New-York tribune., 1915-02-21

s TATUS OF SEIZED
STEAMER AND HER
CARGO GRAVE
INTERNATHON.
AL ISSUE.

parts OF the brief which the American Stat.
Department is in position to prepare as a
protest against determination by England
now to alter this position.
Washington news dispatches on the day fol.
lowing that OF the Whelmina's departur.
hinted that administration officials did no,
share the avowed confidence Of many expor,.
ers that Great Britain would refrain from con.
fscatng such cargoes consigned to Germany
Secretary Bryan, in letter written two
days before the Wilhelmina departed from
New York to Chairman Stone OF the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, defending the
neutrality OF the United States in the Euro.
pean war, said he would regard as premature
and unwarranted" any criticism Of the policy
of the State Department toward the confisca.
ton by Great Britain of an American vessel
with belligerent destination and trading in
conditional contraband such as foodstuHs
Early in January Secretary Bryan had declined
in telegram to the charterers Of the VII.
helmina to outline what course the State De.
partment would pursue in the event OF seizure
and confscation by British warships Of cargo
such as that sent on this vessel
AN ABOUT FACE" MOVEMENT IN
INTERNATIONAL LAW.
The British Foreign Office in its statement
Of February A. to the effect that no decision
"has yet been taken to depart from previously
accepted rules or practice" declared further
that "the apparent intention" of the German
government to sink merchant vessels by sub
marines had
raised very seriously the question whether Great
Britain should adopt in retaliation more stringent
measures against German trade"
This was generally regarded in Washington
as forecasting Englands purpose to prevent
foodstuffs exported by neutrals, including the
United States, from reaching Germany's nom
combatants.
Germany, on February 6, indicated that her
attitude toward this heretofore recognized
right of neutras would in the present great
conflict be determined by the position taken
by Great Britain Germany, said statement
issued by the German Embassy in Washing
ton on that date:
"does not intend to molest seize American
sells laden with foodstutfs for the civilian popu-
laton of enemy countresi IL Is 70 be hoped that
England will not make necessary reconslders-
tion of this attitude by seizing American ships
like the Wilhelmina."
few days later the storm-beaten Viii
helmina put in at Falmouth, an English port,
for safety and on February I3 Count Won
Bernstorff informed Secretary Bryan at con-
ference that if Great Britain purposed to at
tempt to starve the civilian population OF his
country, Germany would retaliate by endeav-
oring similarly to cut off her enemy's CON-
merce.
On this same day, February I3, dispatches
from London indicated England's apparent
hesitation to throw the Wilhelmina's cargo
into a prize court but Washington officials
predicted that even if Britain decided not to
seize this cargo as absolute contraband in vio-
lation of her own established precedents IN
international law and decided instead to allow
the cargo to be purchased by the Commission
for Relief in Belgium, the problem remained
unsettled and would again arise when another
American exporter made an effort, as the VII
helmina's charterers had done, to send food 10
German non-combatants
In the bitterness of nations has been dipped
the pen which is rewriting international a~'