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Show AMERICANS PAY "How Americans are paying the German Indemnity" is the title of an article in a recent number of the Literary Lit-erary Digest, which describes what i appears to be an organized campaign (o rob, cheat and defraud American visitors, andt which the German Government, Gov-ernment, various German municipalities, municipal-ities, German shop-keepers and hotel j managers all take part. It is hinted that the Germans may be planning to pay their indemnity entirely from the forced contributions of the Yankee. Yan-kee. As a starter, every American entering en-tering Germany is required to deposit depos-it 1.000 marks with the Government. "It is politely called a deposit," said an official of the American Express company, who is authority for the news of this recent German custom. "But it is a deposit for keeps and on some pretext or other it remains in Germany." After this introduction into in-to the country, the American visitor is doubly or quadruply charged for everything, up to the point of "all the traffic will bear." It is said that in the Prussian Parliament, Par-liament, when it reassembles, a proposal pro-posal will come up to charge foreign visitors to Prussia a visitor's tax to be fixed in gold marks and collected at the pre-war rate of exchange. The tentatively proposed charge is four gold marks per day. Visitors, there-i there-i fore, are to he ehiiged $1 per day for the privilege of spending their other j dollars in Prussia. Numerous com-f com-f plaints made by Americans who have been fleeced by the German Govern-" Govern-" ment, German shop-keepers or Ger-jjman Ger-jjman hotel managers, have been con-i con-i firmed by many American diplomatic and consular representatives, who have frequently informed the State Department at Washington request- ', ing intervention. On the bulletin boards of the American Consulate, General in Berlin, as well as in all .American official buildings throughout through-out Germany, there appeared an official offi-cial warning to Americans, telling them not to make purchase in Ger-many Ger-many on account of the German system sys-tem of holding up Americans at Bremen Bre-men and Hamburg, as well as in in- ! land frontiers, taking the goods from " them and fining them heavily. This is done under German law, demanding , from 50 to 200 per cent taxes paya- " ble to the Government on all articles Throughout Germany, the counselor coun-selor offices are piled with protests . i from Americans, claiming that the shop-keepers inform them it is not necessary to pay the export tax, whereupon the custom officials con- !. fiscate their opera glasses, clothes, ' baggage and valuables. ' German-Americans, many of whom are now visiting the Fatherland for I the first time since before the gTeat I I war. fare no better than native Americans, Am-ericans, it is reported. They are all included under the term "Balutas-.', "Balutas-.', trong Amerikaners," and are soaked three or four times the regular char-iges char-iges for hotel accommodations and : merchandise purchases. While Germany is the 'worst offender of-fender in this respect, it is reported that these conditions prevail in other "parts of Europe with the result that ' vast numbers of Americans who would otherwise go on tours abroad. ! are turning their attentions to the ; , many attractions of the United States Stat-es for travel and recreation. In other , j words, there is a decided return movement summed up in the term. ","See America First." , , a |