The Sentinel=record., 1915-03-03
FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE
Failure of England to Proclaim a Blockade President Wilson Be, lieves Will Neccesitate Further Correspondence

Washington. March 2-WhHe Prcs.-
 dent Wilson indicated today that the
 United States would send note of inquiry 10 Great Britain and France to
 learn how they proposed to carry ont in practice their announced de'ermi- nation to prohibit commercial inter course by sea with Germany. such ac ton, it was said, probably will be de- | ferred until rep ies are received from | Great Britain and Germany to the American proposals looking to an abandonment of submarine warfare on merchant ships and unrestricted passage of foodstufls 10 civilian popp- lation of belligerents.
 Germany's reply. as described in press dispatches created favorable impression among officials but until the text is officially received no com. ment vii be made. The attitude Of Germany gave rise tO the belief in some official quarters that a basis for solution of the maritime situation might yet be reached through the new note
 What Great Britain's reply will be is dcptndent Go some extent, on the attitude of her allies, whom she is consulting There have been official in}imatiOns. however, that Eugland would reject the proposal for the shi meut of foodstutfs and Cond- tiona contrahand to Germany
 The Anglo-French notes outlinin- the ijentiou Of the allies to stop all commerce between Germany and neu- tral countries occupied the atteltion of official Washington today Presi dent Wilson told inquirers just before the cabinet met that he could not de- fine the attitude Of the American gov ernment because he had not thorough | ly digested the contents of the com muuicatjons though apparently they seemed to estab'is1 d blockade He pointed out that the notes had merely | defined in general terms a policy to be pursued by the allies without stat l ing the means of enforcing that policy To make this clear for the | United States the president added, might necessitate further correspond 1 ence with Great Britain and France. The president made clear his belief l that while the conditions of war
 might have changed no nation had a risht to change the rules of war. From this 1t was generally inferred
 that the American government would
 insist upon a position frequently eX- pres6ed by it's officials that what
 ever might be the violations of the
 customs of war as between belligcy
 ents this could not affect the status
 Of international law as between the
 United States and countries with
 which she was at peace
 The general pressure of business
 incident to the closing Of congress oc-
 cupied the cabinet meeting for the
 most part but the notes from Great
 Britain and France and their effect
 ol American exports was discussed to
 some extent
 Some high officials thought that if England proclaimed blockade and
 would make it effective there could
 be no legal objection from the United States no matter how much its com
 merce suffered Inasmuch as the
 present step talls short of such d
 move, iu that all commerce is to be | interrupted without spedfying the
 zone Of operations or radius Of action. ithe genera belief Of officials was