The Washington herald., 1915-01-23
The Dacia and Other Things.

we InOSe WHO are al all dlS-
posed to borrow any trouble over the unwilling
ness of the British government to allow the
steamship Dacia to traverse the seas unchallenged
as an American vessel international law on the
subject is very clear. The Dacia was originally a
German ship and has for some time clung to an
American port in order to avoid capture by Great
Britain as a prize of war. If the ship is bought
by citizen of neutral country. she avoid
capture by country with which Germany is at
war unless it can be shown that her change of
registry was a genuine transaction and not one
merely made to avoid capture.
Mr.. Edward n. Breitung, who bought the
Dacia and proposes to send her from Galveston
Ito Bremen with a cargo of cotton, is an Aiheri-
can citizen, although he happens to have a Ger
man name. There is not the slightest reason to
believe that he did not buy the Dacia in good faith,
and that this fact cannot be established beyond
Ia peradventure in an English prize court. English
courts have reputation for doing justice, and if
Mr.. Breitung can make out as good case there
as he did before the State Department here, which
has already inquired into the matter there is no
doubt that the Dacia and her cargo will be re-
leased. Her cargo, it will be remembered is not
contraband of war. OF course if Great Britain
should make practice of sezing every German
ship travelling the that has been transferred
to a reputable American citizen, and the ground
OF the seizure is more than mere suspicion, our
country will be compelled to protest vigorously
against the practice that is obviously in
tended to make even genuine transfers of ships
mpossiblc but it will be time to cross this bridge
when we come to it.
Neither are we among those who would make
a great fret because the Department OF Justice
acting upon the instructions of the President, is
making investigation of the rise in wheat to
- yLotI nc b,e ho.
due to manipulation or the work OF unlawful COM
binations. The Department OF Justice will find
out, what everybody already knows, that there
never has been a rise in wheat prices or in the
price OF anything else that has occurred in the
| ned States that has been more absolutely the !
result OF supply and demand conditions and of !
the force of imperative circumstances than has !
been the rise in wheat and other grains in recent
months. This has been caused and exclusively !
caused by the stupendouS and unprecedented pur-
chases of foodstuffs in the United States made by
foreign countries the result of the war If there
has been any exterior force active in the matter it
has been the advice strenuously given to farmers
by the Department OF Agriculture several weeks !
ago to hold their grain for higher prices. AS re- !
CARDS the surplus store" of wheat in the country,
he Department of Justice will find. as the Depart
nent of Agriculture has already found that at
,ibIc. The only sure indication of the size of the
wheat surplus is the price of wheat Farmers are
likely to hold on to their wheat with greater firm
less they see their stores diminishing and see
he price of the article mounting. The govern
nent cannot'regulate the price
A more serious matter in judgment is the .
possibility of embargo later upon the export of
wheat and other foodstuffs from our shores. We
10 not think this question is at all acute but it
nay become acute few months hence if there
5 prospect of an early cessation OF the war
md if the export Of food from the country con-
inues at its present rate The demands made
pon by Europe for food have already been so
,rcat that, although our crops this year reached
cCord proportions, it is evident that VIC
hall enter the coming harvest season with the
mallcst 'carry-over' of wheat and similar COM
noditcs known within living memory. Wheat
rom the next crop will not begin to enter our
markets until July at the earliest. New Argen-
inc wheat will be available before that time but
he indications arc not strong that even Argen-
ina will have a great amount of wheat to spare
t is we'll within the realm of discussion, there
orc whether our government some time in the
resent year, may not have TO take action in
rider TO preserve a requisite amount of wheat
or our own consumption.
= There arc those who assert that an embargo
pom the export of wheat will be unconstitutional,
asug their argument upon the clause of the
constitution which prohibits any State from levy
ne any export duty. The contention is that all
NportS from the country have to be made by or
trough State and that a prohibition of these
xports would be in the nature of an export duty.
here may be something in this for the lawyers
0 wrange over. But VIC are of the opinion that
it becomes necessary to conserve the interests
f our people, way will be found to keep our
ountry's wheat at home