The Prescott daily news., 1915-06-23
FREEING THE SEAS Ry w. H. Alburn

It is hard to accept Germany's con tention that she is fighting, through her submarine campaign, for the "freedom of the seas." There is in reality only one nation in the world that is making such fight, and that nation is the United States whose wea- non is not terror, but diplomacy. Ger man statesmen are aiming, not at gen. une maritime freedom, but at mari time advantage for Germany.
 Germany is confusing war condi- tions and peace conditions.
 At this moment, certainly freedom of the seas does not exist for Ger many, and exists only partilly for neu~ tral nations. But without approving at all of British 'navalism", we may properly point out that the British navy has not interferred with com mercial shipping for a hundred years, except in war time. Germany, even while Britain has ruled the wave, has extended her export trade and won British markets with absolute impunity. The German navy has never been needed to protect Germat shipping until now-when under war conditions it has given up without a struggle. Under the system of law and custom developed through centur- ies every nation, big or little, has en- joyed the privileges of the seven seas on absolutely equal terms with every Other.
 In war, of course, it is different. Great Britain, having the naval power has deprived Germany of rhe freedom of the ocean, just as Germany, hay ing similar power locally, has de- prived Great Britain of the freedom of the Baltic Sea. Germany has no legitimate complaint against England for driving German merchantmen from the ocean. It is the fortune of war.
 Neither has Germany any legiti- mate complaint againt England for blOckading German ports. That, too Is the fortune of war, a natural re- suit of sea supremacy. International law recognizes both.
 The blockade of German ports is not wholly regular, to be sure. England has not established a cordon of block admg warships along the German coast and just outside the German sea- ports She has preferred to keep her warShips at distance, from fear of German submarines. The United states at first protested against the change of method, but it has been round difficult to follow up the protest enectlvely, for the use of submarines may be alleged to justify the establish ing of the blockading cordon farther rom the blockaded ports.
 Germany, then, while she may con- uemn England on moral grounds for uylng to ''starve out" the German na- Noh seems to have no good legal srouhd for complaint. England's ,Ontraband list is long and onerous, Out as belligerent she has a recogniz- eufght to bar what she chooses from "er enemy's ports, if she is able to Vlorce her prohibitions.
 Neutral nations, however, have a vase against Great Britain. Their s'eVance is that she has blockaded "'u'faI ports. In that practice neith- VI lAe United States nor any other aVutral nation can acquiesce. Great ",itaih has no business interfering 'u American cargoes bound for the sOl@ Of Norway, Sweden, Denmark
 "u Holland. Holding up such traffic r 'h abrldgement of the freedom of 'e seas against which we have strong
 protested, and against which we "' Co' ti. ue to prttcst. We have ,, same right to trade with our .,'ends ahroad in time of war as in t1n "ne or peace, if those friends are not tl lserents. And the possibility that
 ' goods shipped to neutral countries