The Commoner
VOL. 18. NO.
m
10
Brewer Gold to Buy Press
A Washington dispatch, dated
Septonibor 19, ays: The somite to
day ordorcd a sorching investigation
of tho?oxt'ont to which tho brewers
havo invested In newspapers" for tho
purposo of lighting prohibition and
tho extent to which agents of tho
Gorman government subsidized Amer
ican nowspapors for tho dissemina
tion of Gorman propaganda.
Following lfl an Associated Press
dispatch: Washington, Sopt. 19. Tho
federal custodian of alien property,
A. Mitcholl Palmor, made public to
day tho names of tho fifteen browors,
who, with tho United Statos Browers'
association ralsod a fund of $407,500
from which $375,000 was loaned to
Arthur Brisbane to buy tho Wash
ington Timos. . -
Mr. Palmor acted "immediately
nftor tho sonatc had passed a resolu
tion introduced by Senator Jones of
Now Mexico, calling upon tho proper
ty custodian to show tho proofs on
which ho mado his spooch in Harrls
. burg, Pa last Saturday, declaring
tho ofForts of browors to control a
nowspapor in pro-Gorman interests,
to oxort their influonce upon con
gross, and finally on which ho
chargo'd that tho browing intorosts
had advanced monoy for the pur
chase of a nowspapor to "light the
battle of tho liquor traffic undor the
shadow of tho domo of tho capitol."
Mr. Brlsbano In published state
ments in tho Times already has stated
that ho bought tho paper with monoy
loanod by C. W. Po'genspan, a
browor and p'rosldont of tho Fodoral
Trust company of Newark, N. J. Mr.
Brlsbano also has published a letter
, from Folgonspan doflning an ar
rangement by which the loan was
syndicated to fifteen browors. Mr.
fc Palmer includes in his disclosuro this
lottor and also documents to support
his assertion that tho loan was mado
in a way to concoal its course and
purposo.
BETWEEN GERMAN AGENTS '
Included in Mr. Palmer's, papers
aro copies and letters written by
Aloxandor Konta, ovldently a Gor
man agent, to Captain Hans Tasoher,
notoriously associated with German
propaganda in tho United Statos and
to Dr. B.ornard Dornburg, Germany's
chlof propaganda agent, upon the
prospects of buying some great
Amorican nowspapor. Mr. Palmer
connects thoso with his declaration
that tho infiuonco which tho browors
nttompt to oxort was thoroughly in
tho interest of Germany. Mr. Pal
mev tonight doclinod to say where
his ofllcos obtainod the documents.
Ho added that they spoke for them
selves. First among tho documents is a
lot-tor from Folgonspan to Robert
Craln, whoso office is in tho building
which houses Mr. Brisbane's Times,
detailing the distribution of the
RHEUMATISM
RECIPE
I will gladly soncl any Rheumatism suC
forer u Simple Herb Reclpo Absolutely
Free that Completely Cured me of u tor
xible attack of muscular nnl Irulamm
ntory Ithuumatism of long standing after
everything: else I tried had failed me. I
havo given it to many aufforors who be
lieved their cases hopeless, yet thoy found
rolled from their suffering by talcing
these slmplo herbs. It also relievos Scl
Atlca promptly as well as Neuralgia, and
is a" wonderful blood" ptorlfler. Yon 'are
roost -velcomo to this Horb Ilcelne if you
will send for it at once, I believe you will
consldor It n God-Send after you havo put
It to tho test. Thoro Is nothing Injurious
contained In it, and you can seo for your
self exactly what you aro taking. I will
gladly 'send this Reclpo .absolutely free
to any sufferer who will send name and
address, plainly written. XV. V. SUTTON,
3 MhitroIIk Av: Leu AbrcIcs, ChIIC.
$407,500 loan. It was divided this
way:
George Ehrot ..-...? 60,000
C. Foigenspan 25,000
Julius LIcbmann 25,000
J. C. G. Hupfel 7,500
Jacob Rupport 50,000
Joseph J3. Uhleln 50,000
Edward Landsberg 15,000
Iteuter & Co 15,000
A. J. Houghton company. . . 10,000
Win. Hamra ;...'.; 10,000
G. Pabst 50,000
Fred Miller Browing com
pany 15,000
(This sum was allotted among tho
individuals of $3,000 each.)
C. Schmidt & Sons 5,000
F. A. Poth- & Sons 15,000
Berger & Engol 10,000
United Statos Brewing Ass'n 30,000
United Statos Brewors' Ass'n
adv 25,000
Total of $407,500
Of this sum, Fcigenspan's letter
stated $375,000 was advanced to the
Growing Circulation corporation
(Brisbane's published statement of
the sum he borrowod through Mr.
Foigenspan at this amount.)
ONE OF HEARST'S LAWYERS
Mr. Palmer's documents quote the
corporation for 1917 as describing
the Growing Circulation corporation
as boing capitalized at $50,000, hav
ing offices at No. 140 Nassau street,
New York city, and having among its
directors William A. DeFord, ono of
William R. Hearst's lawyers; John
T. Sturdevant and Thomas McEn
tegart. The course of the loan' as it ap
pears to bo shown by documents, the
originals of which Mr. Palmer states
aro in his possession, shows first six
checks drawn" on tho Federal Trust
company by C. W. Feigenspan,
trustee, payable to the order of the
trust company, aggregating $400,000
and drawn botweon June 21, 1917,
and January 25, 1918. There also is
a chock for $25,000 drawn by Foigen
span as trustee to Crain. Then fol
low five drafts by tho Federal Trust
company on tho Amorican Exchange
National bank, payable to the' bearer,
aggregating $335,000. They wero en
dorsed to bo paid to tho order of
"A. Thursby, Growing Circulation
corporation, per L. B. Krause, vice
presiuent. i or aenoslt rav to TCmif-
table Trust company."
"A. Thursby," says Mr. Palmer's
announcement, "is evidently Alice
Brisbane Thursby, otherwise ad
dressed according . to tho record at
the Equitable Trust company, in care
of Arthur Brisbane, 238 William
street.
Tho documents then show a note
for $3,000 dated June 21, 1917, payable-five
years later to Feigenspan
as trustee and oxecuted by tho Grow
ing Circulation corporation. This Ib
followed by a 'receipt to Feigenspan.
TO PURCHASE NEWSPAPER
This is followed by a receipt to
Foigenspan. executor! w a r,.r
acknowledging $260,000, "to be used
in tho purchase of newspaper in
Washington by me," was to bo paid
later. The documents then include
a statement by Foigenspan, dated
July 30, 1918, which says:
"During the month of June, 1917
to the best of my recollection, the
matter of the Washington Times be
camo of mutual interest to Mr
Arthur Brisbane and a number of
browers. Mr. Brisbane, as I have
been informed by him, had an im
portant direction of the Washington
Times. The terms of this salo as I
recall them, were thai $250,000 was
to be paid down, the balance to be
paid in installments of $50,000 each
every six months.
"In order to bring about the pur
chase of the Washington Times,, I at
various times, advanced Mr. Bris
bane's funds through tho Growing
Circulation corporation which I be
liove is controlled or owned by Mr.
Brisbane. The aforesaid funds wero
advanced on the dates and the,
amounts as hereinafter specified and
in the following manner:
"I first drew a check or checks oil
the account at tho Federal Trust
company which stood in jmy name as
trustee, such check or checks being
paid to the order of the Federal
Trust company, and the Federal
Trust company then in turn would
deliver to mo a treasurer's check of
the Federal Trust company payable
to bearer which treasurer's checks I,
in turn, delivered to Mr. Brisbane
personally."
A letter from Brisbane to Feigen
span defining tho terms of the loan
is next given. This previously has
been published by Mr. Brisbane. Mr.
Brisbane has stated that he declined
to accept the loan without interest.
His only security, Feigenspan de
clares in his statement to the alien
property custodian is the $300,000
note of the Growing Circulation cor
poration. STATUS OF HUN AGENT
Konta's letter to Tauscher in
cluded some expressions of doubtful
compliment as to the status of tho
Gorman agent hero, but informs
Tauscher that at Bernard Dernburg's
request he has canvassed the pro
spects of buying nowspapers.
The letter to Dornburg written
March 1, 1915, goes into the subject
of "the purchase and publication of
a daily, newspaper in this country in
the interests of Germany and the
German government."
It proceeds to discuss various New
York newspapers from the stand
point of their success, proceeding
from that to make deductions on the
likelihood of their sale.
Next Konta took up the relation
of the proposition and agitating it.
It is not a question of temperance,
which they advocate but of the
actual prohibition by law of the sale
of beer and liquor. A paper that
would not be for the personal liberty
'of a person to drink in moderation
in what he pleased, he could count
upon the powerful sunnnrf nf thp
brewers and distillers, and what is
more, means the giving of the paper
in question a circulation large
enough to attract advertisers.
t PROPOSAL FOR SUPPORT
"And to this a discreet proposal
to every German society in the coun
try for support by its members, and
we could easily count upon a national
daily circulation of 500,000 copies.
This, to be sure, would be a circula
tion among Germans and German
Americans. Meanwhile, a deficit
would be changed into a profit to be
used for further propaganda."
ALn, time in the Konta letters is
Mr. Brisbane of the Times mentioned
at all but Mr. Palmer, it was said,
included the correspondent to prove
his charge-that the brewing interests
were helping with the propaganda.
Mr. Palmer's relations of these docu
ments shot a stir through congress
and official Washington which prob
ably has not been approached since
the declaration of the war. Since his
Harrisburg speech Saturday a storm
has arose around the ownership of
papers by Mr. Brisbane.
BOUGHT WITH BEER MONEY
judiciary, in whfnh i.n .r
freely confessed" that the asniLJ!nd
furnished Arthur Brisbane S10"
finance the purchase of the wii0
on Times He further admitted
tho association,. and the brewing in
terosta generally, have mair IX ,
lobbyists at Washington and intr
ous state capitals, "whose busing
it was to try, where possible, to nm
tect us and , checkmate those renre
sen ting the opposition to our '
He vigorously denied charges of
disloyalty, or pro-Germanism, both
personally and on behalf of the asso
ciation, and asked that he be per
mitted to appear before the sub
committee for questioning "without
limit" on all the charges involved
in the communication regarding the
purchase of the Washington Times
sent to Senator King by A. Mitchell
Palmer, alien property custodian.
William A. De Ford, general coun
sel of the Star company, publishers
of vthe William it Hearst's news
papers, the New York American and
the New York Evening Journal, is
sued a statement tonight explaining
his counectidn with the Growing Cir
culation corporation, the concern
through which Arthur Brisbane re
ceived the funds from brewers, .
which enabled him to purchase tho
Washington Times, as disclosed
yesterday by A. Mitchell Palmer,
alien property custodian.
Mr. De Ford, who was named a3
one of the directors of the corpora
tion, said he had resigned from tho
corporation on March 11, 1916,
which was more than year prior to
the date of the loan of $375,000 made
through concern to Brisbane by C.
W. Feigenspan, as trustee for a num
ber of brewers. John T. Sturdevant
and Thomas McEntegart, also named
as directors tothe, corporation, like
wise 'resigned and there was elected
as president Mr. Brisbane's father-in-law,
Seward Carey, with two of
the editor's secretaries of other of
fices and directors. '
The corporation, said Mr. De Ford,
was organized on January 13, 1916,
at Mr. Brisbane's request as an in
strumentality for the delivery of
Hearst newspapers, and Brisbane
asked him, together with Sturdevant,
his associate, and McEntegart, a
clerk in his office, to act temporarily
as incorporators and directors. The
Star company afterward declined to
contract with the corporation for tho
distribution of its papers, "and the
Growing Circulation corporation,"
thereafter remained a mere shell.
Later Brisbane advised him that he
"desired Jo take over the nominal as
well as the actual ownership" and to
elect directors of his own choice.
This was done at the meeting held
March 11, .1916; "the first and only
meeting by the company, which,
either Mr. Sturdevant, Mr. McEnte
gart ,or myself attended." After au
thorizng an ifcsue- of $10,000 capital
stock to Mrs. Alice Brisbane Thurs
by, Brisbane's sister, for $10,000 in
cash, De Ford and his associates re
signed and the other officers and di
rectors were elected.
"The corporation transacted no
business," said .Mr. De Ford, "while
I, or any member of my staff, was
.connected with its directorate, or
while its records were in my posses
sion; and, therefore, I never kney,
until the publication ;pt Mr. Palmer s
sessed any funds or' had transacted
any business."
CM Yoj WRTJl
A Story or Poem of Intorcs . VVe want MMS. of aU
kinds for our nawiuapazla". W pny cswl on w
copumee. Handwritten arM.nuooplablr. er,
souiothlnr you have written and let us -""'" '. J
Tor publication. JCIndly onoloso PO.tae f;rottir
If not used. AiMrMS WOMAN'S NATION AU
.ITACTAISIHK, Iept,-C5.' WASTni&ClTQN, I C.
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