Chapter II: The Story of the North (1)

Nature has not put upon the face of the globe any region more fit or more inviting for human occupancy than the temperate zone of North America. The soil is fertile, producing with fair tillage all the forms of food needful for the full development of the human species. The climate is precisely that which calls for sufficient human exertion in the unescapable battle of life, but not enough to debar men from a rich surplus of things beyond the mere living, which in the tropics is all a man asks, or in the Arctics is all a man may hope. Lastly, its natural transportation is easy and abundant. The rugged, virile, enterprising and successful population of that region is Nature’s offering to the problems of the world’s future, and it is safe prophecy that in this region of America always will be produced many of the world’s greatest thinkers and greatest doers; because here, surely, is a splendid human environment.

But man, like other species, is a product of two forces, environment and heredity. What was the heredity of the temperate zone? Of the best, the strongest, the most enterprising. The Colonies, New England and the upper South, sent their strongest sons west in the early days. Later, the restless populations of Europe, of Irish, Teutonic and Scandinavian stock, began to swarm into that favored region, a good part of which, then known as our West, lay unoccupied. The Civil War prevented what we might call the Americanization of the Northwest, which attracted heavy immigration of North-European stocks. But all the men moving out along the forty-second parallel as a meridian line of latitude were of strong, well selected human stock. That was the original ancestry of what we might call our “North.”

We rudely may group this region as that lying along the Mississippi, the Missouri and their upper tributaries. Here lies one of the great future countries, one of the anchoring grounds of humanity. Beyond doubt it will eventually offer support to a vast population. The great population-centers, the great civilizations of the world, always have been along the great river valleys.

In the North, then, we see a rich region, rich in soil, in forests, in minerals. Consider what ore Minnesota and Michigan, by means of natural transportation, have sent to Ohio and Pennsylvania for manufacturing! Consider what millions of feet of rich pine Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota have given the world! And consider, if you can, the wealth which has come out of the soil of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas and all the rest of what we call the North! The earth has known nothing like it. Here was won the great war of the world, in which Peace overthrew Militarism, let us hope, for all time. Here grew the sinew which America put into this war, and it is in great part because of her rich river valleys that America to-day is the hope of all the world in the day of peace.

Naturally, if we should consider all these things, consider the persistence of racial types, consider the natural contest of all these strong men for the wealth of a rich new region, we could in advance predict that here in the North, there would be presented bitter phases of that combat which the enemy fought on this side of the Atlantic.

OHIO

Typical among the thriving industrial cities of the Middle West is Akron, Ohio, a city of 150,000 inhabitants, well known for its prominence in the rubber industry and other lines of manufactory of great use to the Government. The A. P. L. division in such a city might naturally be expected to have something to do. The Akron division began in the brain of a somewhat solitary agent of the Department of Justice, W. A. Garrigan, who was sent to Akron to serve his country all alone, equipped with one perfectly good aegis of the law, but not much else. There were men all about who were more or less actively engaged in helping Germany—men who were spreading Socialistic propaganda hindering the draft; men failing to qualify, knocking the Liberty Loan, and doing everything else they ought not to do and leaving undone the things they ought to do. Mr. Garrigan found that the Government had not appropriated money enough for his office rent, much less enough to employ men to keep in touch with the Akron conditions. He needed men. Then overnight the Akron division of the A. P. L., beginning with two hundred men, sprang into existence, as it did so magically and mysteriously all over America. Mr. Elihu Harpham, manager of a local manufacturing concern, took the position of Chief. He had able assistants, and always these men worked in close touch with the Department of Justice, even in its most delicate and dangerous enterprises.

Akron, according to all reports, had an exceptionally large number of draft slackers—men who had registered here and disappeared before the numbers were drawn. It was estimated at one time that 3,000 men had registered in Akron and never been heard of again. It was indeed a Port of Missing Men. Akron Division took this matter up, and in its first year’s work rounded up 6,856 men. The word passed among all the employees of Akron’s great factories that it was not a good thing for a man to be around without his draft card in his pocket. Many hundreds of men who were delinquent came in voluntarily to their draft boards. Perhaps the figures will tell the tale as well as words:

Slackers 6,856
Alleged false questionnaires. 255
Interned alien enemies 17
Pro-Germanism 245
Socialistic propaganda 98
Sedition 124
Food regulations 94
Liberty Bonds and Stamps 86
Soldiers absent without leave 51
Alien enemy investigations 159
Character investigations: War Department, Red Cross,
Y. M. C. A., etc. 34
Miscellaneous 4,847
------
Total cases handled first year 11,866
Delinquents and deserters sent to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe,
Ohio, by this office 870

In the comprehensive report submitted by the Akron division, Chief Harpham says:

We started out in a small way to assist the Akron office of
the Bureau of Investigation, but expanded rapidly and soon had
thoroughly equipped offices, complete card filing systems, and
a sufficient force to keep our records and carry on our work in
an efficient way. We now have a membership of two hundred and
eighty-three, enrolled from the ranks of representative citizens
who have given untiring efforts to the work. I know of no single
case that has not been handled to the entire satisfaction of the
Department of Justice, and without any display of officiousness.
It is very gratifying to those who have performed service to
receive these expressions of appreciation. I shall never be
able to convey to our members the keen appreciation of their
loyal support which has made our success possible. It has been a
pleasure for me to serve as Chief and to know that we have been a
part of the powerful organization which has contributed so much
toward the winning of the war.

Of these men who did the work—and it is work to handle nearly 12,000 cases—all were unpaid volunteers. Other members of the business community contributed money, although classified as inactive members. Such laborers in the ranks must be content to go unsung and unhonored, although they truly helped to win the war.

Columbus, Ohio, is another solid, steady-going town which may be depended upon to do the sensible thing and the loyal thing—albeit at times in rather violent fashion. A Lutheran minister of Columbus was reported for pro-German talk and was found to be of German parentage, although himself American born. He acknowledged he had never allowed an American flag in his church, and had never uttered a prayer for this country or its army. An operative told him to be careful about his praying for “our country,” lest he should be understood as meaning Germany and not the United States. The community forced him to leave his charge—none too soon, for the sentiment toward him was rapidly becoming dangerous.

A Columbus restaurant employed a German-looking cook who seemed to have considerable money, and who acted rather suspiciously. A. P. L. traced his history, covering two or three positions which he had held, and at length called him in to headquarters for a general going over of the third-degree sort. He was found to have acted as cook in the army cantonments at Chillicothe, and was discovered to be a German alien without permit or any papers allowing him in this country. Among his papers there was found a photograph of himself in the uniform of a lieutenant in the German army, also his order for mobilization in the German army in 1913. He is now interned.

That the Columbus division of A. P. L. was at all times busily engaged in winning the war on this side is amply proved by its report:

Slackers 135
Delinquents and deserters 366
Alleged false questionnaires 83
Bootlegging 107
Pro-German 375
Socialistic propaganda 83
Vice complaints 235
Soldiers absent without leave 8
Alien enemies 48
Character investigations 192

Toledo, Ohio, had 162 cases of disloyalty and sedition to investigate, and 600 cases of word-of-mouth propaganda. Many of the reports turned in by zealous operatives are worth reprinting.

A slacker was brought into Toledo headquarters minus his card, but he protested that he had registered. He declared himself to be drunk, said that the registrar was drunk, that it was funny they couldn’t find his card, but if they would go to Detroit and find his friend Heine So-and-so—street address unknown—Heine would tell them he had registered. Not considered conclusive.

Another operative in Toledo fancied himself very much in the rôle of Sherlock Holmes. In one case assigned him, he was trailing a subject who turned and started toward the operative. The latter stated in his report: “When I noticed the subject coming toward me, I immediately jumped over a hedge and hid behind some bushes.”

Toledo did some business in the slacker raids, having examined some 2,000 men in one drive.

Youngstown, Ohio, reflects a very sensitive social condition which existed during the war in every community which owned a considerable foreign born population. The Chief comments on this quite frankly:

A feature of our work was the demand, made by people in all
stations, that the Federal Government, of which we were supposed
to be a direct agency, should look after the enforcement of
laws concerning health, morals and even family relations. A
remarkable fact in connection with these investigations was the
utter inability of a certain class of German origin to forget
their German ties and to live up to their oath of allegiance to
America, which they took, many of them, fifteen or twenty years
ago. In one case it was frankly admitted by the subject that he
had never thought about Germany going into a war with America when
he applied for naturalization papers. We have developed the fact
that many households in America have been, are and always will be
nothing but a part of Germany in our midst.

Youngstown turns in 157 cases of alien enemy activities, and 459 of disloyalty and sedition. There were 213 cases of anti-military activity and 674 cases of propaganda, not mentioning 183 cases of I. W. W. and other radicalism. In the report of this division, the Department of Justice work quite overshadows the War Department activities, because there are only 213 investigations under the Selective Service Act and 67 for character and loyalty, although there were 141 investigations of desertions and absences without leave.

There was a certain man in the vicinity of Napoleon, Ohio, who put up a really stubborn fight against Americanism. The Chief of the division says:

I got a telephone message that one hundred Germans, armed with
guns, were gathered in an alien enemy’s house and wanted to fight.
As county president of the League of American Patriots, I called
out five hundred members, and with fifteen A. P. L. members, we
started for the place after nightfall. We traveled the eighteen
miles in cars, but as we were approaching, the Germans saw our
headlights and dispersed, except for a few who didn’t get away. We
got three men, and found some ammunition and one gun in a wheat
field. We were shot at, but none of us were hurt, although the
report got noised about that we had fifteen killed. A carnival
was being held in a little town nearby, and when we got back at
2:00 A. M., the ladies were waiting with hot coffee and sandwiches
for us, so we didn’t call it a bad night’s work. We nailed an
American flag to the house of that enemy alien, and it is still
waving there. The next day the Department of Justice was on hand.
We traveled into three counties to get a man who said that some
Germans had guns and would use them. It was said that these guns
were to aid Germany in case she could effect a landing in this
country.

About seventy per cent of the inhabitants of Henry County are of
German descent, and many remained in sympathy with Germany even
after we went into the war. We could do little with them. Our
League of Patriots tried nineteen cases in Henry County, relieved
a bank cashier of his position, got a State road superintendent
dismissed and brought a good many other pro-Germans out into
the open. The A. P. L. assisted in getting much of the evidence
against the road superintendent, who was heard to say: “If this
country goes into the war with Germany, one million Germans will
rebel, and I will be one of them.” Thus far, the million Germans
seem less disposed to rebel since the eleventh of last November.

Yellow Springs, Ohio, is another instance of simple, honest, heel and toe hard work. The division assisted in all the war activities, and helped out the Department of Justice in divers instances in collecting testimony.

Wooster, Ohio, says: “Our principal activities had to do with conscientious objectors. We tried to deal with these people in accordance with the law, and also in accordance with the regulations promulgated by the President. We had some amusing cases with members of the Ammish church, including their Bishop, who was accused of advising men not to comply with the draft order. This man caused the county boards a great deal of trouble. He would not come in and talk with the military authorities, but the A. P. L. brought him in. You have to know these people to appreciate the obstructions they will put around all draft matters.”

Coshocton, Ohio, had fifteen citizens who were suspected of being disloyal, and thirty who talked too much. Members worked when the thermometer was twenty below zero, trying to catch parties who were tearing down and mutilating Liberty Loan posters.

A quite usual form of report comes from Washington Courthouse, Ohio—and it is one of the best sorts of reports: “Assisted in the sale of Liberty Bonds and Stamps to the amount of $150,000; rounded up slackers, and did investigation work for the Red Cross. We had much automobile travel. In the eight hundred cases that we investigated, our men traveled more than twenty-five thousand miles by auto, half of this mileage being covered by one man.”

INDIANA

Indianapolis, Indiana, attributes much of its success to the care with which its membership was selected. All new members were brought in by other members who were acquainted with them, and were in a position to know of their loyalty. The Chief says: “Our men conducted themselves with dignity, tact and discretion, bearing in mind at all times that they were representing the Government and the League. We believe that much of our success in keeping down propaganda, sabotage and other Hun depredations was due to the secrecy which guarded the identity of our officers. Indianapolis had a total of 209 cases of disloyalty and sedition.”

Indianapolis caught one deserter 1,200 miles from home. He deserted from the Rainbow Division at the port of embarkation and headed west. He was found, working under an alias, in a camp forty miles from Casper, Wyoming. This case was started within fifty feet of the Indianapolis headquarters, through overhearing a chance conversation in which a woman said that a friend of hers was corresponding with a man she thought to be a deserter. The suspect at first denied he was the man wanted, but finally confessed, and was delivered to the proper authorities. The whole case was finished inside of two hours, the order for the man’s arrest going by wire to Casper from the Department of Justice. Another man deserted from Camp Sherman, Ohio, and without coming back home to Indianapolis, went to Hastings, Michigan. Here, through a woman who passed as his wife, he had gotten a novelty concession at the County Fair. Indianapolis A. P. L. got in touch with M. I. D. of Washington. Everything was waiting for the gentleman on his arrival at Hastings. He is again in the Army—or was at the time of the Armistice.

Though wireless scares are most frequent on the seaboard, almost every city can boast several of them. An Indianapolis operative thought he had discovered certain wireless antennae on the property of a family with a German name. A pole was found fastened to the roof of a shed, wires being used to connect it with the attic of the house. It was noticed that the attic had close-drawn blinds, whence lights were occasionally seen. The whole thing simmered down to an outfit put up by some young men to practice telegraphy.

Indianapolis also became interested in a man who claimed exemption on account of heart trouble. He weighed 225 pounds, and stood six feet and one-half inch, though he was only twenty-five years old. It was arranged to have this man examined by an out-of-town physician. This resulted in his being brought before the medical board in Cleveland, where he was found fit for military service. There was no direct evidence that he had been taking any depressant for his heart, although the facts were thought to point that way. It was said that some doctors gave slackers medicine to give them temporary “heart disease.”

Michigan City, Indiana, had a very busy A. P. L. division whose activities were sometimes curious. For instance, the town boasts a somewhat well advertised mayor, Fred C. Miller, who has made Michigan City famous as being the proud possessor of the only alien mayor in the United States. Miller openly violated the President’s proclamation barring alien enemies from Washington, D. C. He was held until a thorough investigation could be completed, and during this investigation A. P. L. furnished D. J. with a report showing that twenty-one of the city officials and employees of Michigan City also were alien enemies! It would seem that America has not yet been discovered at the foot of Lake Michigan. The loyal minority of the population, during the mayoralty campaign, turned over information to A. P. L. to the effect that one hundred and forty-four alien enemies had failed to comply with the President’s proclamation obliging them to register. A number of these were placed under bonds. Indeed, with the assistance of the League, the U. S. Marshal’s office registered a total of 2,200 male and female alien enemies. A. P. L. developed the evidence on which one Herman Kauffman was interned at Fort Oglethorpe. This division also caused something over one hundred and fifty draft evaders to be taken before the local board as the result of a three months’ drive under cover, which combed all the factories and railroad yards.

At Peru, Indiana, A. P. L. worked in combination with the “Loyal Citizens’ Vigilance Committee of Miami County,” an earlier organization of loyalty lovers which embraced about three thousand members of the hundred percent-loyal class. Mr. F. D. Butler was chief, and Mr. W. F. Schrader, head of the Vigilance Committee, assistant chief of A. P. L. The two organizations appear to have had amiable and efficient relations. There is something in the character of the Peru Vigilance Committee which seems to be reminiscent of the old “Know Nothing” party which had existence before the Civil War, and whose general platform was that of America for Americans. Does this Indiana Vigilance Committee, indeed, foreshadow a revival of some such political movement at a later date? It seems to have retained some of the tenets of the old Know Nothing party, which also worked in absolute secrecy, and had its grips, pass words and countersigns.

One may recall that it was an Indiana poet who wrote the line, “The Booger man will get you if you don’t watch out.” At least, between A. P. L. and the Vigilantes, a good and sufficient scare seems to have been thrown into the disloyal element around Peru.

There is grit, shrewdness and loyalty all combined in the report of the Chief of Rensselaer, Indiana, division. It is too good to change and the cases cited are given in the Chief’s own words:

I am also sending you a few sketches of our work; if you can use
them in the history of the League it will be appreciated. I am
very much interested in the history.

_First Case_: There were numerous complaints and rumors of
pro-Germanism and disloyalty in Northern Jasper County. Our
operatives, got a great many affidavits against a certain Lutheran
minister, and an enemy alien named Herman S——, who had been
bragging that no one could make him register. Accompanied by an
operative, I took my car one Sunday and we went out to S——’s house
and the following conversation took place:

Q. Herman, why haven’t you registered as the law requires you to?

A. Well, I supposed that my father had taken out his papers and I
did not need to register.

Q. Well, how did it come that your brother Paul registered; he
must have understood the law?

A. S—— flushed up, but did not answer.

Q. Well, Herman, you had better come in to-morrow and register.

A. But I have some oats that have to be harrowed, and I can’t come
in.

Q. Well, all right, if you would rather harrow your oats and not
register and spend the remainder of the time of the war in a
Federal prison, you harrow the oats.

He registered Monday.

On this same expedition we stopped to see the Lutheran minister as
private citizens, and told him that the people of Jasper County
wanted no more German preaching and no more German teaching in the
schools; also they would like to see Old Glory floating from the
mast-head. We told him also that this was the last time that he
would be notified. In about three hours we returned that way and
stopped again. Old Glory was floating at the mast-head; the German
school books had disappeared, and there has been no more German
teaching nor preaching.

_Second Case_: The Local Board gave the name of Harrison L——,
who had registered in Carrolton, Green County, Illinois, but
had not reported for physical examination at Rensselaer. He was
living with his parents nine miles south of this city, and he
should have reported to the Local Board of Rensselaer for physical
examination. I went out as a deputy sheriff to find out the reason
why. I first called at the post office at McCoysburt, where they
got their mail, and found that he had received his card calling
him for examination. I then drove out to the farm and found the
young man, and he claimed that he had not received the card. I
finally told him that he would have to go with me. He replied that
he would have to see his father. We went out into the cornfield
where Mr. L—— was picking corn, and when I told him my business,
he exploded. He called Mr. Wilson a Czar, and the United States
Government almost everything he could lay his tongue to, and then
I asked: “Mr. L——, what are you, a German? About five more words
of your talk and I will take you along, too.” He had no more to
say of a violent nature, but evidently felt very hostile.

I brought the boy in. He passed the physical examination and was
placed in Class I. I told him that probably he would be called to
entrain in June. I tried to get him to tell me whether or not he
would be here to entrain, and he said: “Yes, sure, I have learned
my lesson and will be in.”

In the meantime, Mr. L——, Sr., had been talking wildly and saying
that he would rather see his son dead than in the Army of the
United States. He also said that if anybody came out to get his
son and make him go over there and fight the rich man’s battles,
they would have to take him over his dead body.

I finally got in touch with Mr. P——, whose son married L——’s
daughter. He went over to see L—— and told him that if the boy was
not in by nine o’clock on the day of entrainment, the officers
would have to come after him. L—— replied that if they did come
out there, he had a double-barreled shot-gun loaded with buck-shot
and would let the first man that stepped on the place have it.

Nine o’clock the next morning I took one of my operatives and a
good 30-30 rifle and went out there; drove in the gate as fast as
I could make it, and caught the old gentleman in the barn.

L—— had mislaid his shot-gun, but his wife found it, and was
approaching him with it. After quite a tussle, we convinced Mrs.
L—— that she had no use for a gun, and I took it away from her.

In the meantime their loyal, patriotic son had started for Monon,
about six miles from the farm, to get some mower repairs. I left
my operative on the premises, and started after young L—— in the
car. I found him about three miles from the farm, jogging along
with his thoughts dwelling on the hardships of war. I stopped him
and told him he would have to go with me, and he said: “Well, what
will I do with the horse and buggy.” I replied that that was not
worrying me, that I wanted him. He tied the horse to the fence,
and I took him in the car and went back to the farm. I told him
that if he would go like a man, I would give him five minutes to
change his clothes and get in the car and go with me to entrain.

He was ready in three minutes and thirty-five seconds. I took
him to Fort Benjamin Harrison and turned him over to the Provost
Marshal. This man was inducted into the Army, and has been in
France shooting Huns.

These cases do not exhaust the files of Rensselaer. There are more of the same sort, but these give a good idea of the sort of problems which tested the courage, ability and resourcefulness of A. P. L. operatives and chiefs throughout the war.

Elkhart, Indiana, is present or accounted for in almost every branch of the service. The Chief says: “We found most of our cases pro-German, with some spite work. Elkhart Division handled a total of 600 cases of all sorts, of which 117 were concerned with alien enemy activities. A number of reports were investigated which charged certain German sympathizers with offering up prayers in church for the Kaiser and the success of the German arms. There would seem to be no use in praying for the Kaiser now.”

One of the most American parts of Indiana is good old Brown County, long famous because there is no railroad within its confines. The Chief reports: “This has been a quiet sector. Our people are native stock, absolutely loyal and patriotic. A few late-comers of German origin began to talk too much, but when they found they were being watched, they stopped. It is good to live in an old-fashioned American community such as we usually read about in books.”

MICHIGAN

Perhaps not many people in the United States have heard of Midland, Michigan—it is one of the many new names on the war map. But the Midland report—in many ways the best report turned in by any A. P. L. chief in the entire country—bulked large and was very thorough indeed; in short, it was a day-by-day record and report of activities in a town engaged in making deadly gases and other chemicals for use in the war. Midland is the site of the Dow Chemical Company’s chief plant, a concern which manufactured acetone for airplane dope, mustard gas, T. N. T. and a number of other special products for the Government. As a consequence it seems to have been a magnet for alien enemy workmen and American laborers with pro-German sympathies. Something broke loose almost every day; on some days, two, three or even four cases came up. Altogether the Midland report is an extraordinary document—indeed the most veritable and illuminating day-to-day record of all which the League has produced. This blotter form of report supplies a remarkable narrative of the chances and near-casualties which the presence of a munitions plant brought to a normal American community. It is too bad such a report cannot be given in full, but it runs to 12,000 words, spans ten months of time and covers one hundred and fifty-seven cases of investigation. This splendid report came out of a wholly unexpected quarter. We hear much of the romance of big business. Perhaps when the reader shall have discovered how many men were waiting day-by-day to wreck and ruin one big business, it will not always seem to have been so romantic after all. We may make at least a brief resumé of things which happened in and around Midland. Names cannot be given, but it may be stated in advance that practically every case investigated was that of a man who had a German, Russian or European name.

Carl L—— was a German Lutheran minister at Midland, and seems to have been much like his brethren of the cloth in that denomination. He remarked to a friend, “Why, you do not seem to realize that Germany will soon control the world.” When the Lusitania was sunk, he said, “The people who went on that ship should have been blown sky-high.” Preacher L—— is still preaching at Midland.

Alex B—— is a retired citizen of Midland. He was born in Germany, came to this country penniless, yet acquired sufficient wealth upon which to retire. This country is full of Germans of similar description, who have remained just as German as they ever were. This was the case of Mr. B——. In discussing the war, he said, “You can’t get your troops over there because our submarines will sink them.” By “your” he meant American troops, and by “our” he meant German submarines. He was of the belief that the German was a far superior race to ours. Natürlich! Gewiss! Das versteht sich!

S. F. S——, another employe, was found taking pictures of one of the buildings devoted to the making of sulphuric acid, including the railroad approaches. United States asked him please not to take any more such pictures.

A can containing a pint of giant powder was found in a car of coal which was being hoisted into the boilers at the power house of the Dow Chemical Company. Two Germans, J. O. M—— and Carl S——, were heard talking of prospective trouble at the Dow Company. The former said, “I have a bottle planted near the gate that they will hear from.” Both men were watched, and their plot seems to have been aborted.

John S—— once claimed he was German, then claimed he was Russian. He could not speak nor write Russian, but was familiar with the German language and associated only with Germans of the hostile type. He attended the German-Lutheran church and was very insolent toward Americans. Whether German or Russian, he was discharged by the Dow Chemical Company. He found his solace in conversation at the German store, run by two Germans, all enjoying themselves very much, conversing and settling the war.

Ernest W——, reported as an alien enemy in the pay of the German Government, a sailor on the Great Lakes in the summer time. Reported to the steamship company of Cleveland which used to employ him.

C. B—— works for the Dow Chemical Company. Operative reports he said United States was to blame for the war and that Germany had told the people of the United States not to board English ships. All of which sounds familiar—if not convincing—to an American. Ja wohl!

John W——, reported pro-German, had expressed himself as opposed to the United States in the war. Since we declared war, has been more discreet. A common case.

H. S——, in the army cantonment, but reported to have stated he would desert as quickly as he got to France. His officers duly notified.

E. L. K——, a foreman in the wood shop of the Dow Chemical Company, reported to be willing to bet $100 that the United States would never whip Germany. Too bad someone did not take him up several times! Ach! das thut uns leid!

A. B. B——, reported by some patent attorneys to have appeared at their office desiring the Russian patent for a dinner pail which would be capable of containing several sticks of dynamite hidden in coils. A compartment for a clock was also called for. This would be a fine thing for a workman to take into a building such as this Government enterprise. The attorneys did not care for confidential relations with such a client. Close watch was kept for three weeks, but the client did not come back.

John G—— said when the Lusitania was sunk, “What in hell were the —— —— on that boat for, anyway—were they not warned to keep off?” Which again sounds familiar. Indeed, that was the attitude of practically every German or pro-German in America, no matter whether naturalized or not.

Alma, Michigan, is a pleasant and quiet city, but you can’t tell where a big story will break. Drama is no respecter of geography. Which is by way of saying that one Herman R—— is reported by Gratiot County Division to have been raised on a farm in this locality. During the war he went to Spokane, Washington, and joined the I. W. W. He was indicted among others in the Haywood trial and disappeared while waiting for trial. Gratiot County Division was directed to look him up.

A visit was made to the sister of R——, who herself appeared as much an I. W. W. as need be. Through persistence, however, they learned where Herman was approximately. It was concluded that the brother and sister might correspond, so the mails were watched. Sure enough, on the third day there came a letter from Spokane addressed to another sister, and bearing the Spokane postmark. Then a brother of Herman was visited, and from him and from his unmarried sister a snapshot was obtained of Herman and his pal, each holding an I. W. W. paper facing toward the camera, which sufficiently well identified them and their tendencies.

Later on both Herman and his pal were located, apprehended, tried, convicted, and sentenced in the Chicago trial.

Ottawa County, Michigan, has in its population a large percentage of people of Dutch descent. There are also many immigrants from Holland, some naturalized, others not. Most of these people have an inborn hatred for England, which was mistakenly called pro-Germanism. A correct understanding of the psychology of these people was no easy matter to arrive at, but the A. P. L. handled most of them in such a way as to convert them into patriots rather than malcontents. The Chief adds, however: “It should not be gathered from this that our population as a whole was not heart and soul for America. We rarely met anything vicious in the way of disloyalty. Hollanders are ultra-Calvinistic, unemotional and not easily stirred to enthusiasm, and it was sometimes difficult to reach their hearts with feelings of patriotism and love for the land of their adoption.”

Washtenaw County, Michigan, had the reputation of being the worst pro-German community in the Eastern Division of Michigan. Fully four percent of the people were pro-German. Large districts are nothing but old German settlements, “infested with that worst brand of citizen—the second or third generation German.” The Chief instituted a series of Star Chamber courts which put a wet blanket on this gentry and changed Washtenaw County into one of the quietest communities in the State. The A. P. L. men were not known to one another, but they were in all strata of society. They uncovered several rampant cases of Bolshevism and conducted a good many character and loyalty investigations. They investigated also 144 alien enemies who applied for naturalization. The total number of alien enemies investigated ran above 700, so it may be seen that this organization was kept pretty busy.

Ludington, Michigan, looked into fifty cases of disloyalty and sedition, and investigated six hundred cases of oral propaganda. The Chief says: “We investigated about two thousand cases; delivered upwards of two hundred speeches for the Red Cross; nullified three strikes of workmen—one on the railroad, and the other two in plants doing government work. Over seven hundred men were involved.” Ludington also reports the case of a German reservist who was traced from this point to France, from there to Winnipeg, thence to Seattle, thence to Chicago. The suspect was finally apprehended in Chicago and interned. Real sleuthing!

Benton Harbor, Michigan, is adjacent to strongly German neighborhoods. There were 1,000 men who signed up for League work, each man contributing one dollar to the common fund. The county was split up into five districts, each manned by a lieutenant and several operatives under him. A general secrecy obtained as to the membership, and the division was very active and efficient.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, was a busy center of activity, and one of the best-handled divisions in the United States, 3,907 cases being investigated, exclusive of about 500 minor cases in regard to German language, Liberty Loan, War Savings Stamps and other miscellaneous cases. Of the grand total, 2,357 cases were investigated under the “work or fight” order. A. P. L. at Grand Rapids had a busy season, and did its work well. It deserves as many pages as it is given lines.

Iron River, Michigan, had the usual routine. One case, slightly unusual, had to do with one Victor F——, a Swede fifty-eight years old, naturalized in America. He reluctantly admitted a pro-German tendency, but as he had a large family, the local chief was disposed to leniency. The Chief says: “I had previously learned that this man, with his family, was worth about $8,000. I had him agree to purchase $2,000 worth of Liberty Bonds at once and to leave them in the custody of the local bank until the end of the war. He also contributed $300 to the local war chest, and agreed to aid soliciting committees among his neighbors. He has kept his promise in these respects, and has kept silent about the war.”

Manistee, Michigan, is in one of the most pro-German counties of the State. A number of German agents had a sort of representative at Manistee. There were seventy-eight residents who swore fealty to Germany, although only twenty-one of these remained loyal during the closing days of the war. Not infrequently times became a trifle heated at Manistee. German sympathizers once shot at the Chief of the A. P. L., who had just apprehended several German suspects who were accused of making blue-prints of pumps going into United States battleships. The organization was active throughout the war, and was on its toes at all times.

Mount Clemens, Michigan, is in Macomb County, a large proportion of whose inhabitants are of German origin. A flying field is located near Mount Clemens. Hence a special officer of the Department of Justice was in charge. Most of the work had to do with pro-Germanism, ninety-seven of such cases being investigated. There were seven cases of alien enemy activities, two of sabotage, fifty-six connected with selective service matters, thirty of character and loyalty, and seven of food-hoarding. No grass grew under the feet of this division.

ILLINOIS

There ought to be at least one good stiff report from some town located near a big Army cantonment. Rockford, Illinois, entry point for Camp Grant, has submitted a report which meets every specification. It must be understood that from 30,000 to 75,000 troops came under the jurisdiction of Rockford Division each couple of months or so throughout the war. Rockford is a great manufacturing point and for some time has been a center of I. W. W. activities, a considerable number of I. W. W. clan being found among the laboring classes there. The League watched these people very closely, secured stenographic reports of their club speeches, etc., and thus got some strong Government evidence.

After war was declared, these agitators became very violent, and carried on an active campaign against the Selective Service Act. On one occasion they conducted an all-day meeting and picnic at Black Hawk Park, which was nothing but an organization meeting so timed as to interfere with the draft registration. We locked up three men, at which the other members of the two local unions thronged the streets to the jail and demanded the release of the men. We put an additional one hundred and thirty-five members of the I. W. W. in jail, and standing room only was available. Special interurban cars were chartered, eighty persons being removed to adjacent counties. The jail was pretty badly wrecked. The leader of these men got two years imprisonment, it being proved also that he was an alien and subject to deportation. The Immigration Bureau has secured a warrant for his deportation, and he will go abroad permanently at the expiration of his sentence. Federal Judge Landis sentenced one hundred and eleven of these men to one year in the Bridewell at Chicago. This case has been referred to in the report of Mr. Colby, D. J. agent at Chicago, as one of the most important in the Western country. A special agent was sent out by the Department of Justice to Rockford, with the result that an office was established there to carry on the joint work more efficiently.

After Camp Grant was located at Rockford, the A. P. L. had much more work to do. While the buildings were going up, about 50,000 men passed through the employment bureau, from 7,000 to 10,000 being employed in the work. All classes of men were attracted to Rockford, and the local division was busy in keeping watch over them. Thirty-five I. W. W. members were taken from the camp laborers and handled in different ways—always with encouragement to go away and stay away. Two alien enemies were found among the laboring men at Rockford. They had come to America surreptitiously after the war began in Europe and had worked at various cantonments. They finally admitted they were German subjects, and were interned for the war. After the cantonment was completed and the troops began to arrive, the divisional activities of the A. P. L. centered largely in the detection of violations having to do with the morale of the troops. Five operatives were put to work on liquor cases, all working together under cover. Twenty-six men were sentenced for supplying soldiers with liquor, getting an average of ten months’ imprisonment each.

The most notable case handled in Camp Grant, or in any other camp, was that which resulted in the court-martial of twenty-one negro soldiers. Louise S——, a white woman visiting a white soldier at Camp Grant, was set upon and assaulted by fifteen to twenty-one negro soldiers on the night of May 19, the crime being committed on the reservation at Camp Grant. At nine o’clock that evening Major General Charles H. Martin, in command at Camp Grant, telephoned to the local chief to meet him in town. He said his officers had been unable to make any headway on the case, and asked that it be taken up by the Department of Justice. The League put men on the case, and in three days had twenty of the culprits in custody, ultimately securing confessions implicating all the others who were held. All of these men were tried by court-martial; fifteen were convicted and dealt with, five were let go, and one was declared insane. The assistance of the civilian authorities and auxiliaries to the military arm was so distinct in this case that General Martin wrote a frank letter of thanks, in which he said: “I am free to confess that until your entrance into the game, we had not progressed very far, and I wish to make it of record that it was principally due to your able and efficient service that we finally succeeded.”

The nature and extent of the activities of the Rockford division may be seen from the following summary: alien enemy activities, 95; citizens’ disloyalty and sedition, 50; sabotage, 5; anti-military activities, 13; propaganda, 13; miscellaneous cases, 211. The Navy Department asked assistance in 55 cases. Investigations made by the War Department covered 21 for Military Intelligence; 242 under the selective service regulations; 164 slackers; 45 character and loyalty applications; 90 liquor cases; 44 cases of vice and prostitution; 25 cases of desertions, and the collection of over 200 maps and photographs for M. I. D. The Department of State also reaches out as far as Rockford, and the quietly efficient League handled forty-six passport cases alone. The Treasury Department had ten cases under War Risk, and the United States Shipping Board asked for two investigations on character and loyalty.

In the nature of things, the activities of A. P. L. being so wide, so impartial, and at times so energetic and aggressive, friction of social or business sort was sure now and then to arise. The only wonder is that there was not a great deal more of it. Sometimes this grew out of spite work and personal jealousy, and again resulted in clashes of a wider and more distinct sort, resulting in something like community cliques.

Mattoon, Illinois, had this sort of a tempest in a teapot from some such causes. That town has a Merchants’ Association, and this association, for reasons into which it is not necessary to go here, but which perhaps had a personal basis in some measure, saw fit to fine certain members of its body who had contributed money for the organization of A. P. L. This caused considerable hard feeling. The Chief, P. A. Erlach, asked permission to explain the purposes of the League to the Merchants’ Association. This permission was not granted. The Chief held a conference with Judge MacIntyre, who suggested that the members who had been fined by the Merchants’ Association might be subpoenaed and brought to the court room, not for trial, but for the purpose of clearing the situation, which did not seem to be good for the community or the government. The Merchants’ Association hired a lawyer to represent them, and a very warm session was held, out of which, of course, nothing was derivable except hard feeling. In the mutual recriminations, one member of the Merchants’ Association was alleged to have remarked at a certain time: “After this war is over, the Germans will be the aristocrats of the world”—a belief which seems to have lacked confirmation. All these matters, however, did not succeed in destroying the usefulness of the A. P. L. in Mattoon, where it did a great deal of hard and conscientious work.

Probably the most interesting Mattoon investigation is that of one O’H——, son of a wealthy farmer, who claimed exemption on account of agricultural occupation. He was alleged to be living in town and engaged in keeping books. The League went into the history of the family and produced proof that certain other paternal ancestors of O’H—— had been engaged in the so-called Charleston Riots during the civil war, when a band of men known as “Copperheads,” among whom was an ancestor of O’H——, had fired upon several Union soldiers with fatal results in several instances. The Mattoon Chief of A. P. L. submitted to the Adjutant General at Springfield, Illinois, a full brief of the investigation of the case of young O’H——, also transcripts from Government records covering the Charleston riots. Young O’H—— was sent to Camp Zachariah for training.

Pastor Russell had certain followers in Mattoon, religious fanatics of the sect known as Truth-Believers. They did not believe in anything but the Truth, certainly not in Liberty Loans, War Savings Stamps, or any war funds or activities. Two members of the sect were arraigned, but the Federal grand jury did not indict them because one was a woman and the other concluded to go into the employment of the Government at Washington.

Near Mattoon is a settlement of the peculiar sect known as Ammish, whose religion tells them not to bear arms. They opposed the selective draft, and although it was determined to exempt their young men from actual drill, the community preaching became so bad that a stiff investigation was made, after which there was no more trouble.

The secret of the Mattoon fashion of investigation is not told, but a number of case-reports close with the words: “There has been no further complaint from the party.” This covers the case of several citizens who did not buy as many Liberty Bonds as they might, or were too free in their talk about Germany as compared with this country.

Joliet, Illinois, has certain mills which harbor a large foreign element, Austrians and others. Several arrests and one internment put a quietus on German propaganda work among these people. “We worked through local foreign priests in whom they have confidence,” says the local chief, and he adds: “We feel now that this hotbed of Austrianism is a fertile field for the so-called Bolshevist movement, as the sort of people most frequently dealt with are very susceptible to this propaganda. They feel that they can express themselves freely, now that the war is over, and they are pleased at this opportunity. We believe that there is still much work ahead before the Bolshevist movement ceases to be a menace in these parts.”

Bloomington, Illinois, cites as its stand-out case the capture of a German sailor, who was interned with the _Princess Irene_, the German boat at Hoboken, and had broken parole. The Chief says: “We had considerable other work to do in conducting investigations and in stopping the propaganda of loud-mouthed Germans.”

Rock Island, Illinois, is one of the most famous arsenal towns in the country, the Ordnance Department having erected large works there many years ago. All such posts were danger foci during the war. Rock Island Division investigated 382 disloyalty and sedition cases, and 138 cases of propaganda. The selective service regulations required 548 investigations. There were also the usual number of cases taken on for the Housing Committee (it was a big problem to house Rock Island’s war population), the Red Cross, the U. S. Commissioner, the U. S. Marshal, the County Sheriff, the Liberty Loan committees and war charities. Certainly a very satisfactory record for a place where something might have blown loose had enemy wishes come true!

Epworth, Illinois, worked in close touch with the State Council of Defense. The Chief reports: “Our community was loyal during the Civil War, and when this work came on, we gladly put our shoulder to the wheel again. A few said things quite out of place, but you can believe we were never Germanized here. Our worst enemies were those who would rather part with their sons than with their coin—though they did neither willingly. We examined some applicants for overseas service.”

Alton, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, had some investigations for Military Intelligence, and some overseas investigations. The division had occasion to assist the Special Agent of the Department of Justice in St. Louis a number of times when quick action was needed.

WISCONSIN

Justly or not, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had the reputation of being about the most German community in the most nearly German state of the Union. No sweeping conclusions need be advanced as to either side of this proposition herein, for evidently, all said and done, Milwaukee is Milwaukee, and is well known throughout the country. There was a time, even previous to our entering the war against Germany, when salesmen traveling out of Milwaukee were unable to sell their goods to the retail trade throughout the Middle West. They were obliged to go back to their houses and to say that the city which they represented was in bad repute. Just or not, these were the facts, and in time the better-class business men of Milwaukee, most of whom have not lacked in loyalty, began to see that some remedy must be found for this prejudice existing against their city.