shall be proud to prove it towards all who are in fact loyal to their neighbors and to the Government in the hour of test. They are most of them, as true and loyal American as if they had never known any other fealty or allegiance. They will be prompt to stand with us in rebuking and restraining the few who may be of a different mind and purpose. If there should be disloyalty, it will be dealt with with a firm hand of stern repression; but, if it lifts its head at all, it will lift it only here and there without countenance except from a lawless and malignant few. "It is a distressing and oppressive duty, Gentlemen of the Congress, which I have performed in thus addressing you. There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts, for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free. To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other." ation of War against On April 6th, both Houses of Congress passed a joint resolution which placed us with those countries of the world who were warring The Declar- for democracy, and directed the President "to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States Germany. and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial German Government, and to bring the conflict to a successful termination all the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States." 1 SUGGESTED READINGS American Year Book 1917, 37-40, 43-44, 45-46. American Journal of International Law IX, Spec. Supplement, 129 seq. New York Times Current History II, 409-454 (June 1915). Hill, David J. "Protection of American Citizens" in North American Review, Vol. 203, 661-668. Schapiro, Modern and Contemporary European History, 740-742. 1 War with Austria-Hungary was declared December 7, 1917. CHAPTER IV GERMAN PLOTS AND INTRIGUES IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE OUR DECLARATION OF WAR. SOON after the outbreak of the Great War in Europe, Germany began an active campaign in her own interest in this country-a campaign which violated the neutrality of the United States and, in many instances, strained the friendship which had always existed between Germany and America. Classes of The plots which Germany perpetrated may be grouped under the following heads: the attempt to prevent the export of military supplies; the attempt to foment feeling against the Allies and to arouse a pro-German sentiment; the attempt to conduct and cause insurrections in Canada, in India, and in Ireland, through agents in the United States; the attempt to lend military aid through the forgery of passports and through the sending of supplies to German commerce raiders; and the attempt to embroil us in war with Mexico and Japan. In all of these matters, Germany selfishly placed her own interest above that of honor, above that of the welfare of a neutral nation. In his address to Congress, asking for a declaration of war, President Wilson said: "One of the things that has served to convince us that the Prussian autocracy was not and could never be our friend is that from the very outset of the present war it has filled our unsuspecting communities with spies and set criminal intrigues everywhere afoot against our national unity of counsel, our peace within and without, our industries and our commerce. Indeed it is now evident that its spies were here even before the war began; and it is unhappily not a matter of conjecture, but a fact proved in our courts of justice, that the intrigues which have more than once come perilously near to disturbing the peace and dislocating the industries of the country have been carried on at the instigation, with the support, and even under the personal direction of official agents of the Imperial Government accredited to the Government of the United States." Most of the schemes which President Wilson mentions in his address were conducted under the direction of Count von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to this country. Among his chief assistants may be found the names of Captain von Papen, military attaché; Captain Boy-Ed, naval attaché; Doctor Albert, commercial attaché; and Wolf von Igel, secretary to von Papen. Under these men served many American journalists, German and Austrian Leaders in consuls in this country, and German reservists. The the Intrigues. Austro-Hungarian ambassador, Dr. Dumba, until his dismissal from this country, was a co-laborer with Count von Bernstorff in these activities, most of which were serious affronts to our national sovereignty. Attempts against Mili tary Sup plies. On November 2, 1914, there was issued from the German General Headquarters a circular order "to the military representatives on the Russian and French fronts, as well as in Italy and Norway." It carried the following message: "In all branch establishments of German banking houses in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, China, and the United States, special military accounts have been opened for special war necessities. Main headquarters authorizes you to use these credits to an unlimited extent for the purpose of destroying factories, workshops, camps, and the most important centers of military and civil supply belonging to the enemy. In addition to the incitement of labor troubles, measures must be taken for the damaging of engines and machinery plants, the destruction of vessels carrying war material to enemy countries, the burning of stocks of raw materials and finished goods, and the depriving of large industrial centers of electric power, fuel, and food. Special agents, who will be placed at your disposal, will supply you with the necessary means for effecting explosions and fires, as well as with a list of people in the country, under your supervision who are willing to undertake the task of destruction. "(Signed). DR. E. FISCHER." Early in August 1915, a German employment bureau with a central office in New York City and branches in Bridgeport, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, and Cincinnati was established. It was supported by private contributions and by the German Government. The manner of this support is described by Mr. R. H. Otto, former German consul at Kingston, Jamaica: German Employment Bureau. "I wrote to the German Embassy covering the whole matter and suggesting that the German Government subsidize the Bureau by a regular contribution of funds. I heard nothing of it for months, but one day received a telephone message from Dr. Heinrich F. Albert to see him at his office, 45 Broadway. When I arrived there, he told me the German Embassy had authorized him to supply our Bureau with funds up to $2000 per month. He then gave me $2000 in greenbacks, mostly in $100 bills. . . . Whenever I learned from Mr. Liebau (the manager) that money was needed for the Bureau, I gave Dr. Albert 24 hours' notice and went and got the money from him. . . . In all. I must have turned over to Liebau between $24,000 and $30,000." The Bureau posed as one through which employment could be found for German and Austrian subjects who had voluntarily left factories which supplied the Allies. Its real purpose was to intimidate and coerce employees of munition factories. The Austrian Government circulated through this country, by means of the foreign language press, a proclamation threatening with a sentence of from ten to twenty years' imprisonment all subjects working in such plants, if they later returned to their native land. A circular letter of a similar nature was sent out by the Germans. The evidence of the extensive operation of these agencies is seen in the monthly report of February 1916: "Since the Bureau began its work in August 1915, through February, 1916, 2828 Germans and 1638 subjects of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy have been provided for. The total number of applicants is now 8,000. Of these 60 per cent. came from factories producing munition and war material, and 40 per cent. would have been employed in such plants if the agency had not provided for them. "Engineers and persons in the better class of positions. persuaded by the propaganda of the Bureau to leave war material factories. . . . . were "The commercial employment bureaus of the country have no supply of unemployed technicians. . . . Many disturbances and suspensions which war material factories have had to suffer, and which it was not always possible to remove quickly, but which on the contrary often lead to long strikes, may be attributed to the energetic propaganda of the employment bureau." Strikes. Another means for crippling industry in this country was through strikes. By this weapon it was thought that they could "disorganize and hold up for months, if not entirely prevent, the manufacture of munitions in Bethlehem and the Middle West." To direct this enterprise, Franz von Rintelen, a close friend of the Kaiser's, was sent to America. Under his direction was started the Labor's National Peace Council whose real purpose was to cause strikes in munition factories, but whose alleged purpose was to express the pacific sentiments of the workers and to prevent the United States from entering the war. Labor agitators were hired to visit munition centers in the eastern part of the United States in order to cause strikes. Labor's 1 Letter of Ambassador Dumba to his Foreign Office. An effort to paralyze America's foreign commerce was undertaken through a strike of stevedores. Ten dollars a week while idle was promised the men by Rintelen, but the men did not strike, although $10,000 was spent for this purpose. In all, Rintelen spent $468,000 to disrupt industry in this country for the sake of Germany. Between November 10th and 11th, incendiary fires and explosions broke out in the Bethlehem Steel Works, and Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company, the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Eddystone, and Roebling Sons Company at Trenton, New Jersey. Consistent attempts to blow up ships bearing munitions to Europe were abetted, receiving chief direction from Captain von Papen and Wolf von Igel, who established bomb making plants for these designs. Fires are known to have been started by them on thirty-three ships leaving from New York alone. By no means did this number embrace all their activities in this direction. of American Opinion. Perversion of American opinion was encouraged even before the war commenced. This the people of the United States did not realize, although German courses in schools, the exchange of Perversion professors between American and German universities, and the organization of German-American societies were actively encouraged. Perhaps one of the most important organs was the German-American National Alliance whose existence was due to a desire to spread German influence in America, often through political influence. Labor's National Peace Council under the financial direction of Franz von Rintelen, whose activities were mentioned in connection with plots to hinder the exporting of munitions, was interested especially in influencing the sentiment of Congress. The American Embargo Conference endeavored to prevent the export of munitions from this country after the Government had declared that such an export lay within the right of a neutral nation. Telegrams were sent out by the Conference to over 5,000,000 voters who were to send them to Congress with the demand that no more munitions be exported. In Chicago alone the Conference paid the tele-. graph company about $20,000. Purpose of dists. The German propagandists in the United States desired first to prove that Germany was right in her war; second, to foster a warmth of feeling between Germany and America; Propaganthird, to gain enough influence to induce Congress to place an embargo on munitions for the Allies; fourth, to encourage pacificism; fifth, to cause friction between the United States and the enemies of the Central Powers. In this movement to distort American public opinion and to place |