The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-08-11
GAEAT BRITAIN
,.ANO THE SOUTH
Manufacturers Record.)

1 90 IA VI AS Z
this section, in the following article
expresses, with the emphasis which
| always characterizes his wellmautred
views, his opinion in regard to the
effort. that r being7made to arouse
a%ntagonism in the South to Great
Britain because of the ability of that
country, through its command of the
seas, to keep cotton out of Germany.
Editor Manufacturers Record.
It is hard for me to understand the
effort of some public men in the
South who seem to feel that the sal
walton of the country depends upon
forcing England and her Allies to
stop holding up their cotton while on
it's way to Germany or to her Allies.
Somehow they seem unable to dis
criminate between the ethic in Eng
lands policy of search,and hold-up
of that which is contraband and man
ifestly on it's way to Germany or her
Allies, and Germany's policy of SUBJ
marine murder without search or
chance of life even for American cit
liens though they travel on unarmor-
ed merchant vessels. One is lawful
and the other is highway assassina-
ton.
England has a perfect right to-
search and hold up stuff on its way
to Germany which will aid Germany
in carrying on her war of broken
treaties and damnable brutality and
Unsuitable greed for other territories,
such as little peace-loving Belgium.
England has a legal right to blockade
Germany if she can do so, and more
over, she has a moral right-the
same moral right that I would have
to keep an assassin from my home,
and legally Germany has the right
to blockade England if she can do4so
in a legitimate way. she has a.
right to prevent England from re-
ceiving anything from us that would
help her. =
The trouble with Germany is, she
cannot exercise her right in this res
gard. Her ships of protection are
all locked up by England's great ma
Wy, and the only thing she can do
is to practice her illegal and immor-
al method of submarine assassina-I
ton. ~ 3
Any clear-minded person is able
to see the difference. England'sF
policy is legitimate and the practice
of all wars with regard to the block
ade of the enemy.
Germany's policy is illegitimate. 1t
does not provide for the safety of in
nocent passengers, but without a
word of warning hurls them into
eternity.
There can be no defense at all for
such conduct, and no effort to shift
the responsibility is going to succeed
with fair-minded American people.
W. know right from wrong in this
country. We know the methods of
justice and equity, and we r not
going to lend our influence in the
slightest to such methods as Germany
has been practicing in this war.
I am afraid that the cry from
many in the South is purely for po-
litical ends. AS I have gone up and
down the country I find that the rank
and file Of the people, including the
very best business men, are begin
ming to see through the situation and
openly take their stand against Ger
many's actions.
A man, however, who desires to
play politics hopes TO arouse senti-
ment and curry favor with the cot
! ton interests, because cotton is being
kept out of Germany, but they are
going to find that that effort will fail.
Sheer prosperity itself, if nothing
| else, will defeat it. In just a few
months more, when peace gets in
| sight, this country, including the cot
ton interests, is going to experience
the greatest prosperity it has ever
seen. The whole of Europe practi-
cally will have to be rehabilitated and
America is the only country to do it.
Europe will demand in the near fu-
ture everything that we can produce,
even our men. Anybody can see
this at a glance.
But aside from this commercial as
pect, England and her Allies are not
responsible for this war. I was in
England for three years before the
war and six months after the war
actually began. I was in close touch
with the people who manage things,
and l know that Germany forced this