hildren by the German
submarines. In one case, owners of the goods were caused a great deal
of annoyance and in some instances did not get their money promptly.
On the other side, there was murder of the most fiendish kind, an act
of war against neutral states.

Plots and Threats Against the United States

[Illustration: American Grain Set on Fire by German Agents]

Let us turn now to the second cause for grievance that the United
States had against Germany. At a time when American citizens who
sympathized with Germany were subscribing millions of dollars for the
relief of the German wounded, it is strongly suspected that this was
the very money, which, collected by the German government's own
agents, was being spent in plots involving the destroying of the
property of some American citizens and the death of others. The German
ambassador and his helpers were hiring men to blow up American
factories, to destroy railroad bridges, and to kill Americans who were
making war supplies for the armies of Europe. Factory after factory
was blown up with considerable loss of life. Bombs, with clock work
attachment to explode them at a certain time, were found on ships
sailing for Europe. Money was poured out in great quantities to
influence members of the United States Congress to vote against the
shipment of war supplies to France and England. Revolts paid for by
German money were organized in Mexico and the Islands of the West
Indies. For a long time there had been a series of stories and
newspaper and magazine articles trying to prove to the American people
that Japan was planning to make war on us. The same sort of stories
appeared in Japan, persuading the Japanese that they were in danger of
being attacked by the United States. It now appears that the great
part of these stories were started by the Germans, who hoped to get us
into a war with Japan and profit by the ill will which must follow
between the two countries.

At first, Americans were inclined to think that all of these things
could be traced to German-Americans, whose zeal for their Fatherland
caused them to go too far. But it has been proved beyond a doubt that
all of these acts, which were really acts of war against the United
States, were ordered by the government at Berlin and paid for by
German money, or by American money which had been contributed for the
benefit of the German Red Cross service.

In addition to these facts there were threats against th