Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-08-14
Our Rights Abroad.

While our issue with Germany is
gradually solving itself through mani
fest disposition on the part of that
country to conduct its submarine war
fare in accordance with our require
ments, our difference with England,
involving the freedom of the seas,
is daily becoming more serious.
Gable advices from London indicat-
ing the stubborn attitude of the
British government with reference to
it's 'orders in council" restricting
neutral trade in non-countraband are
anything but reassuring from the
American standpoint. We are asked to
await the arrival of a supplemental
when it is Forthcoming it will be but
a continuation of the argument uphold
ing the rights of England to continue
her blockade of neutral European
ports both against incoming and out
going cargoes.
England is necessarily aware Of the
determination of this country to main
tain the freedom of the seas in be-
half of it's legal commerce. If there
is any intention upon her part of
acceding to our wishes she is NOV
ing very slowly to the point. The
problem is one which demands
speedy settlement, not only from the
standpoint of illegal and unwarranted
interference with neutral commerce
generally, but from that of the pre-
servation of the market rights Of the
cotton crop whose harvest is now
scarcely thirty days off.
The temper of the American people
relative to this unlawful interference
with their trade is indicated in thou
sands of letters which are reaching
the Washington authorities from all
parts of the country urging and de-
handing extreme measures unless
England promptly assents to cease
interference with our non-c ontraband
commerce bound for neutral ports.
The bulk of these suggestions call
for an extraordinary session of
Congress to declare an embargo
against the expectation of munitions
and war supplies, unless our trade
with neutral ports is let alone.
There should be no necessity Of
going to the extreme of retaliation
Undoubtedly England can be made to
understand that the temper of the
American people is being sorely tried
by her injustice and her illegal acts,
and that the ordinary course of diplo-
macy cannot be much longer relied
upon to restrain their reasonable de-
mands for congressional action to in
sure protection of American CONNER
cial rights upon the seas. 1t would
seem that proper understanding of
determined public sentiment here
would conduce to prompt and salts
factory revision of the obnoxious
"orders in council"
In the meantime, the American
people are relying upon President
Wilson to handle the situation with
the same firmness and determination
displayed in dealing with Germany.
They are confident he will let Eng
land understand that this govern
ment will expect of Great Britain the
fullest assurance that our neutral
rights of commerce on the high seas
shall be respected, that while the
right of visit and examination is adj
mitted, the prima facie evidence of
the neutrality of the vessel and the
non-contraband nature of the cargo
must be accepted, and that claims by
Great Britain against our citizens for
violation of blockade must be subject
to arbitration in the same manner as
are our claims to damage because of
illegal detentions and seizures of
cargoes.
The American attitude upon this
subject was made as definite and en-
phatic as it was possible for Ian
guage to state it in the last note to
Germany. One sentence from that
note will bear repetition and appli-
cation here:
"The government of the United
States will continue to contend for
that freedom, from whatever quarter
violated, without compromise, and at
any cost"
Standing upon that assertion, we
cannot do less than demand that Eng
land shall abandon her illegal and I'M
tenable position, and admit her re-
sponsibility for those seizures of our
on-contraband cargoes made so
clearly in violation of international
n