Page:The web (1919).djvu/311

 The manner in which she said this and the spirit demonstrated by her attitude showed that she was thoroughly pro-German. Operative No. 60 called on the party, and says in his report:

We charged her with disloyal talking. She stated that she had done no disloyal talking, and in fact had taken good care not to talk against the Government in any way; furthermore, that she had a son in France and if she was against the Government she certainly would not have allowed him to go. We then asked her about her statements regarding the Research Hospital. She stated she had spoken to her lawyer about it and he had told her it was not so necessary to change the name of the Hospital as it would be to change the name of a business. She thought the name should remain "German" because the Germans had in the beginning founded the Hospital. We stated that there were no Germans over here to found it. "Well," she said, "I mean German-Americans." We then stated there were no German-Americans here, either, but all Americans. She began crying and said that no one could understand her position, that she had sisters in Germany and nephews fighting in that Army, while her own son was in the American Army fighting against them. She stated that the dirty stories about the German army were all lies. We told her that it was our duty to demand that she should not do any talking. We were convinced that she is very pro-German and that the only way to prevent her from talking would be to put her where there are no other people except Germans.

This is a very fair statement of one of the greatest problems of America today. What shall be done with the hyphen? It must go, else this war will be fought again.

While the war was yet young, a tip was received from the draft board that a certain young man had failed to appear when called. Investigation showed that he had deserted his wife, leaving her in a destitute condition. He had three sisters in the city, consequently A. P. L. assumed he would at some time communicate with one of them. By certain means, operatives established a watch on the mail as it was delivered, locating him at different times in Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona and other western points. One day a telephone call was received stating that one of the sisters had been heard to converse with him over the 'phone; that he