Hutchinson gazette., 1900-02-08
BOWS TO JOHN BULL.
ADMINISTRATIONS suBsERvI-
ENCY TO GREAT BRITAIN.
Tho ssIAuPo of american Products OF
tho Farm and Factory an tho High
ssaa 0oea ON without Protest to the
DTitlsh Foreign once.

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Seas 0oea ON without Protest to the
DTltISh Foreign once.
McKlnleys subservlency to Great
Britain has received another and most
dangerous confirmation, -Four vessels
Rden with American -four and other
Iood supplies, consigned to Lourenco
Marques, the port of the Portuguese
possessions at Delagoa bay, South NJ
rica, have been seized by British cruis-
ers for carrying contraband of war
While the cargoes In question might
eventually reach the Transvaal, no
proof to that effect is In existence
Great Britain is also preparing to pa
troll the Atlantic coast with war ships
to prevent any craft leaving which Is
even remotely suspected of carrying
supplies which may reach the Trans
vaal,
II there were a truly American presi-
dent In the White House such affronts
would never have been offered to this
government,
Our government has 80 far made no
protest against this seizure of neutral
goods bound for q neutral port, The
secretary Of state has merely given the
shippers q non,cnmmlttal assurance
that no will have their complaints in
Qulred into That is all the satlsfac-
tion they are going to get until the
final day of reckoning comes, when
Great Britain will have to account for
these seizures and 10 good many other
things besides,
One hundred years ago Great Britain
got into the habit of taking American
seamen OFF American vessels and i'm
pressing them into the British navy.
She got her lesson then, but abe seems
to have forgotten 1t. She is now seiz-
Ing American goods In American ves-
sells absolutely without warrant OF law
or precedent Mckinley has done O
lot of pratinB about the flsg," but he
hauls II down every time Great Britain
wante him to.
While II In true that there is no
proof that the particular cargo seized
by Great Britain was intended for the
Transvaal, yet II must be remembered
that Delagoa bay is the only neutral
terrltory adjoining the Trnnsyaal, and
Through 1t alone has 1t been possible
for outside supplies to reach the Beers.
Gneat Britain has clearly gone outside
the Paris convention In attempting to
seine foodstuffs as contraband OF war.
II sbe tries to starve out the Trans
vaal, President Kruger can retaliate
and hS probably will. There are sew
eral thousands Of British prisoners at
Pretoria. and there will be 10000 more
within few weeks, President Kruger
may refuse to feed these prisoners II
Great Britain refuses to let food sup
piles come In. The Transvaal may be
trusted TO meet this emergency in
proper spirit.
American farmers and producers
should realize the danger to their In
terests II Great Britain is to be al
lowed to declare food supplies contra
band Of war. About the only times in
the last twenty-five years that our
farmers have got good prices for their
products have been when prices have
gone up on account OF European wars.
II that market Is to be absolutely cut
off by declarations Of belligerency,
American interests will suffer hundreds
OF millions Of dollars loss. II GreatBrit-
ain can shut of American -four bound
for the neutral port of Lourenco Mar
ques because she is fighting the Trans
vaal, she could cut off provisions from
this country bound for France in case
she had war with Russia, 1t is a
dangerous precedent and II is n pity
that the White House hasn't an occu-
pant with sufficient backbone to pre-
vent Its being established, There will
be democratic president In the White
House in about fifteen months, and
probably one Of his first acts will be to
cut loose from Great Britain and give
her full warning that the partnership
severed in 1776 and resurrecte4 in 1899
Is at an end.