The midland journal., 1915-11-12
BLOCKADE ILLEGAL
U. S. TELLS BRITAIN
Denounces Allies Restriction
OF Commerce.
PREPARATION PLAN FAILURE
The Note Denies the Validity OF Or.
ders In Council and Maintains That
the Allies Have Not Maintain
ed An Effective Blockade.

ca An EHSCTtVG 6tOCKa0Ss
Washington The United States in
its latest note to Great Britain, GOV.
ering exhaustively British interfer-
ence with American trade since the
beginning of the European war, de-
clares that the so-called blockade in
stituted by the Allies against enemy
countries on March IL as "interfer-
ence, illegal and indefensible." !"
Notice is served that the American
Government cannot submit to the
curtailment of its neutral rights" and
it cannot with complacence suffer
further subordination of its rights and
interests"
Ambassador Page, to whom the note
was sent by special messengers for
delivery to the London Foreign Office.
was instructed by Secretary Lansing
Ito impress most earnestly" upon the
British Government that the United
States must insist that the relations
between it and his Majesty's Govern
ment be governed, not by policy Of
expediency, but by those established
rules of international conduct to
which Great Britain in the past has
held the United States to account
when the latter nation was belliger-
ent engaged in struggle for national
existence"
Declaring the United States "unhesi-
tatingly assumes" the task Of cham
pioning the integrity Of neutral rights,
the note proclaims that the American
Government win devote its energies to
the task. exercising always an i'm
partial attitude.
The note, nearly $1,000 words in
length, was made public by agreement
between the State Department and the
British Foreign Office. 1t carries with
it voluminous appendix, giving the
text of American naval instructions
issued in 1852 and a summary and
table showing hundreds of vessels de-
tanned by British authorities since the
beginning of the present war.
The body of the note is divided into
IS points, dealing with all phases Of
the contraband question, seizures and
detentions, prior to, as well as after,
the so-called blockade was instituted,
and announces that separate COM
munication will be sent soon dealing
particularly with the "propriety and
right of the British Government to in
clude in their list of contraband Of
war certain articles which have been
so included"
British Method Unjustified.
In conclusion, after an argument on
the law and facts, Secretary Lansing
says, in part:
Il believe that it has been conclu-
siyely shown that the methods sought
to be employed by Great Britain to OBJ
tain and use evidence of enemy desti-
nation of cargoes bound for neutral
ports and to impose contraband
character upon such cargoes are with
out justification; that the blockade,
upon which such methods are partly
founded, is ineffective, illegal and in
defensible; that the judicial procedure
offered as means of reparation for
an international injury is inherently
defective for the purpose, and that in
many cases, jurisdiction is asserted in
violation of the law of nations. The
United States, therefore, cannot sub
init to the curtailment of its neutral
rights by these measures, which are
admittedly retaliatory, and therefore
illegal, in conception and in nature,
and intended to punish the enemies Of
Great Britain for alleged illegalities on
their part The United States might
not be in a position to object to them
If its interests and the interests OF
all neutrals were unaffected by them;
but. being affected, it cannot with COM
placence suffer further subordination
of its rights and interests to the plea
that the exceptional geographic posi-
ton of the enemies of Great Britain
require or justify oppressive and IL
legal practices.
"The Government Of the United
States desires, therefore, to impress
most earnestly upon his Majesty's Gov
ernment that it must insist that the
relations between it and his Majesty's
Government be governed, not by a
policy of expediency, but by those
established rules of international con.
duct upon which Great Britain in the
past has held the United States to &C.
count when the latter nation was a
belligerent engaged in struggle for
national existence. 1t is of the high
est Importance to neutrals not only OF
the present day but of the future that
4ha nrincinIcS of International right
be maintained unimpaired."