William Clark Breckenridge Letter to Gilbert Parker - August 1, 1916

Transcript

St. Louis, [Missouri], August 1, 1916. Right Hon. Sir Gilbert Parker, Bart. 20 Carlton House Terrace. London, S.W. England. Dear Sir:- Herewith I enclose an extract of a portion of the testimony given under oath by Captain Polack of the North German Lloyd in the suit of the Guaranty Trust Co. of New York against the steamship Kronprinzessin Cecelilie. The portion of this extract of special significance taking command of his vessel in May 1913 and what he discovered that packaged contained when he opened in according to previous instructions on July 31st, 1914. The full transcript of the testimony given in this case might prove very enlightening. Yet in the face of such testimony, the Teutonic campaign for the diffusion of their propaganda is waged with increasing vigor. They are now seeking in a political campaign to have every man favorable to them elected for every office “from Governor down to do-catcher” (I am quoting this from an interview printed in the newspaper). I enclose two newspaper clippings showing their poltical activities. Our Teutonic citizens (???) boast that they are in constant communication with their mother country and that emissaries from that country are sent over here to keep them fully posted as to their acts. and convey to them by word of mouth what cannot be trusted to paper, Apparently they are preparing to elect as many men to office as possible who are PRO-GERMAN, so that when the collapse of the Central Powers comes all the power of these office holders can be used to force this country to step in and save Germany from punishment and nullify the peace terms. The result of our elections will in all likelihood have more to do with shortening or prolonging the War than your arms. Should Germany consider that the NEWLY ELECTED are very favorable to her, then she will lay down before she is whipped and depend upon her sympathizers here to make the terms to her very easy. As your world war will close either in December of this year of March of next year, and it is so self-evident that Germany is prepar- this country for its close and working on public sentiment here, dont you think that England ought to go into a wider publicity campaign as promptly as possible-understand me she must not meddle with our politics for that would be fatal.- all she has to do is to tell the truth-it is the deadliest thing in this world. Our mutual friend and my life-long friend Dr. William Porter, of While-A-Way Lodge, Ocean Springs, [Mississippi], send me all of your publications as fast as he receives them and I have read them with much interest. Your case is clean-cut and well put, therefore convincingly stated, I attend Dr. DeMenil’s Sunday Afternoon Salons and there you are often mentioned. I told Dr. DeMenil I was going to write to you, and he asked me to convey to you his compliments and best wishes. With all best wishes, I am, Yours very truly,