The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-22 00:00:00

LORD PENZANCE UPON THE OBLIGA-
TIONS OF NEUTRALS.

Lord Penzance hss sent the following letter on this
vexed question to The Ihnus for publication :

" The appearance of another complaint by C .unt Berns-
loaf .in the alleged violation of neutrality by this country
in permitting arms to be sold to Prance, coupled with the
remoratrauce• from time to time °spree led in your c dunes
by our own countrymen, provoke a fuller discussion than
hae hitherto been hail of the principles upon which such
complaints, if wen-founded, must rest.
' It seems to he taken for granted that the act of furnish-
trig to either belligerent, though In the regular course of
trade, any arms or munitions of war, lean act of friendliness
to ore belligerent and hostility to the other In other words,
that it is a departure from that strictly even and Impartial
attitude which is involved In the Wean( neutrality, and con-
sequently that the Government of a neutral State ought to
step in and prohibit such a trend: so far as it can. I say so
fern, it c in, for there is little doubt thet • trade Impeded in
Its natural course has • strong tendeucy to flow Into indirect
courses, and arms or numitions of war will be likely to fled
their way in spite of all prohibitions from those who have
them to sell into the handset those who are ready to pay
enough for them. But this is no reason to my mind why the
State should not do what it can Cu Impede such • trade, lilt
cannot stop it, provided that the duties Of an upright and
honeat neutrality really dictate such an obligation.
" I hie, however, is precisely what I take leave to call In
question.
" France last war with Germany. An English firm sells
rifles to F. &nee. Surely, say the Germans, this is assisting
France in the struggle ; it it ' feeding and protracting the
war.' If so, it muat be a breach of neutrality. Anil thus the
argument goes easily forward to the conclusion that the
Stile ought to prevent it.
"lint there are often two sides ton quiestion. The nature
ol the calm has prevented our hearing more than one side at
present. It is worth while to see what may be said on the
other. Suppose, then, this traffic stopped, not only with
this country, but with all other neutrals, by the action of
their reapective wernments In other words, assume that
all neutral vivito s acknowleds.ed this supposed duty, and
' acted up to 11 10 effectually that Franco wa.nnsble to procure
the mewls of arming her population, and was obliged on toat
seconnt to sinmunli Germany SOOl,l be satisfied, hut what
wield have become of our neutrality? France would have been
coerced into submission, not by want of men or money, But
by want of arms. The WlLhe of arms would be due to the
active intervention of the tieutral Powers.
. . .

,
" The French might with some justice say—. In time of
peace we dealt freely with your subject., who are makers of
trots by trade, for such arrna as we required No law of
yours huh We it. We remain on terms f perfect amity with
you. Nothing has °coined between us to alter our relations.
But we to to war with Germany. You profess to he neutral
and to take a aide with neither party, an yet the grit thing
you do is to Interfere with the natural course if trade be-
tween us anti year subject., and that for the express purpete
of withdrawing irom ue the assistance which this tragic would
have given us, anti thus crippling and impeding us hi the con-
tint. At the Matinee of our enemy you have contleued with
the other neutral Powers to close up the ordluery avenue*
thiceigh which we had a right to expect to get the antis
we wanted. By cutting off all access to tile market,s
of the world you have dried up our resources, and, as far
as nitwit..s of war are concerned, you have denied us Into
surrender, the markets of the world ought to taco le en
as open to us in quarters where we had no quarrel after the
war bar he out as they were before it. To close them agalost
us by the Esecuti or is olstiuctiy let tales a part ag dust as
by the nation. All mittens are more or loin dependent on
each oilier in trade. To interims° by a law, made tor the
purp .se of ieopping a particular trade with a fereign nation
,is print i fazie an ueftlenilly net. If the m live is a liaeal
one, or is dictated by Interval advantage, It may well be
Jest itied. But the motive in th s citee was distlnet'y hostile.
Your prohibitive law W. 5 designed to intercept these military
sul plies which were vital to us, and was dictated by the
enemy himself. If you Say that your metre° was dictated
by the males of neutrality, we reply that neutrality does not
elitist in reusing to trade as usual in something that one
belligerent want, beceure tee other belligerent desir he
shoutd not have it; and the mere Menne:ly he wants it tor
the purposes of the war the more distinctly Is your I. ruble!,
thin conceived In the Intermit of the enemy, anti therefore a
hostile act To whatever extent our enemy could have
impeded our ordinasy trade by blockading our ports he was
justified In so doing. 'To whatever extent he could luterg pt
supely Of metal Or munition& of wet cernfug to our slime.
la. was at liberty by the law of nations to lay strong hands
on them to whomsoever they belenged ; but you hare given
him a new end far simpler method of ettaleiug his end. By
a combination of neutral Power. you have rendered his vigi-
lance unnecessary, and have dime the work of cutting di ear
supplier without hie assistance'
" Wood there not he mine truth 111 all this? If it he
difficult to answer the German remonitrancee now, would it
be snitch More easy to &Bawer Six Freech remonstrauces
(hen?
" But I proceed to another costideastion, which Mee who