The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-04-09
from ports within the belIigerent ter

rijory affected.
The government of the United
/ States assumes Wit the greatest con
fidence that MS majesty's government
will thus adjust cir practice to the
recognized rules Of international law,
because it is manifest that the British
! government have adopted an eXtraor-
dinary method of stopping cargoes
destined for or coming from the en-
emy's territory, wj.icn, owing to the
existence of unusual conditions in
modern warfare at sea, it will be diff
cult to restrict to the limits which
! have been heretofore required by the
law of nations. Though tie area Of
operations is confined to European
waters, including the Mediterranean
so great an area of t e high seas is
covered and the Gordon of ships is so
distant from the territory affected that
neutral vessels must necessarily pass
through the blockading force in order
to reach important neutral ports witch
Great Britain as belligerent has not
the legal right to blockade and which,
therefore, it is presumed she has no
intention of claiming to blockade. The
Scandinavian and Danish ports, for
example, are open to American trade.
T!1ey are also free, so far as the act
ual enforcement of the order in coun-
Gil is concerned, to carry on trade
with German Baltic ports, although it
is an essential element of blockade
that it bear with equal severity upon
all neutrals.
Must Be Reasonable.
''This government, therefore, infers
that the commanders of his majesty's
Ships of war engaged in maintaining
the so-called blockade will be instruct
ed to avoid an enforcement Of the pro-
posed measures of nonintercourse in
sucn a way as to impose restrictions
upon neutral trade more burdensome
than those which have been regarded
as inevitable when the ports OF bel
ligerent are actually blockaded by tie
ships Of its enemy.
"The possibilities of serious inter
ruption of American trade under the
order in council are so many and TIE
methods proposed ars SO unusual and
seem liable to constitute so great an
impediment and embarrassment to
neutralize commerce, that the govern
ment of the united States, if the or
der is strictly enforced, apprehends
many interferences with its legiti-
mate trade WI ich will impose upon
his majesty's government neavy re-
sponsibilities for acts of tie British
authorities clearly subversiVe Of the
rights of neutral nations on the hign
seas. 1t is expected, therefore, tat
MS majesty's government having con-
sidered these possibilities, will take tie
steps necessary to avoid them, and, in
the event that they should unhappily
occur, will be prepared to make full
Ieparation for every act wi ich under
the rules of international law consti-
tutes violation of neutral rights.
CAS- stated in its communication OF
October %. 1914, 't1is government will
insist that the rights and duties Of the
United States and its citizens in the
present war be defined by the existing
rules of international law and the
treaties of the United States, irrespect-
i've of tie provisions OF the declaration
of London and tnat tbs government
reserves to itself the right to enter a
protest or demand in each case in
which those rights and duties so de-
fined are violated or their free exer-
1cse interfered with by tie authorities
of the british government
"In conclusion you will reiterate to
his majesty's government that this
statement of the views Of the govern
ment of the United States is made in
the most friendly spirit, and in ac-
cordance with tie uniform candor
which has characterized the relations
of the two governments in the past,
and which has been in large measure
the foundation of the peace and amltJ
existing between the two nations with
oct interruption for century.
(Sigled) Bryan