The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-21
W|LHELM|NA CASE
IN PRIZE COURT
ENGLAND JUsTtFiEs HERSELF BY
GERMANS METHODS OF
WARFARE.

London. Feb .2o.--The British gov
eminent announced yesterday that II
had decided to send the cargo OF the
American food ship Wilhelmina before
a prize court. This Is interpreted as
| meaning that Great Britain will hence
| forth cut off all food supplies from
Germany and will adopt other metaods
! of reprisal for the German submarine
warfare An official announcement OF
the inclusion of foodstuffs in the list
| Of absolute contraband is expected
| shortly,
| Sir Edward Grey makes the asser-
ton in the document that Great Bri-
! tain confidently expects that TX 1000
stuffs are declared to be absolute con
traband, neutral powers Will not chat-
lenge such action by appeals to law
and usages of war whose validity rests
upon their forming an integral part OF
I that system OF international doctrine
which, as a whole. their Great Bril-
tain) enemy frankly boasts the inten-
ton to disregard. so long as such neu-
trail States cannot compel the German
| government TO abandon methods OF
warfare which have not in recent MIS-
| tory been regarded as having the sane
ton of either law or humanity.
| The text of the reply which was
handed to Walter Hines Page, the
| American ambassador. was as foi-
| lows:
THE communication made by the
| United States ambassador In his note TO
Sir Edward Grey of the 10th instant,
has been carefully considered and the
following observations are onered In
reply:
Quotes German Degree.
"At the time when His Ma1esty's
Government gave directions for the
seizure of the cargo OF the steamship
wilhelrina as contraband they had
before them the text of decree made
by the German Federal Council on
the 25th OF January, under article 50.
OF which all grain and -four imported
into Germany after January 81 was
declared deliverable only to certain
organizations under direct government
control or to municipal authorities.
1.-The vessel was bound for Hamburg.
one OF the free cities of the German
Empire, the government OF which is
vested in the municipality This was
| ona of the reasons actuating His Ma
! iestys government in deciding to orins
| the cargo of, the Wilheimina before Il
! prize court.
Information has only now reached
them that by Il subsequent decree dated
! the 9Th OF February, the above pro-
vision Of article As of the previous
decree was repealed, II would appear,
(, for the express purpose of rendering
difficult the anticipated proceedings
against the Wilhelmina. The report
/ was not known to His Majesty's gov
! eminent at the time Of the detention
! OF the cargo, or until now.
Prize Court Necessary.
I "How far the ostensibie exception OF
! inported supplies from the general
government monopoly of all grain and
( -four set up by the German govern
mont may effect the question of the
contrabapd nature OF the shipments
! seized. is q matter which, will most
suitably be Investigated by the prize
/ court.
ut Is, however, necessary to say that
the German decree is not only the
| only ground on which the submission
OF the cargo Of the Wilhelmina to the
prize court lis justified. The German
government have, In public announce
4 ments, claimed to treat practically
every town or port on the English
! east coast as fortified place and
base of operations
] ION the strength of this contention
| they have subjected to bonba rdment
the open towns of Yarmouth. Scar
(. borough and whitby among others"