Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1915-03-08
ENGLAND,s DEFIANCE.

Editorial from the Irish World
win England be permitted to ruin
American commerce.? That is the
question which overshadows every
other topic in Washington at the
present moment. 1t cannot be
shirked. 1t must be fronted in either
q fearless or cowardly manner. Last
Monday Premier AsQuith, in u speech
in the House of Commons. notified
the United States and other neutral
nations that England and her allies
did not intend 10 allow their efforts
to be strangled in a network OF judi
cial nicoties."
There is no possibility of misinter-
preting those words. They are
frank declaration OF defiance to this
country and to all neutral nations,
which are told that the operation OF
international law has been suspended
by the mere dictum OF England.
Network Of judicial nicetes" is
the phraseology employed to convey
this information. 1t was one or Mr..
Asquith's predecessors in Office,
Gladstone, who, in the old Land
League days, attempted to justify the
hlling OF Irish jails with irish
patriots by declaring that the re-
sources of civilization are not yet
exhausted" This sugarcoating of
crimes against constitutional govern
ment was quite English in its way.
SO. too, is Mr.. Asquith's network
OF judicial niceties.
But on the observance OF these
'niceties" depends largely the well
fare of q nation OF one hundred mil
lions. 1t is for that nation to insist
fb.t fbooo srfoaffocts cbon no
disregarded because England wishes
to starve the men, women and
children of a country with which she
is at war. The ocean is not an Eng
lish lake. 1t belongs to an mankind
on equal terms, as was pointed out
long since by Grotius, the greatest
authority on international law. The
holding up on the high seas OF an
American snip by an English cruiser
is. according to this theory, an act
of piracy to which no nation, with
the ability to resent it. should SUBJ
nit tamely. That is the present
situation in q nutshell.
Early last week our Government
sent notes to both England and Ger
many suggesting an arrangement by
which the submarine blockade of
England might be terminated on con-
dition of England giving over her
attempt to stave out Germany. Mr.
Asquith's speech in the House of
Commons is the answer to that pro-.
posal 1t now remains for the United
States to take steps to safeguard its
rights on the seas International
law provides that every blockade TO
be binding on neutrals must be
effective, that is, q sufficient force of
ships must be stationed near enough
to the ports OF coast of a blockaded
country practically to prevent ingress
or egress Of all vessels. A certain
radius of action has been permitted
for blockading fleets, but this, ac-
cording to authorities OF the United
States naval war college, has never
been allowed to extend to the remote
seas.
That is not the kind of blockade
England would enforce. She would
apply blockading rules to the open
seas. She attempted to do that in
the early part Of the last century
with the result that she became in
volyed in war with the United
States.
During the Napoleonic wars
blockade was declared by Great
Britain against the German coast
from the River Elbe to the port OF
Brest (France), inclusive. Napoleon,
then in camp at Berlin, proclaimed
counter blockade against the entire
British coast and prohibited COM
merce with England. Great Britain
then retaliated Oy issuing an order
in council prohibiting neutral vessels
from trading with the ports Of
F, France and her allies and with all
ports OF Europe from which the
British flag was excluded.
John Bassett Moore, the American
authority on international law. writ
( ing Of these paper blockades, says
Against these various orders and
decrees the United States protested
and as measures Of retaliation re-
/ sorted to cmbargoes and non-inter-
( course. and in the case Of Great
Britain, which was aggravated by the
question Of impressment. eventually
to war.
That was the manner in which the
! United States in its comparative
weakness met a situation similar to
the one it now faces. In the day Of
it's strength viii it consent to be Eng
lands silent partner in her inhuman
attempt to inhict upon Germany one
/ OF those famines she in the past so
often thrust upon helpless and de-
fenceless lreland2 Obsequious sub
mission to the piratical practice OF
capturing American ships with food
stufis on board would constitute
such an infamous partnership.
The country awaits to see what
course the authorities at Washington
will adopt. Should they subscribe
to the sentiments Premier Asquith
voiced in his speech in tho Commons
/ last Monday they will thereby, in SO
far as in them lies, make the United
States o copartner Of The Allies in