for the press
to be inspired by this constant and
repeated identification of the Lodge
With Stavisky's operations. Is it pos
sible that the malta which could
stretch its fingers across the South
Atlantic, across political frontiers to
commit crimes OF money or to avenge
betrayal. and the Grand Orient Lodge
which harbored so many Of the evil
starred Russians associates. tools and
hA hn
same?
One newspaper-the Action Fran
caise, naturally-mad, no bones about
the statement. Leon Daudet and his
associate Charles NIaurasS did not
hesitate to cry out that the Grand
Orient Lodge and its subsidiary Ma
sonic lodges were the enemies Of So
ciety, and that in France the Surete
General, corrupt and bought by GRIM
inal money, was its army, its flying
squadron, its weapon against the peo-
pie and against humanity.
But this violent journal was not
alone. All papers that were not d.
rectly associated with the parties Of
the Left took up the cry. Bonnaure
was Mason. So was Pressard. the
guilty Procureur who was being shown
every day to have protected Stavisky
from the arm Of the law. So was his
brother-in-law, Camille Chautemps,
whose name, as we shat, see later, is
flung to the dogs and whose guilt
may or may not be real. Dubarry,
Aymard, Proust, Puts, Dalimier and
hi the heretofore dignified gentlemen
who cannot withdraw from the en-
Judgements Of the stavisky business
are members Of the secret lodge. The
association was too obvious not to
tempt editorial writer's. The Grand
Orent was held up as a menace, q de-
stroyer Of France, an incubator OF
arti-patriotism. stepped in vice and
crime.
Offered No Defense
And those Masons did not defend
themselves. They did not reply. II
was not until the end Of March that
the secret society gave one sign OF
agitation. It's silence had been keen
~ observed and commented on. One
paper wrote: AT this time when
every party. group and citizen who
AA1o 0~SAA NA066ON AAVO lA1C 0Sd44NnAOuk
effairs Is busily trying to justify them
selves or to accuse others, how car
one imagine that Free-masonry
which directly responsible for these
scandals and crimes, has not made q
single gesture of self-defense? This
silence Is frightful confession
Then came the revelation that 4
motion had been prepared behind the
scundproof and sacrosanct walls 81