The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-10-31

'''o PN'hb al d W AlSA
in compliance with instructions,
have the honor to forward to You
Excellency."
The memorandum follows
Under the general principles OF in
ternational law no exception can be
taken to neutral states letting wal
material go to Germanys enemies
from or through their territory. This
is accordant with Article Z of the
Hague convention of Oct. IS, 1907,
concerning the rights and duties of
neutrals in naval and land warfare.
II. however state avails itself of
that liberty in favor of her enemies,
| then 1t must, in accordance with a
rule generally accepted in interna-
tional law and confirmed in Article 8
or the two conventions above cited
place no obstacle to the German mill.
tary force ordering contraband from
or through its territory-in spite
thereof, various American port au-
thorities have denied clearance from
American ports to vessels of the mer-
chant marine which would carry need
ed supplies or fuel to German war
ships either on the high seas or in
other neutral ports. According to the
principles of international law above
cited a neutral state need not pre-
vent furnishing supplies of this char
acter; neither can it, after allowing
the adversaries to be furnished with
contraband, either detain or in any
way disable merchant ship carrying
such a cargo. Only when contraband
trade would turn the ports into
bases Of German military operations
would the unilateral stoppage of the
trade OF those vessels become a duty.
Such perhaps would be the case
If the Germans kept coal depots in
the ports or If the vessels called at
the port in regular voyages on the
way to German naval forces. But it
stands to reason that one merchant
vessel occasionally sailing with coal
Or supplies for German warships does
not turn neutral port into a German
point of support contrary to neu.
.rality.
Our enemies draw from the United
States contraband of war, especially
arms, worth several billions of marks.
This in itself they are authorized to
10. But If the United States would
prevent our warships occasionally
lrawing supplies from its ports
'reat injustice grows out of the au-
for it would amount to {
n unneutral treatment and consti- /
ute breach of the generally accept
d rules of neutrality to Germany's I
etriment" {
Reply of United States. {
The secretary of state in his reply t
eld that: a
''In the essential idea of neutral r
arritory becoming the base for naval a
perations by belligerent is in the d
pinion of this government repeated C
eparture from such territory of mer- il
lant vessels laden with fuel or other S
Ipplies for belligerent warships at C
"a in order to ascertain the YES II
lis which are thus operating, the
,vernment has been obliged to in ii
'stigate certain cases in order that n
might determine whether there L
we been or about to be repetition fl
such acts, but in all respects equal W
, of treatment has been observed h;
ward all merchant vessels suspect IL
of carrying supplies to belligerent tn
ssels." w
The correspondence shows that the
ite department received also a com
lint from the British ambassador to
lting that the systematic way in so
lich neutral ships have left Ameri- co
n ports in order to supply German =
Users and have been allowed to 4
crate freely in the ports of the Nv
ited States in spite of the warn u
IS which have been given in the
tier causes grave anxiety to His
jesty's government"
Mr. Lansing replied that in so far
he was advised,
Every suspicious case of a vessel
wing American ports to supply
rman cruisers, which has been
,ught to the attention of the United
ties with any basis OF fact to sup
t some such statement, has been an
'ly investgated-the government Of ste
United States therefore feels
iged to decline to accept any sug int
tions intimating that its vigilance SUI