The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-05-19
REAL MEANING OF
N0N-|NTERC0URSE
And How 1t Would Al
feet Germany,
APPLIED BY UNITED STATES
Might Be Some Inconvenience
To Our Side Of the
Case Also.
1T MIGHT REALLY MEAN WAR
lBv Kenneth w. Pavne.l

Washington, May 15.-If Germa-
ny declines to accept President Will
sons views on the Lusitania and the
United States declares for "nonin-
tercourse" with that country, what
will happen?
What is nonintercourse?
What would it mean?
l took my question to a leader
to a man high in the counsels of the
State Department. He said:
at will mean reassertion of in
ternational morality. Noninter-
course will be a singing rebuke un-
der whose ignominy no people could
fail to bow"
"The isolation of Germany by a
policy of complete non-intercourse,
continued this statesman, would
have many unprecedented results.
The moral effect in itself would un-
questionably be tremendous. 1t
would be the only action short of
war which would bring home vivid
ly to one of the belligerents the alb
horrence felt in America for its dis
regard of neutral rights.
"For this at least we have pre-
cedent in our own history. The
Italian Government in 1897, having
failed to obtain satisfaction from
the United States for the lynching
of Italian subjects in the historic
New Orleans riots, withdrew it's
Minister, and for two years the Ital-
ian Embassy at Washington was de-
serted.
1.-THE shame of this rebuke was
keenly felt in this country, and
many advisers close to the Presi-
dent believe such action on our part
to-day would produce a similar feel
ing in Germany.
''The first ste in such a policy of
nonintercourse," continued my in
formant, would be the recall of
our Ambassador and his staff from
Berlin. All our consular represen-
tatives who are American citizens
would also be recalled. but in many
smaller cities of Germany our Con-
suls are native Germans. who. of
course, then would remain, but not
officially.
"At the same time our diplomat
ic representatives, with the other
belligerents, would refuse to safe
guard further the German interests
in those nations, and this. at least
temporarily, would seriously incom-
mode the German Government. We
might hand these interests over to
one of the A. B. c. States-proba-
bly, Argentina-and we ourselves
might be represented by Argentine
at Berlin"
Thus far the nonintercourse poll
cy appears simple, but official Wash
ington foresees in it many grave
complications. How about Bel
GUM? Germany might demand the
return of Minister Brand Whitlock
with our other diplomatic agents,
yet in recalling him the United
States would be in effect recogniz-
ing that Belbium had become Ger
man territory. This would be TO-
recognize the establishment of gov
eminent by force, which the Presi-
dent refused to recognize in the
case of Huerta in Mexico.
Again, complete noninhrcourse
would imply the dismissal of the
German Ambassador and his STAFF,
as well as the German Consuls in
American cities. But TO give Count
Won Bernstorff his credentials, say
high officials here. might very prob
ably be taken by Germany in the
light of a declaration of war, for
the two have in the past generally
been synonymous. III Germany In
terpreted the dismissal of Won Bern
storff that way. she might commence
the hostile acts which IL is the very
purpose of the United States to
avoid.
"And nonintercourse. continued
the statesman above quoted, would
leave open no peaceable method Of
preventing a repetition of attacks
on Americans such as took place in
the Lusitania horror. IL would be
a case either Of turning the other