The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-08-05
-FOUR NOTES NOW
At WASHINGTON
BRITISH STATEMENT DISCUSSES
PRIZE ACTION.
SPECIAL WORD ON NECHES CASE
German Government Replies On the
Frye case-Asks About Better
Display of Flags On Amerl-
can Vessels,

Washington, Aug. 3.-The state de,
partment now has before it four i'm,
portapt new international documents
all of which require answer by this
government. They are:
A supplemental note from Great
Britain in which she discusses many
of the cases now before the British
prize court and justifies the seizure
and detention of the cargoes.
A special note from Great Britain
on the seizure of the cargo of the
American ship Neches while en- route
from Rotterdam to an American port,
Germany's answer to the United
States in the case of the William P.
Frye, the American vessel sunk by
German cruiser, which act the
United States protested and de-
scribed as violation of a treaty
A note from Germany through Am
bassador Gerard in which she sug-
gests to American shippers that their
vessels display very prominently the
American flag, that they may be rec
ognized at a distance by commanders
of German submarines.
These communications are in addi
ton to the original British note re-
ceiyed a week ago, the publication of
which was delayed at the request of
Sir Edward Grey in order that he
could have time to file the supple
mental note. ~@
All the notes from Great Britain
and the note from Germany on the
William P. Frye will be made public
by the state department Wednesday
morning.
The most important of all the docu.
ments, officials say is the special note
on the Neches.
British Viewpoint.
In the communication, an official
says, the British foreign office has
laid down the proposition that her
blockade would be utterly futile If It
were not operative both ways" The
British view is that the order in coun-
Gil and the subsequent municipal de-
crees and laws we're originally in
tended for the very purpose for which
they were applied In the case OF the
Neches This American ship was
bound from Rotterdam to a United
States port, but Great Britain exer.
Cised the right Of "suspiciOn" and un.
loaded her cargo at a British port.
The broad proposition now laid
down by Great Britain is that. as the
United States admits that cOntraband
could not be admitted, into Copen.
hagen, for instance, so, conversely.
international law would demand that
Great Britain is entitled to prevent
goods coming through Copenhagen to
an American port, If Great Britain
believes that the cargo is in part at
least Of enemy origin"
In the case of the Neches, Great
Britain asserts that she had reason to
believe that large part of the cargo
originated in Belgium, and that Bel.
GUM is for the most part at this time
enemy country"
Civil War Cited.
ZIG DIlllSn argument, In Dflef, as
explained by officials, is that as the
United States during the Civil war
undertook to stop British goods in
the Matamoras case and the Peterhof
case because the ultimate destina-
ton" was the Confederate states, so
the United States will now be obliged
to admit the doctrine that Great Brit.
ain can stop goods bound from neu-
trail ports and ultimately for the
enemy country.
The supplemental note of Great
Britain on the general subject of
American trade is stated by Secretary
of State Lansing to be solely a dis.
cussion of the caveat filed by this
government on the 10th of July to
safeguard the rights of Americans in
cargoes which had been seized and
sent by the British government into
prize courts.