The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-06-30
.IMPOR7EES PROTEST
SAY BRITISH BLOCKADE WILL
PROVE DISASTROUS
WANTS rights ARRESTED

Secretary Lansing Expresses Deter
mination on Part Of President ant
Himself to Do All in Their Power
to Secure Rights Granted Under
Treaties and Law of Nations.
Pressure of formal and organized
character is being exerted on the
United States government to secure
from Great Britain a modification o.
the embargo on all commercial inter
course between Germany and neu
trail countries.
Twenty members of COMMITTEES
appointed by more than one hundred
American importers have laid before
Secretary Lansing and other state de-
partment officials a petition request
ing that their shipping be looked
after.
In a statement issued by the i'm
porters after their conference it was
revealed that Secretary Lansing had
expressed determination On the
part of both the president and him
self to do all in their power to aid the
importers in securing the rights to
which they are entitled under the
laws of nations and by treaty obliga'
tions."
The effect of the conference will
not be apparent for several days
Secretary Lansing took the fact pre-
sented by the importers under con.
sideration and will communicate with
President Wilson.
It has been announced that the
state department for many weeks has
already been preparing further rep
reservations to Great Britain asking
for modification Of the so-called
blockade. The president, however,
has been unwilling to complicate the
situation with the delicate negotia-
tions with Germany in progress.
There has been an insistence IN
many quarters that the note should
be sent to Great Britain simultane-
ously with the German negotiations
to emphasize the determination OF
the United States to defend neutral
rights, whether violated by Great
Britain or Germany.
Mr.. Wilson has told friends that
he has been on both sides Of the
question Of sending note to Great
Britain at this time, but it is known
that he finally decided to wait for
Germany's answer concerning subma-
rine warfare.
1t is thought certain>in diplomatic
quarters in Washington that Ger
man will in her next note take ad-
vantage of the invitation of the Unit
ed States to submit suggestions for
a modus vivendi to the allies where
By submarine warfare might be aban-
doned if the so-called blockade OF
commerce through neutral countries
were dropped and restrictions remoy-
ed On the shipment Of foodstuffs.
Before a note is sent, however,
covering all the phases Of the order
in council, it is considered possible
that the statement of the American
importers will be transmitted to Am
bassador Page for presentation to the
British foreign office in order that
Great Britain may appreciate the
growing unrest of American mer-
chants.
A COPY Of the petition taken to
Saturday by delegation
of importers from New York declares
that the British blockade measures
concern mot only the property rights
of the undersigned citizens" but in
volve a Contemplated unlawful de-
struction of a most important por-
ton of the entire commerce OF the
United States"
The petition addressed to Presi-
dent Wilson discusses at length is
sues of international law involved
and urges on the president "the need
for a very early determination OF
these issues so that we may know
whether we will be able to conduct
our established business"
Great Britain, the petition says,
"has studiously avoided" answering
the American note of March 81, IN
which the position of the Washington
government in regard to the blockade
measures was set forth and nearly
three months of valuable time, in
which it was necessary for US to pre-
pare for our coming business, have
passed"
Notwithstanding that this decla-
ration of the Britinh government
does not follow from any declared
and maintained blockade of German
territory" the petition says, we
have been unable to induce any
steamship companies 20 carry our
goods, American property, either
from unblockaded German ports or
from neutral ports to which the
goods have been shipped by means
of internal land communication. The
mere fact that Great Britain does not
threaten confscat;on of our goods II
they are shipped does not concern US,
because, first, we can not get them
shipped, and second, because we are
in the much greater ques-
ton of lawfully obtaining an unin-
terrupted supply of our American
owned merchandise, whether the
same has been paid for, contracted
for or may be contracted for in the
future.
eve are not compensated by a
payment for particular cargo after
legal proceedings in the British
for we are concerned in main
tanning the long established trade OF
this country and preventing sacri-'
flee of American capital invested IL
our commerce.
During 1914 and the early part
of this year we placed large contracts
for merchandise to be manufactured
By German and Austrian concerns.
We have obligated ourselves to take
this merchandise, and now that a
considerable portion of such mer-
chandise is finished and ready for
shipments, the manufacturers are de-
manding payment for the same. We
are in the quandary of having to pay
for our merchandise and at the same
time being unable to get our mer-
chandise. In addition, We have SOLD
much of this merchandise to Amerl-
can business houses, to whom we are
now responsible for the delivery OF
such goods.
"The concession of the British gov