Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-25
Statement Of Administration
Policy Regarding Shipment
of Contraband to BeIIiger-
ents Is Made,
CONTROL OF SEAS BY
ENGLAND DISCUSSED
Embargo on Arms at This
Time Would Be Same Thing
as Directly Favoring Ger
mans.

10y MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiHrl
Washington. Jan. 24.-Tho United
States government issued today q
lengthy defense of It's Interpretation
OF the rights and duties of neutral
in the European war.
A document 5000 words long, pre-
pared by President Wilson, Secretary
Bryan and Counselor Robert Lansing
Of the state department, after several
days OF consultation, was made pub
lie in the form Of letter from the
secretary of state to Senator Stone
Of Missouri chairman Of the senate
committee on foreign relations
While the letter is a reply to an
inquiry from Senator Stone for in
formation as a result of complaints
made in the press and in letters from
various parts of the country charg-
ing the Washington government with
unfairness to Germany and Austria,
il also is intended as n pronuncia-
mento of policy on some questions of
neutrality, previously unexplained.
After answering nineteen separate
and specific charges and calling at
tentlon to the fact that the United
States has promptly taken to task
Great Britain as well as Germany
and any government which in any
way has infringed upon the rights of
this country. the letter concludes
with the following declaration on
the much discussed question of war
munitions:
Englands Naval superiority.
eff any American citizens, partisans
of Germany and Austria Hungary,
feel that this administration is act
ing in a way Injurious to the cause
of those countries, this feeling results
from the fact that on the high seas
the German and Austro- Hungarian
naval power is thus far inferior TO
the British. 1t is the business of a
belllgerent operating on the high
seas, not the duty Of neutral to
prevent contraband from reaching
the enemy. Those in this country VINO
sympathize with Germany and Aus
tria-Hungary, appear to assume that
some obligation rests upon this gov
ernment, in the performance of it,
neutral duty, to prevent all trade in
contraband, and thus to equalize the
difference due to the relative naVal
strength of the belliserents. No such
obligation exists; it would be an un-
neutral act, an act of partiality on
the part of this government to adopt
such a policy, IL the executive mad
the power to do so.
IF Germany and Austria Hungary
cannot import contraband from this
country, it is not. because of this fact' /
the duty of the United States to close
its markets to the allies. The markets |
of this country are open upon equal
terms to all the world. to every ma
ton. bellieerent or neutral"
Uncle sam Has Played Fair. I
During the course of the letters
discussion of the various charges
made, the following facts hitherto I
were revealed for the |
first time:
That the Canadian government re-
Gently asked the United States Tor I
permission to ship war equipment
across Alaska to the sea and the re-
quest was refused.
That the United States sent Wig
orous protest to France because some
German passengers on an American
ship plying between two ports in CO.
lomhia were forced by boarding
crew from a French cruiser to sign a /
promise to not participate in the
war This procedure was declared in F
the American note to be "an unWar-
ranted exercise of jurisdiction over
American vessels in which this gov
will not acqulesce"
That sharp representations also
were made to another of the allied
governments because search was con-
Quoted on the high seas on an Ameri-
can ship for German and Austrian
The name Of the vessel
Or offending government was not re-
vealed
That on December Is, last, the
German ambassador by direction of
his government. delivered a memor-
andum to the United states govern
ment stating that ''under the general
principles Of International law. no ex-
eeption can be taken To neutral states
letting war material go to Germany's
enemies from 81. through neutral
Protests Needed. z
That representations were made
both to Japan and Great Britain
against the continued presence of
heir warships off American ports