New Britain herald., 1915-08-17
COTTON Will BE
MADE CONTRAbAND
Allies Agree Upon Step to Keep
Product From TeutonS

Washington, Aug. 17.-The allies,
intention to declare cotton contra ba nd
has been communicated unofficial1v.
but authoritatively to the state do
partment. The departments advices
are that the decision has been reached
and the delay in making an announce-
ment is due to the necessity of ar
ranging uniform treatment to the sub
Ject by all the allies.
The step has been agreed upon bv
Great Britain, France, Russia. Jtalv
and Belgium, but Japan's attitude has
not been defined, and she may decide
That no action is colled for from her
at this time because of the elmioa-
ton of the only German COLONY in tho
Far East from the military problem
and the absence of any reason for a
blockade.
Product Reaching Germany.
Ever since the application of the
British orders in council to cotton.
among other American products, the
entente allies have felt that some
more effective and less burdensome
method must be found for dealing
with cotton and preventing it's entry
into Germany and AUSTRIA The allies
pers, in many cases, alleged to be
backed by German capital, have been
shipping cotton to Germany through
neutral ports.
Under the orders-in- council such a
cargo, if captured, was merely taken
into a British port and paid for by the
British government. The allies con-
tend that under those conditions
great deal of the cotton got through
Sweden, Denmark and Holland into
Germany. From the allies point of
view the Orders-in-council We're inef-
fective because they obliged the Brit
ish government to buy cotton and at
the same time offered an incentive to
blockade runners.
Pressure Compels Change.
According to the advices reaching
Washington the pressure in England
and France has compelled a change.
The British government originally re-
garded cotton as non-contraband and
expressed a desire to avoid inflicting
hardship upon the Southern planters
and to avoid development of an anti
British feeling in this country. The
change to contraband will be defend
ed as authorized by international law.
Great Britain protested against the
American blockade of outgoing cot
ton from the south during the Civil
war, and had refused to recognize it
| as contraband during the Russo-Japa-
nese war, but will now content that
radical changes in the conditions OF
warfare since that time justify
change in attitude. The entente pow
ers according to advices here, expect
that the state department will resist
making cotton contraband and are
preparing to base their action on Am
erican precedents. The advices reach
ing here indicate they intend to argue
that both Presidents Lincoln and
Johnson in formal proclamations is
sued in April, May and June in 1865,
| went on record as maintaining as con-
traband of war "materials for the fab
riaction of ammunition" That cotton
has taken the place of saltpeter, al
ways recognized as absolute contra
| band in the manufacture OF gun
| powder will be held to be an estab-
| lished fact.
To Lookout For Neutrals.
1t is expected that scome sort OF
| arrangement will be proposed by
| which the allies will engage to allow
| cotton to travel unmolested to neu-
trail countries in quantities in proper
ton to their normal consumption.
| What the effect will be on the Amer
lean cotton growers is the subject OF
| contention. The allied powers are
| prepared to argue that it will not be
| far reaching.
| The cotton interests have for some
| time been alarmed at the prospect
| and it is known that the state de-
partment has been preparing to re-
sist the new movement with every
means at the command of diplomacy.