The Washington times., 1915-02-21

cate routes which snlpp1nS might
safely take. and promised pilots to
tako vessels through the war areas !;
the presumption being that vessels
applying for these would show papers
that proved they were not carrying
contra band.
Naval War Zone.
AS against this. the Germans have
undertaken to establish a naval
war zone. and have said that neutrals
entering it would be liable to destruc-
ton. because British merchant ships
might fly neutral colors and thus it
would not always be possible to dis
tinguish between neutral ships and
British ships. This 10 an entirely new
and novel assumption. and the author
tiles insist that II Is repugnant to all
the privileges Of international law and
warfare. Our State Department has
notified Germany that we will have to
hold Germany responsible In case mis-
takes are made and American ships or
lives sacrificed. 1t has indicated that
II will have to require Germany TO
make sure whose ship she is sinking.
whose lives destroying. The fact that
q British merchant vessel may fly
the American flag in one case is not
going to satisfy this Government II.
in another case. Germany sinks an
American vessel.
No government has had a more i'm
pressive experience with maintaining a
naval blockade than the United States,
for the greatest blockade ever organ
lied was that along the South Atlantic
ana Gun coasts during the civil war.
When the war opened the country had
when. on April -. 1861. President Lincoln
proclaimed a blockade Of a few South
ern ports, he refrained from making It
general because a general blockade
effect April 80. 1851. and Wilmington. n.
G.; Charleston, s. c.; Mobile. and New
ORLEANS were declared under blockade.
It Is difficult now to realize that the
blockade bIoS Of SO few ports could have
neen 80 enccuve; me explanation is
and cotton must be gathered in large
quantities at railroad termini on the sea
coast before It could be shipped. There
were only a few Of these termini TO
and therefore the blockading of these
pretty effectively sealed up the cotton.
Blockade Extended.
Just SO rapidly as naval power could
be produced. the Northern Government
extended the blockaded area. but at all
times the scrupulous effort was made
to keep the blockade effective. The
North was not in a position to attemp,
any such fantasies as a paper blockade
because Europe was distinctly hostile to
ton. and blockade in order to Command
respect in Europe had to be the real
thing. '
Here comes a statement which sug-
gests how very different was that block
ade from the one which Germany now
proposes about the British Isles The
Federal Government bought or built
during the war over q thousand vessels
with which to maintain its blockade or
to scurry about over the high seas in
search Of Confederate cruisers which
were destroying our merchant vessels.
There was. of course. the very greatest
Inducements for attempts at blockade
running. because the whole world need
! ed cotton. and the price went SO high
as even to induce the building OF very
fast steamers for the express purpose of
blockade running.
Yet with all the inducements and with
all the tremendous naval power that
was brought to bear to make and main
tain the blockade. the war does not con-
tain record Of a single case in which a
blockade-running vessel was DESTROYED
| except when overhauled and attemptine
to run for it," There is a difference OF
the most startling kind between this
procedure than that proposed by the
German government.
New Commercial Routes.
The enterprise Of Pritisl blockade
runners placed some new commercial
routes on the worlds map for a brief
time. The Confederacv needed SUP.
plies. munitions. etc. and it wanted ia
get its cotton to Europe to pay fer
| them. A British vessel. under per.
fectly proper British papers. would
| leave a British port with such q
20 ond Gail for tho prif iG1, ~
Nassau. in the bahamas. Nassau was
an unknown AMI suninportnnt port he,
| fore the war: but ere the end, its
| harbor was crowded with shipping
keen jealousy Of the fact that Mas
| sau threatened to surpass London In
! annual tonnage!
The British claimed that Q Cargo