The Keota news., 1915-08-13
REJECT ALL US. CLAIMS
DRITaSA NOTE CITES AMERICAN
ACTION IN CIVIL WAR.
Enaianss Replies 70 Last AmeneAn
Mote Denies Thst Orders in
Council Are illegal.


plies TO the latest American repfeseo'
tatdous against interference with nea'
trail commerce reject entirely the con-
tent5un that the orders in council are
ILLEGAL and justify the British course
rs being wholly within iniernAuonAi
law Understandable either IN point
OF law or upon principles OF tntsrna-
tsonal policy" is the British reply 10
the American protest against the
blockade Of neutral ports. with sn IN
ritnrion 10 submit TO International ar
biirxtion any cases in which the
United States is dissatisfied with the
action Of British prize courts.
Great Bri,zin's reply, embodied IN
two notes. one supplemental. was
made public here Tuesday night and
in London simultaneously By agree
lus1t between the Two governments.
With the notes vas made public also
the correspondence over the American
steamer Neches. seized by the British
while En- route from Rotterdam to tho
United States With goods Of German
origin. All the correspondence aggre-
gates 1000 words.
Changed conditions Of warfare. the
British note eonteods. require a 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.
GUM are cited rs justification for the
excise Of extreme measures.
s@A
tention that the universally recognized
fundamental principle Of a blockade
Is that = belligerent is entitled to cut
off by effective means the sea-borne
commerce Of his enemy"
The note reiterates that Great Bri-
tain will continue to apply the orders
complained OF, although not without
every effort to avoid embarrassment
TO neutrals and observes that the
American statistics show that any loss
in trade with Germany and Austria
has been more than overbalanced by
the increase Of other industrial activ.
tiles due tosthe war.
In the general reply to the Amer.
lean representations against the or.
de-s 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 an.
nounced are not only reasonable and
necessary in themselves, but consti.
tute NO more than an adaptation of
the old principles OF blockade to the
peculiar circumstances with which we
are confronted"
Il need scarcely dwell" wrote Sir
Edward, "on the obligations incum-
bent upon the allies to take every step
In their power TO overcome their COM
mon enemy in view Of the shocking
violation Of the recognized rules and
principles Of civilized warfare of
which he has been guilty during the
present struggle"
Sir Edward then refers to atrocities
In Belgium. poisoning Of wells in Ger.
man Southwest Africa. use of poison.
GUS gases against the allied troops in
Flanders. and finally the sinking of
the Lusitania. to show ''how indispen.
sable It is that we should leave un.
used no 5ustifiable method of defend.
ing ourselves"
Sir Edward Grey then refers to the
American Civil War blockade of 1000
miles Of coast with small number Of
vessels. and recalls how the United
States finally took recourse to block.
aiding "neighboring neutral territory
which afforded convenient centers
from which contraband could he int,n>