The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1914-12-04
u. s. WILL MAKE
OWN WAR RULES
Declaration Of London Rejected
by United States.
Washington Prepares to Protect
All Legitimate Commerce on
High Seas of World.

! WASnlnRCOI, ~. ~. - Inc Qec1QeQ
stand taken by the United States gov
ernment in refusing to accept piece
meal adoption of the principles of the
declaration Of London as a guide to
commercial restrictions to be imposed
during the European war was made
clear at the State department when
the text Of a cablegram sent to Am
bassador Gerard at Berlin on October
Ia last was made public.
Mr.. Gerard had communicated pre-
liminary notice that Germany intended
to protest to this governoment against
alleged violation Of the declaration by
Great Britain and France.
The German ambassador, Count
Bernstorff, called at the State depart
ment Thursday to lodge the formal
complaint, and the text of the reply
cabled to Ambassador Gerard, copies
of which went to all American diplo-
matte representatives abroad, was
then made public. 1t follows:
"Please inform the German govern
ment that the departments suggestion
made to the belligerent countries for the
adoption for the sake Of uniformity of
the declaration of London as tempor-
ary code of naval warfare for use in
the present war has been withdrawn
because Of the unwillingness of some
of the belligerents to adopt the declar-
alton of London without modification.
'"The United States government.
therefore insists that the rights and
duties of those of its citizens in the
present war be defined by the existing
rules of international law and the
treaties of the United States with the
belligerents, Independently of the pro-
visions of the declaration and this gov
ernment will reserve the right to enter
demand or protest in every case in
which the rights and duties mentioned
above and defined by existing rules of
international law are violated or their
free exercise hindered by the authori-
ties of the belligerent governments.
The message was signed by Counsel
lor Lansing, then acting secretary of
state.
The declaration of London, framed
at an international conference in Lon
don, from which it draws its designa-
tion, was designed as a uniform naval
procedure for war times to be recog-
nized by all powers participating in
the conference.
1t set out definite declarations as to
what articles should be considered con-
traband of war and defined the rights
of neutral shipping. The declaration
was generally viewed as marking
great advance over the conflicting
practices the several nations had ap-
piled during periods of belligerency,
with most unsatisfactory results to
neutral shipping. It has never been
however, by all of the powers
which participated in the conference.
The United States and Germany are
among the powers which have recorded
their acceptance of the declaration,
while Great Britain has not taken this
action.
One article of the declaration pro-
vides that it shall be binding as be-
tween belligerent powers only on those
by which it has been ratified.
Soon after the outbreak of the
European war it became evident that,
while they recognized in a general
way the spirit of the declaration, some
Of the belligerent powers intended to
insist on great notifications of inn
portant details, basing their action on
the fact that they had not formally
ratified the convention.
Since the declaration was in fact
between the extreme
views of the several governments,
which participated in the conference,
a high official here pointed out that it |
would have been neither just nor fair,
in the opinion of the government, to
consent to any modification without
the agreement of all parties.
The State department felt obliged
to withdraw from its adherence to the
declaration, even before the German
protest was received.
It is said, however, that the Ger
man position that the British have
violated the spirit of the declaration
of London by seizing and detaining
food supplies carried in neutral bot
soms and consigned to German ports,
lirectly or indirectly, is recognized by
he United States officials as sound.