The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-04-23

TO Join in active service, that he today adj
dressed the following letter to the Presi-
dent:
81 respectfully tender my resignation as
CHIEF of the bureau of equipment of the
navy department. 1t has been a great
pleasure to serve during your administra-
tion in my present capacity and I beg to
express my thanks for the honor conferred
upon me by your appointment to such a
responsible office This resignation is
rendered only that I may ask for &C tive
service afoat. :"
Captain Bradford addressed 81 milar
letter to Secretary Long, with the
addition of request to have command of
an active warship. The resignation will be
accepted and by virtue of his rank as we'll
asssto mark the high regard entertained
for him by the administration, Captain
Bradford will be given one OF the best
available ships in the navy.
The naval authorities welcomed with
pleasure the manifestations of patriotism
on the part Of a distinguished New York
citizen in rendering to the government
without compensation his speedy steam
yacht.
Following up the formalities beginning
with the blockade proclamation. the State
department. this afternoon addressed an
identical note to all of the Representatives
of the foreign nations, accredited to-
Washington, notifying them of the policy
to be pursued by this government in the
matter Of priyateering and neutrality.
This was followed by the sending of cable
messages TO all American embassies and
legations abroad containing the same in
formation in little more succinc5 form
of presentation to the governments to
which they are accredited. The statement
was Irscisely similar in terms to thatstele-
graphed by the ssociated Press last We'd
nesday and its formal adoption by the
government of the line to be pursued was
not prevented by the criticism passed up
on it in the Senate yesterday by MIR.
Money, of Mississippi In brief it declares
that our government will not resort to
priv8t sering, that enemy's goods in
neutral bottoms, save contraband. are eX-
empt from seizure; that neutral goods.
not contraband, under enemy's flag are
safe from seizure and that blockades to be
binding must be effective. In substance
those are the principles laid down in the
agreement of Paris of 1856 The officials
are not disturbed at the semi official
notice from Madrid that Spain will refuse
to be bound by the same principles and
forbid prirateering. for they are satisfied
that the great commercial powers will not
tolerate the practice of privateering under
the Spanish flag. Inasmuch as there ex-
lists a great amount of misrepresentation
not only among foreign countries, but al
SO among American shippers as to the
character of merchandise that is CONTRA
band and liable to seizure during the
progress of the war, the following I'M
official but authentic statement has been
obtained from high official of the gov
eminent:
Contraband of WARM determining ac-
eording to the law of nations whether
merchandise is contraband Of war, it is
classified as:
1-AbsolIte contraband.
2-Oocasional or conditional contra
band.
q 3-Goods not contraband
: The first class includes all goods of an
essentially warlike character.
The second class includes provisions
naval stores, coal, horses, certain kinds
of machinery; certain forms of steel,
iron, etc., which are subservient to war
like use and which are destined for the
use of the enemy.
They are oontraband or not, according
to occasion or conditions as to their
character, shipment and destined use.
Every such case depends on its own
facts.
The third class includes articles not
suited to warlike use-such as church SER
vice and musical instruments, household
wares and goods, and other such like
articles, together with many that are
purely mercantile in character
No article OF merchandise Is contraband
unless transported beyond the territorial
waters and jurisdiction of neutral state,
nor unless destined for an enemy's port
or for an enemy's use or for an enemy S
ship upon the high seas, which beIligere Mt
ships are permitted to police in search of
an enemy's ship and contrabsnd of war.
No final and exhaustive definition of
contraband articles can be given. They
are changing with the progress of inven-
ton S.
Each belligerent government is compe-
tent to determine what it will treat as
contrabaHd. II its prescription should be
made in outrageous disregard of inter-
national law or of treaty rights, neutral
states AFFECTED would probably interpose.
Neither bslligerent can treat goods as
contraband in violation of his treaty stip.
ulRtions with neutral power as regards