The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-08-12
DESPITE AMERICAN PROTESTS
COMMERCIAL BLOCkADES TO
BE ENFORCED.
NOTES ARE MADE PUBLIC
Great Britain Makes it Plain That
She Will Not Let Protests Stand
In Case of Detained Goods.

Washington-Great Britain's replies
to the latest American representations
against lnterferences with neutral
commerce reject entirely the conten-
tlon that the orders-in-council are H.
legal and justify the British course as
being wholly within international law.
"Unsustainable either in point Of
Jaw or upon principles of internation-
al equity" is the British reply to the
American protest against the block
ade OF neutral ports, with an invitation
TO submit to International arbitration
any cause in which the United States
Is dissatified with the action of the
British prize courts.
Changed conditions Of warfare, the
British note contends require new
APPLICATION Of the principles of inter-
national law. The advent Of the sub
marine, the airship and the alleged
atrocities by German troops in Bel
g1um are cited as justification for the
exercise Of extreme measures The
blockade is justified on the contention
that the universally recognized funda-
mental principle of a blockade is that
a belligerent is entitled to cut off "by
effective means the sea-borne COM
merce Of his enemy"
The note reiterates that Great Brit
ain will continue to apply the orders
ln-council complained Of, although not
without every effort to avaid embar-
rassment to neutrals, and observes
that the American statistics show that
in
Austria has been more than over-bal-
| anced by the increase Of other indus
trial activities due to the war
In the general reply to the Ameri-
can representations against the or
ders-in-council Sir Edward Grey, the
foreign minister addressing Ambassa
dor Page, begins by expressing the
hope that he may be able to convince
the administration in Washington
that the measures we have announc
ed are not only reasonable and neces
sary in themselves, but constitute nc
more than an adaptation Of the old
principles OF blockade to the peculiar
circumstances with which we are con
| fronted
Sir Edward refers to atrocities in
| Belgium, poisoning Of wells in Ger
| man Southwest Africa, use Of poison
Gus gases against the Allied troODs in
Flanders and the sinking of the Lusi-
tania to show chow indispensable it is
that we should leave unused no 1usti-
fable method of defending ourselves. !"
Taking up the question Of the AL
lied blockade Of neutral ports the note
continues:
''In the various notes which 7 have
received from Your Exccllency. the
right Of a belligerent to establish a
blockade Of the enemy ports is admit
ed. right which has obviously no
value save in SO far as 1t gives power
to belligercnt to cut off the sea borne
exports and imports of his enemy.
The contention which [ understand
the United States government now
puts forward is that If belligerent is
| so circumstanced that his commerce
can pass through adjacent neutral
| ports as easily as through ports in his
own territory, his opponent has no
| right to interfere and must restrict
| his measures OF bic ckade in such a
manner as to leave such avenues of
commerce still open to his adversary
This is contention which His Maj-es-
tvs government feels unable to accept
and which seems to them unsustain-
able either in point Of law or upon
principles of international equity.
"They are unable to admit that a
| belligercnt violates any fundamental
principle Of International law by ap-
| plying blockade in such way as
20 cut off the encmy's commerce with
foreign countries through neutral
oorts, if the circumstances render
such an application Of the principles
Of blockade the only means of making
| t effective. The government Of the
United States, indeed, intimates its
| roadiness to take into account the
great changes which have occurred
n the conditions and mems Of naval
warfare since the rules hitherto GOV.
Hrning legal blockade were formula
'cd and rccO"nizos that the form Of
close blockade with its Gordon Of
hins in tho immediate offing OF the
"O"knded Dor!s Is no longer practica-
Nc in no face Of an enemy possessing
" means mad opportunity to male an
""cl."o defense by the use Of snbma.
''""G mtNce and aircraft
9TH" o":y question then. which
~ ar'"c in record TO the measure
"s"r'rA 10 for the purpose Of carry.
>" N"t q b!ocHoAo uDon these nxtnn1.
'"ns IS wh"'N"r. to use Ynrr tx
oNNH"v'% wo"'s "'hey conform 20 tho
"'ri' "nd Hr'n "'r!os Of the essoncn Of
'" "'''oe &c w""' and we eho'l no con.
ont to ar"ly this test to the action
"hich we h'rc taken in so far as It
las nocossitatM interference with
'eutral commerce.