The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1915-12-11
MUST STOP HER
PRESENT COURSE
Georgia Senator Makes Speech
Defending the Rights of
Neutrals.
COURSE DECLARED ILLEGAL
In a Strong Address Delivered
Yesterday Able Georgian
Scores the Order in Council
Policy of Great Britain.
COURSE DECLARED ILLEGAL

WASHINGTON, De-. Ex-senator
Hoke Smith in a Wig Gus speech in
the seate today, call, upon con
gress to insist that Great Britain
cease interfering with commerce
of neutral nations. Afte. quoting the
state departments protest against the
British orders in counci. in which
the United States assumed the task
of champiOning the integr 7 of neu-
tral rights, the senator C. ;lared it
was now up to congress to 3termine
what value it would be to e integ-
rity of neutral rights for the United
States to have become the;" cham
piOn.
The right of any belligeren, o in
terEere with neutral CONNER be-
cause the goods were eventus 10
go or some from an enemy COZ try
was emphatically denied by the sen
ator.
There is no custom or rule of in
ternatiOnal law to sustain such an
excuse" he said "Neutrals have the
right to trade with belligerents. Bel
ligerents can interfere with neutral
trade only on account of the char
acter of the goods or on account of
a legally conducted blockade. The
fact that goods not subject to seizure
on accOut of their cOntraband ma
ture will ultimately reach the enemy
of a belligerent gives no right of in
reference with those goods
He declared that Great Britain did
not pretend to blockade the ports of
Germany on the Baltic against Nor
way, Sweden and Denmark, but new
ertheless vessels carrying goods be-
longing to other neutrals, if destined
to German Baltic ports are not per-
mitted to reach the straits separating
Denmark and Norway and Sweden
Great Britain simply seizes the
vessels carrying cargOes owned by
citizens of neutral countries whether
going into or coming out OF the ports
of northern Europe" he said.
"That this blockade of neutral
ports is illegal cannot be questioned.
THE blockade of neutral ports has
been and is a deliberate disregard of
neutral rights by Great Britain. There
can be no pretense that it is sustained
by the customs of nations.
Indeed, there is no such pretense
1t is a bold, reckless disregard of
the right of neutrals by the GUS
toms of nations and the rules of in
ternational law.
"Yet for eight months this disre-
gard of the sovereign rights Of all
neutral countries has been permitted
to continue to the serious injury OF
the commerce of their citizens"
Senator Smith denied that Great
Britain could be excused on the
ground that the United States had
illegally and improperly acted in the
same way during the Civil War He
quoted the decision of the United
States supreme court in the Ber
the rule was laid down that ships
were subject to seizure where mer
chandise was shipped from neutral
ports in vessels with a nominal des
tination of Nassau, nearby neutral
port but really intended to run the
blockade of Southern ports, or where
shippers had arranged from the first
to send the merchandise through tc
Southern ports running the blockade
in other vessels.
"In these cases." said the senator
"the riE.t of seizure was based, not
upon the blockade of a neutral port
but upon the fact that shippers had
arranged a continuous voyage for the
goods by sea into blockaded port"
From numerous authorities quoted
including generally from Great Brit
ain, Senator Smith concluded tha
with the blockade raised in neutra
ports. the status of neutral trade
would be:
A belligerent cannot add to a lis
of absolute contraband, any good;
which can be used for any but war