The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-08-19
DECLARE COTTON CONTRABAND
This Step Agreed Upon by Great Bri-
tain. and Allies.

Washington. August 16,-The al
lies intention to declare cotton con-
i rraband has been communicated un-
officially, but authoritatively. to the
State department. The department 5
advices are that the decision "a.
been reached and the delay in maxi
ing an announcement is due to the
necessity of arranging uniform treat
ment of the subject by all Of the al
lies.
The step has been agreed upon by
Great Britain, France. Russia. Italy
and Belgium. but Japan's attitude
has not been defined and she may de-
eide that no action is called for from
her at this time. because of the elm
ination of the only German colony in
the far East from the military prob
lem and the absence of any reason for
a blockade.
Ever since the application of the
British orders in council to cotton
among other American products, the
entente allies have felt that some
more effective and less burdensome
method must be found for dealing
with cotton and preventing its en-
try into Germany and Austria. The
allies contend that American cotton
shippers, in many cases alleged to
be backed by German capital, have
been shipping cotton to Germany
through neutral ports.
Under the orders in council such
cargo, if captured, merely was TAX
en- into a British port and paid for
by the British government. The al
lies contend that under these condi-
tions great deal of the cotton got
through Sweden. Denmark and Hol-
land into Germany. From the allies
point of view the orders in council
were ineffective because they oblig-
ed the British government to buy
cotton and at the same time offered
an incentive to blockade runners.
According to advices reaching
Washington, the pressure in England
and France has compelled a change.
The British government originally re-
garded cotton as non-contraband and
expressed a desire to avoid infiicting
hardship upon Southern planters and
to avoid development of an anti-Brit-
ish feeling in this country.
The change to contraband will be
defended as authorized by interna-
tional law. Great Britain protested
against the American blockade of
outgoing cotton from the South dur
ing the civil war and had refused
to recognize it as contraband during
the Russo-Japanese war, but will
now contend that radical changes in
the conditions of warfare since that
time justify a change in attitude.
The entente powers, according to
advice here, expect that the State de-
partment will resist making cotton
contraband and are preparing to
base their action on American pre-
cedents. The advices reaching here
indicate they intend to argue that
both Presidents Lincoln and Johnson,
in formal proclamations issued in
April, May and June, 1868, went on
record as maintaining as contraband
of war materials for the fabrication
of ammunition
That cotton has taken the place
of saltpetre, always recognized as aD-
soluely contraband, in the manufac-
ture of gunpowder will; be held to
be an established fact. BY way OF
convincing the State department TO
that effect. attention probably will
be directed to a letter by Secretary
HAY to w. W.. Rockhill, American
minister to China during the Russo
japanese war, stating that the Amer
lean ordnance officers, whom he had
called into consultation regarding the
Japanese blockade orders. had ad-
vised him that cotton was used in the
manufacture Of smokeless powder
and so must properly be regarded as
contraband of war.
It must be expected that some sort
of arrangement will be proposed BY
which the allies will engage to al
low cotton to travel unmolested to
neutral countries in quantities in pro-
portion to their nomal consumption.
What the effect will be on the Ameri-
can cotton growers is the subject OF
contention. The allied powers are
prepared to argue that it will not be
far-reaching.
The cotton interests have for some
time been alarmed at the prospect
and it is known that the State de-
partment has been preparing to re-
Go. .bo rau. p,oye wjrh eVery means