The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-03
URGES ADOPTION OF ANTI-GREAT BRITAIN TRADING POLICY BY
 THE UNITED STATES
Says Blockade Results From
 England's Desire to Se- cure Cotton Cheap and to Cripple the Spinning In-
 dustry of Neutral Nations

In sensational letter addressed to Robert Lansing. Secretary of State. Congressman J. Thomas Heflin calls for another declaration of independ- cree.
 The Great Britain blockade against American cotton is an insult to Amer ican sovereignty. the Alabamian de- clares. and he urges MT. Lansing to adopt an anti-England trading policy provided Great Britain does not imme- diately recede from its present posi- tor
 MT. Heflin, who spent yesterday in Birmingham, declares that the Englisa blockade. resulted from Englands de- sire to secure cotton for the use of its own spinners, to cripple the spinning industry of neutral nations, to pre- vent certain foreign material from reaching American manufacturers and to break down American trading rela- tions with other powers than itself That the English attitude is inde- fensible, a nigh handed brand of ar rogance and an insult to American sovereignty, is the sensational lam gaage of the Alabamian in the follow 
 ing:
 Sensational Letter to Lansing Lafayette, July l, 1915. Hon. Robert Lansing. Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.. My Dear MT. Secretary--In addition to the suggestions made to you by Sen ator Hoke Smith of Georgia regard ing American commerce and the ship ments of cotton in particular l desire to submit for your consideration the following observations
 "rhe British blockade is seriously interfering with the commerce between the United States and neutral nations. It has injuriously affected the price of cotton-the principal product of 30,- 000, 0G0 of American people-and is in- turing the spinning industry of the United States. in which millions more oI our people are virally interested. It injures the cotton producer by pre- venting cation shipments from reach ing European markets and it injures
 the cotton spinner by preventing for eign ma terials, dyes. etc, needed in the
 manufacture of cotton goods from reaching the United States. Cotton and the material used in it's manufacture are noncontraband of war and are therefore not subject to seizure and detention by any belligerent power.
 "At the congress of nations as- sembled in London in 1909 it was unan- irnouslv agreed that cotton never should be made contraband of war. and in October. 1914, Great Britain de- clared that cotton had not been and would not be placed on the contraband list. This assurance that cotton ship -nt,I1 1A into orfn n6 xtrifh gave confidence to American shippers and cotton commenced to move toward the markets of Europe.
 Cotton Is Not Contraband
 Some of this cotton reached Ger many and Austria as it should nave done because cotton was not and is not contraband of war. Under this new condition the European demand in creased and the price of cotton ad- vanced.
 Then Great Britain commenced to disturb, not only our dealings in non- ccntraband goods with Germany and Austria, but also with that of neutral nations in northern Europe. In spite of the decree of the worlds congress at London that cotton should never be placed on the contraband list and in the face of Great Britains solemn declara- tion to us and to the world in Octo- Der. lSl4, that cOtlOn WOulu HOl Dc placed on the contraband list, she issued the startling and astounding state ment in February of this year that American cotton purchased and shil- ment arranged for prior to March ?, would not be disturbed but if for any reason the British authorities did seize it, they would pay the American shipper the contract price, and that ships con- taining American cotton must sail prior to March 31. 1915. Then as the culmina ton and climax of her arbitrary and unwarranted interference with Ameri- can commerce, Great Britain seized in April of this year, quarter of mill lion bales of American cotton going to neutral nations in northern Europe, and since then she has seized and carried to English ports large shipments of American cotton intended for neutral na tfons.
 "What right has Great Britain to take and appropriate to her own use Ameri- can cotton. shipped to Denmark. Ho- land and Sweden?
 '1s she using the blockade to secure
 (Continued on page Eleven)