Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1918 — Gigantic Task Faces Palmer [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Gigantic Task Faces Palmer

His Duty to Locate Funds and Property Belonging to Enemies. ASKS HELP OF PATRIOTS Loyal Americans Must Decide Whether to Keep Confidence of Friends or Step Flow of Money to Help Enemy. Washington.—One of the busiest departments in Washington, D. C., just at this time is that of the alien property custodian, whose duty it is, under the trading with the enemy act to locate and take over all funds or property in this country belonging to enemies. He is making pencils in New Jersey, chocolate in Connecticut, brewing beer in Chicago, sawing lumber in

Florida, mining metal in New Mexico, running real estate offices and retail stores, conducting commission houses and public utilities in all parts of the country. All this does not mean that our government is confiscating outright the property of alien enemies. But just now A. Mitchell Palmer, alien property custodian, has the task of locating all such property and so administering it that its income may be turned into the treasury of the United States for the purchase of bonds to help prosecute the war against Germany and her allies. This property may be a partnership in which persons residing in the territory of the German allies are financially Interested. But whatever it is, real estate, life insurance, railroads, mines, stocks or bonds, it must all be reported. Also, all debts owed to Germans or to her allies by Americans, must be reported and paid to the alien property custodian. Little or big, an accounting is necessary. One president of a trust company personally admitted to him, Ml". Palmer said, that he held SIOO,OOO worth of German securities in his vaults, anti when asked why he had not reported It, naively offered Hhe excuse that he did not know there was any law which required such report. Another significant case was the statement made by a friend of a bank clerk, who said that he knew where there was a bundle of bonds owned by a former German consul, which were regularly clipped and secretly sent to an address in Sweden, and from there relayed into Germany where the owner now resided. When asked why he did not report these bonds, the friend of the hank clerk replied that he could not betray a confidence. Chance to Prove Loyalty. “The time has come.” said Mr. Palmer, “when every citizen has got to decide whether to keep the confidence of ‘friends’ and remain silent, or come forward and give information that wfll stop the flow of money helping our I enemies in their efforts to crush the United States. Persons holding any such Information are either loyal Americans, or they are enemies to]

America. Here they have a chance to prove which. All those who have any such information and report it will be protected. Their names will not be made public, nor will their identity be revealed in any further proceedings which may be instituted by this office. “I herewith call upon all citizens or friends of the government who have any knowledge of property being held by any person, for, or on account of an alien enemy, or of a transfer of such property to another, or of any debts owing by any person to an alien enemy, or of persons who are officers or directors of corporations of which any of its capital stock is owned by anyone defined as an ‘enemy,’ or who may have custody, or cpntrol of any property, either alone or with others who may be classed as alien enemies, to come forward and make a full report or give this office any clues that may locate such property. “In doing this they will not only be performing their duty, but will be rendering valuable service to the United States and the men of the army and navy who are to fight for us and our institutions.” The bureau of investigation, which lias charge of preparing the cases against violators of the trading with the enemy act, has been quietly gathering evidence on a large number of cases for the six weeks. The taking over by the government of the large German plant of the Scjiutte & Koertting company of Philadelphia, Pa., recently was done at the instigation of this bureau. Who Is an Enemy. Who is an enemy? Every person or corporation having the custody or possession of any property, or having a beneficial interest in any property belonging to anyone living within the boundaries of Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, or Turkey, or within any territory now occupied by the military forces of these countries is an alien enemy. Such persons must report such property or interest, or lay themselves open to the penalties provided by the act, which are a fine of not more than SIO,OOO, or imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both. | An American citizen in Germany may be an enemy under the act. Thus American heiresses who married German husbands have their incomes from the -United States cut off. A' citizen of Germany, on the other hand, who peacefully resides in this country, obeys, the law, and does not engage in correspondence or trading with persons within the enemies’ lines or in pernicious activities against the U. S. A. escapes any interference with his property. All aliens Interned by the war department, however, are enemies.

A. Mitchell Palmer.