The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-03-02

All Shipments, Direct or Indirect. to
and From Enemies, to Be Seized i
Cargoes to be Detained Only If Con
traband
WASHINGTON, March ,. - The
United States will emphaticallv pro
test against the Allies new policy of
shutting off all trade with Germany.
Austria and Turkey.
This government will be obliged to
voice its opposition to this extraor-
binary infringement of its rights as
vigorously as it refused to acquiesce in
Germany S threat to destroy neutral
shipping.
The disastrous effects of this net
policy and its legal character are re-
garded here as equalled only by the
operations proposed by Germany under
the recent war zone decree
The result of this latest move bv|
! Great Britain and France so far as the
| United States is concerned is this:
| The Washington government finds
itself confronted with all of the dan
| gers to which it was subjected under
the German war zone campaign and in
addition is facing the certainty that
| ITS merchant vessels with cargoes des-
tined for Germany or any other of her
allies will be seized and detained.
In other words. the United States
vessels which, under all rules and prec-
edents of international law, have the
right to proceed without moIestation
viii run the danger of being torpe-
doed and sunk if they attempt to reach
an English port and will be seized and
detained if they carry goods suspected
Of being destined to Germany and her
allies
1t is frankly acknowledged here to-
night that United States commerce be
tween these two millstones is in an ex.
tremely critical situation. The situa
, tion is all the more serious in that
( Great Britain 5 threat does not apply
solely to cargoes consigned to German
r Austrian and Turkish ports, but to any
which are of ''presumed enemy desti
: nation, ownership or origin.
This means that American shipments
| to neutral ports, if there is reason t
- suspect that the cargoes will reacl
e Great Britain : enemies. will be de
!, tanned. Not only this but shipment
y from Germany. Austria and Turkey :,
= the United States aud other neutral
e will fall within the ban of the Anglo
- French decree.
9 The complete trade. export and i'm
9 port, of the United States with Gen
= many, Austria Hungary and Turkey !
9 1913 amounted to $5SS, 100000 O
= course large part of this was los
through contraband prohibitions afte
. the war began, though trade wit
to neighboring neutral countries show
ed unusual increases. All this will b
n. lost under the operation of the Brit
l. ish-French decree.
)" In addition the new British polio
- will probably have Il serious effect VI
e on some industries in the Unite
q. States, notably the textile industr
Q: which depends upon patented Germa
TX products, such as dyestuffs.
ce The South, with its supply of cottoI
a. is likely to feel more Immediately tn
I; effect of the new policy. In 1913 &c
- many took 2,561 900 bales of cotto
}. valued at $l6S, 202, 900, and Austri
s. Hungary also consumed more than Sc
= coo, 900 of the American staple Shit
- ments of cotton to Germany, While
3. have been proceeding with conside
5 able freedom recently. will undoub
r. edly he completely halted by the Bri
- ish policy of retaliation.
ss Formal notice of the policy eff r
= taliation adopted by the Allies w;
IN n brought to this government today I
At, Jules Jusserand and Sir Cecil Arth,
St: Spring Rice, the French and Britt!
nd Ambassadors. They handed to NJ
ice Bryan identic notes from their go
Hu ernments announcing the detcrmin
-, ton Of their governments ''to no
nd themselves free to detain and take i
.ys to port ships carrying goods of pl
TT sumed enemy destination, ownership
y. origin
ck' This notice was conveyed yesterd
. to all the neutral governments.
I'd, So far as the United States is 60
= ecrned it disposes of the negotiatio
nd set on foot by this government in Lo
= don and Berlin looking to the grant,.
wv of mutual concessions by Great Brita
49, and Germany in the interests of t
safety of neutral shipping and t
w. preservation of neutral trade rich
on The British ambassador present