Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-30
Honest ManifeSts From Shippers
ASKED BY PRESIDENT wIL SON
 TO PREVENT DETENTION.
OF NoN- coNTRABAND
Declares That Theory Expounded in Note to Great Britain Was Adhered to by England in Previous Wars.

Wasnlngton, Dec. 29.-President VII so SoLL eooay appealed to American shin peIs or n-contraband goods s,1eI, = Sotton' not to allow their csrroes The ut., .lit1so with contraband articles. tne united States government ,a a,, .nouhced, could deal confident1v v-ifI, tne dlfhculties which have arise,, S,- the treatment of American cornmarres sbsoIl7s GreaL Britain only if supported by apEgSoIiutely honest manifests.
 This statement followed a 5iso,, slon py the president with his "a a6iI,et ouay or the general shipping sifIIa- S Sion ana or the note dispatched veste-- uap 10 Great Britain, protesting a+ nro1oi. oit against the British policy of PToionged detentions of carpoes a,,r1 l trade "t'H American '"uen interest in Diplomatic Circles. fuoncation of a synopsis of tbs note, the contents of which was cor Irmeo at the White House and state 1ta oepdr tnent, aroused much interest not oras. III uIiplomatic circles but in con- siSss ana official quarters generally Many diplomats of Euronean sy,,7 | ooutn American countries made in, quIry at the state department concern 1 11s,,,s-e s.Ie note and were promised a memorandum on the subject.
 Confident Other Nations Win Act,
 There was confident feeling in din Ioinatic quarters that steps TouId ba | taken by other leading nations of tt;s | hemlsphere, as well as by some E.nro- I Pean neutralS to point out to Czraat | Brltaln their acquiescence fin ths American point of view.
 Washington Has Spoken Firmly.
 From the way the president dis | cussed the situation with callers. it yvsz 1 eNuent that the Washington govern
 ment had spoken firmly of it's desire | IoF an improvement in the conditions | oI neutral commerce and was prepared to insist further on it's rights. Tba president declared that the theory ex- pounded by the United States jr, Jfs note was from the American noin4 or view hardly debatable as EngIand nad adhered in previous wars to fine Gontentions now advanced by the washington government.
 To Warn Shippers.
 During the cabinet meeting it was suggested that in order to support inc | American government in it's effort +c, protect cargoes of non-contraban5 goods, shippers and shipping com panles should be warned against con cealment of doubtful articles on fine same ships The White House then snlppers to be careful about the man rests describing their cargoes.
 Had Concealed contraband.
 | The president said that the graat embarrassment to the government fn dealing with the whole matter was that some shippers had concealed con traband in their cargoes of non-con- traDand articles. So long as there | were instances of that kind, the pres ident added, suspicion was cast on every shipment and all cargoes were liable to doubt and to search.
 No Conspiracy to Conceal Contraband.
 State department officials said later that there were two cases in which this had occurred and that Great Bri- tain had consequently used them as a basis for general search. Solicitor Cone ohnson declared it was absurd that any general conspiracy to con- ceal contraband in cotton shipments could exist, because of the mechan- ical difficulties involved in such an undertaking, but he pointed out that one or two isolated cases would en- barrass all shipments.