e
right in case of war, to sail for Germany under a safe conduct to
be obtained from the Allies by the United States. Somewhat of a
treaty! And quite a new, bright and original thought by some one
in the Foreign Office or German Admiralty. There were also in
this mysterious bag many other matters of interest that may some
day see the light.

* * * * *

Poisonous propaganda and spying are the twin offspring of
Kaiserism.

There is in Mexico, for instance, one force that never
sleeps,--the German propaganda. It is the same method as that
used by the Teutons in every country, the purchase or rental of
newspaper properties, bribing public men and officers of the army
and the insidious use of Germans who are engaged in commerce.
This propaganda is backed by enormous sums of money appropriated
by the German government which directs how all its officers and
agents, high and low, shall participate in the campaign.

In the long run a paid propaganda always fails. It is like paying
money to blackmailers. The blackmailer who has once received
money becomes so insatiable that even the Bank of England will
not satisfy him in the end. Sometimes the newspapers which are
not bought, but are equally corrupt, become vehement in their
denunciation of the country making the propaganda in the hope of
being bought and in the hope that their bribe money will be in
proportion to their hostility. Corrupted public men who are not
bribed often become sternly virtuous and denunciatory with a
similar hope. Those who have received the wages of shame, on the
other hand, become more insistent in their demands, crying,
"Give! Give!" like the daughter of the horse-leech.

The blows of war must be struck quickly. Delays are dangerous and
the temporary paralysis of one country by propaganda may mean the
loss of the war. The United States has been at a great disadvantage
because our officials have not had the authority, the means or
the money to fight the German propaganda with effective educational
campaigns, both offensive and defensive.

Bernstorff in this country disposed of enormous sums for the
purpose of moulding American public opinion. I, in Berlin, was
without one cent with which to place America's side before the
German people. It is a conflict of two systems. In Berlin I did
not even have money to pay private detectives and on the rare
occasions when I used them as, for instance to find out who was
conn