Evening star., 1915-01-02
Anxious to Satisfy United
States, But Insistent on
EngIand's Rights.
DAYS OF THE CIVIL WAR
RECALLED FOR PRECEDENT
Both Governments, It Is Asserted,
Should Endeavor to Remove
Causes of Friction.


discusses at length the American note
regarding the detention of American
ships by the British. 1t recognizes that
interests of neutra1s differ from those
of belligerents in all wars and says it
would be extremely unfair to object to
frank statements by neutral countries
of their views Observing that it is
much easier in some ways to be a
belligerent than Il neutral, the Specta-
tor points out that in some future war
England may be q neutral. in which
event she would be desirous of uphold
ing the rights of neutrals as America
now is.
Declaring that at the time of the last
conference at The Hague it was gen.
orally assumed that England was more
likely to be a neutral than a belliger-
ent in future wars, the Spectator con-
tinues:
Anxious to Be Just.
Though we have every desire to be
Just to Americans. we must also be
Just to ourselves We are engaged in
perhaps the very greatest war the,
world has ever known. 1t is involving
us in terrific toll OF life and money,
and We are justified in using all rec
osnized methods of warfare to abridge
this toll and bring the war to an end"
The Spectator adds that the difficult
mes under which American trade is
taborlng are not due primarily to in
reference with shipping by British
Warships, but rather to the general
disturbance to trade occasioned by the
war throughout the world.
Ihe sooner peace is restored the bet
ter 1t will be for American trade" the
article continues. 'If we can by naval
pressure prevent our enemies from re-
ceivins supplies from neutrals, we
clearly shall be advancing the date at
which peace become possible
The Spectator asserts that in MANY
important instances the Germans have
violated the conventions adopted at
The Hague. to which America is
party. Being the greatest neutral
to insist upon the sanctity of The
Hague convention.
Suggests Americas "Duty."
Without suggesting that America
should go to war, the Spectato tor insists
that the bystander is under legal OBJ
legation to interfere ito prevent crime"
1t says that people on both sides Of the
Atlantic would attach greater impor-
tance to President Wilson's note if
preceded or accompanied by equally
strong representations against breaches
OF The Hague convention with which
it charges Germany. 1t argues that
American trade has suffered greatly
from the disappearance of German
shipping. and states that the difficult
ties nthe cotton trade antedate the
war
'It is yet to be explained how, except
by carefully searching ships on the
way to neutral countries contiguous
10 Germany, we can prevent the Ger
mans from being supplied with ma
terials required by the German army,
says the Spectator. 1t advances the ar
gUment that statistics of American eX-
ports of copper to neutral states show
that some of this metal is being sup
piled to Germany, and asks:
Does President Wilson, do the Ameri-
can people. expect this country to look
on unmoved while our enemies are thus
supplied with the means of killing our
soldiers?"
The American copper interests, it is
said, can sell to the allied nations or to
neutrals not adjoining Germany at
prices as high as or higher than before
the war. 1t states, however, that the
demand of the American copper kings"
is that they be permitted to sell copper
to England's enemies at inflated prices,
which demand cannot be granted. The
Spectator says that Americans will re-
member their own actions during the
civil war. ard concludes:
Our traders claimed the commercial
tights which, in fact if not in name,
were the rights of supplying to the
enemies of the United States goods
needed by those enemies to continue
the war. The north sternly refused to
recognize any such rights for neutral
forth and declare that his father was
in the WrOng?"