The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-04
CourteousIy Cite American
Civil War Precedents In
Blockade Situation
NOTES ARE STRONG
LEGAL ARGUMENTS
Washington Officials However
Regard Notes Weakened By
Reference to Germanys Tn.
lawful Acts

Washington, Aug. AIN three notes
made public at the State Department
tonight Great Britain attempts &c
Justify her interferences with Amsri-
can trade in connection with the So
called blockade of Germany. These
three communications, together with
two notes from the United States on
the same subject. constitute a fresh
chapter in the British-American trade
controversy arising out of the Euro
pean war.
The documents made public tonight
for the first time clearly define the
issues between the United States and
Great Britain. They show each OF
the governments protesting and In
sisting on the strictest adherence TO
the same principles of international
law. while sharply disagreeing on the
question whether certain measures are
in conformity with these principles
The United States insists upon the
international invalsdity" of the prac-
tice of OBTAINING goods shipped from
a neutral port to the United States,
on the ground that they are of Ger
man origin. and demands that non
contrabaDd goods from this country be
permitted to pass freely TO Germany
when consigned to the port of a neu-
trail country.
Great Britain attempts to show that
such interferenees with goods both II
and from neutral ports. are legiti-
nately derived from the principle of
the right OF blockade. She asserts that
she is doing only what the United
States did in the Civil War. that is.
adapting the ''oid principles of block
AIDE to the peculiar circumstances OF
the present war
II lie admitted here that the British
augmentation Is for the most part
a BILE and ingenious. particularly in its
application Of United States procedure
in the Civil War and American prize
court decisions in the Civil War cases
TO the defense OF practices against the
United States is now complaining
The communications from the Lon
don foreign ONCE. given out tonight,
are markedly different from British
notes OF last winter on the same. and
related subjects. in that they are al
most wholly legal arguments and con-
tain little of the extraneous matter
of former notes. 1t Is believed here
that the British authorities have al
last come TO understand something Of
the American point of view, and to
recognize the necessity of meeting the
American protests which are based on
this Governments reading OF the Law
with a defense which will commend
itself to legal view of the situa-
'tion.
Officials In Washington regard the
British statements as weakened. how
ever, by certain references to Ger
many's conduct mentioned by Great
britain aw Justification OF her policies.
1t IN felt that Great Britain has. to an
extent, lowered her case toward the
level OF the position of Germany. in
50 far as she cites German violations
of the law as excuse for her own acts.
Unlike the German G eve rnment, how
ever, the British are careful not to GO
so far as TO admit that their blockade
lis a reprisal and. therefore, without
basis in law: on the contrary they
contend that II is legally ''5ustifiable'
measure for meeting Germany's Illegal
acts.
On the other hand. they so 50 far
as to intimate that as long as neutrals
tolerate the German submarine war
fare Great Britain ought not TO be
pressed to abandon measure under