The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-02-17
BERLIN may CITE
GREAT BRITAlN'S
4STARVE" ORDER
Germany's Reply to U. S. Note
Expected to Ask Embargo
Be Lifted.
NOTE PRESENTED BY GERARD
American Ambassador confers With
Foreign Minister GottIleb Won
Jagow Nearly an Hour on
Subject of Communication.

Berlin, Feb. Is (via London).-
James w. Gerard. the American am
bassador, called on Gottlieb Won ia
gov, the German foreign secretary,
and presented him the American gov
ernment's note concerning the Ger
man sea war zone proclamation.
The delivery of the note was fol
lowed by a conference between Mr.
Gerard and the foreign minister which
lasted for three-quarters of an hour.
Judging from the length of the am
bassador's stay at the foreign Office
the communication evidently was con-
sidered of Importance.
Berlin Paper Comments.
The Berlin newspapers print dis
patch from London stating that the
American note to Germany concerning
the admiralty's sea war zone contains
a clear intimation that an attack on
any ship carrying the American flag
without a previous inquiry as to its
right to fly the flag would lead to COM
plications of most serious character.
The Kreuz Zeitung commenting on
this says:
This note would amount to a
breach of neutrality unless America
informed Great Britain that complica-
tions of a most serious character
would result from the misuse of the
American flag"
Want British Embargo Lifted.
If the views repeatedly expressed in
responsible quarters may be taken as
a criterion the German reply to Wash
ington probably will point out that the
German measure in making the seas
around Great Britain a war zone is a
fully justified answer to the British at
tempt to starve out the German ma
ton, women and children as well as
soldiers"
1t is believed also that the note will
suggest that if the United States de-
sires a mitigation of Germany's naval
campaign it would be we'll to induce
Great Britain to lift its embargo on
foodstuffs bound for Germany, which,
in the German Interpretation of inter
national law. is entirely illegal and un-
justified.
1t will be added, it is believed, that
if Great Britain persists in its embargo
the campaign against hostile mer-
| VIII SO~lOl W HdIQ VIII
| severity.
English Views on Note.
London, Feb. 15.-English newspa-
pers see no cause for alarm in the re-
cent note of the United States respect
ing the use of the American flag and
the seizure of cargoes. They declare
that no food must be allowed to reach
Germany and that any confiscated
from ships by Great Britain will be
amply paid for.
'It is common knowledge that but
for the magnificent discriminating
contributions by the United States the
great part of the Belgian population
would actually have starved to death, .
says the Globe. mo food or raw ma
terial must reach Germany from the
outside, SO far as we can prevent it
The Wilhelmina is a test case. To
allow the cargo to go through would
be not merely a deplorable exhibition
of weakness, but a plain betrayal oi
all which we allies are fighting for :
Whether we regard the Wilhelmina's s
action as a trap to embroil us with the
United States or merely due to the
stress of conditions, we can very vel
afford to take the cargo over on fairly
generous terms. If that is done nc
friendly neutral country can have
cause to complain"