The San Francisco call., 1904-07-24
THE RUSSIAN SEIZURES.

IT HE Red Sea is high sea, in the sense of being
ter under no municipal jurisdiction. Russia with
that sinister deception that is her most prominent
characteristic, snluggled auxiliary warships of
the Black Sea and through the Dardanees and using
them to patrol the Red Sea and to seize and search
sells that are under neutral flags 1t the testimony of
European passengers the seized ships that the Rus
sian officers conducted themselves with conspicuous
taty but that has also to be expected of Russian
ocers who have before them the example of the royal
and indecent Boris. In these seizures the mail sacks
have been gued in search of Japanese official mail and
ammunition belonging to Great Britain. route
to Hongkong, has been taken.
In the eye of international law much of this Russian
conduct borders closely piracy During one be-
igerent may take officer of the other from the deck
of neutral ship deep water. Nor may such officer
be searched under neutral flag bearer of dispatches
between Japanese Ministers London Paris or Berlin
cannot lawfully be seized the deck of neutral ship
and his dispatch box red neutral hak protects both
This being the with the officer of aSbelgerent, by
parity of reasoning mails not contraband, but pre-
the high the nvioable character that
they have on land All ocean mail steamers have
with the governments for which they carry mail
The presence of the mail them is merely an Incl
dent in the functions of a common carrier. The ship
represents an official to which government
and maybe more than government, is a party
When the fulflment of that contract to promptly and
safely transport the mail destination interfered
with by orcble seizure the high the
contracting party has been struck in the face and
insulted in its sovereignty by act of piracy.
The United States seldom the Suez canal and our
fag strange in the Red Sea. But 1t is in the
Pacific The Pacific Mail steamer Korea is under the
American flag. She carries mall under contract, be-
San Francisco and Yokohama She and her
ships carry the officials and the official mail back and
forth between San Francisco and Yokohama. The Rus
sian Foreign Office has been ordering and ustiyng the
n.
that the route may be changed to the Cape of Good
Hope Russia that she will post fleet off that
British colony and continue there seize British ships
and rife their mails There is important official
Japanese mail than that between Washington and Toxic
carried the Pacific under the American flag and by
contract. with this Government.
Great Britain assent to the ring of her mail and
the bullying of her flag the effect will be drive the
Asiatc mail the United States and
the Pacific under flag Perhaps Russia would
like to try seizing few sacks of it and making prize
of the that carries she has of the British
steamer Malacca.
The defense of Russia's action published ST. Peters
burg in the Russ declares that she will continue seize
ali conraband of under neutral flags the high
regardless of its consignment and destination That
declaration amounts to embargo upon the trade of
the world Admitting that contraband, consigned to ia
pan, is subject to seizure there in nerna
onal law for the detention of ship with contraband
board consigned a neutral port
Take our own case. We are continually sending un-
der fag contraband of Manila. Great Britain
sending contraband the Malacca under exactly
the same circumstances to her colony at Hongkong.
Russia claims the right of seizure because is contra
band and regardless of the ownership destination
Perhaps Russia would like to try seizing an American
transport loaded with contraband for Manila We would
like to her try it There would follow something
that would edfy and instruct the world Great Britain
and Germany may choose submit to that form of p
racy and let pass off with diplomatic palaver But the
American people impressed that their flag means
something 1t is seldom in the Red Sea, but is not
difficult to find in other waters 1t protects what it
flies and it IS the flag of the Pacific If Russia has
not found this out she do by transferring to the
Pacific her Red Sea ideas of international law