The Washington times., 1915-11-08
MR.. LANSIN0'S BLOCKADE NOTE

MR.. LANSIN0'S BLOCKADE NOTE
There will be no uncertainty, af-
ter a reading of the Lansing note
to Great Britain regarding the
blockade methods Of the British
navy, that the United States is very
much in earnest. 1t proposes to in
sist on the fullest recognition Of
every American right, every neutral
right, on the high seas.
With what have seemed the most
sincere intentions not to infiict un-
necessary embarrassments upon
American or other neutral trade, but
yet with determined purpose to
make the blockade of Germany just
as effective as possible, Great Brit
ain has been compelled by the cir
cumstances of the naval war to make
her measures peculiarly difficult and
oppressive. Mr.. Secretary Lansing
shows this in different sections of
his presentation of the American
case. Vessels have been held up
on the sea, when destined to neutral
ports, and, without examination of
their papers to determine their pre-
else character. have been sent into
British ports for investigation. This
is contrary to the practice Of the
past, which has recognized that
search at sea, imposing the least in
convenience upon the suspect, ought
to determine whether q vessel should
be taken to port and before a prize
court.
But there are manifest difficulties
in enforcing this old rule. Seizures
of cargo-carrying ships have been
made chiefly in the narrow waters
between the British islands and the
neutral countries of northern Eu-
rope. These waters have been in
tested by German submarines, whose
methods of operation-quite as con-
trary to established rules of human
| ity and international law as any
British practices-have made impos'
sible to conduct long and painstak'
| ing search of papers and cargo. A
submarine commander, coming W
from the depths to find a British
cruiser holding up a neutral ship fol
examination, could easily justif!
himself before his admiralty in as
suming that the neutral had beer
made a prize, and both it and 1T
captor were legitimate subjects O
attack. Surely an attack withou
notice would be, in such a case, nj
more astounding violation Of the de
cencies of naval war than have beel
many performances of the Germa1
submarines. =
In his discussion of the Spring
box case, too, Mr.. Lansing show
the difficulties of reconciling tn
American protest of today wit
American practice during the civl
war. The Springbok case develope
law of continuous voyages tina
was quite as much departure fror
previous practice, as is the presen
procedure of taking vessels INT
port for examination. In each cas-
practice was made to fit the eN
pencies of the situation. If it b
true, as Mr.. Lansing points out, tha
England did not fully acquiesce
the determination of the Springbo
case, and in some implications
that determination, it is also tru
that the United States did max
that decision, and stood by it. 1t
: somewhat difficult now to ask Ems
, land to refuse to avail herself
E the advantages of rule which "
t made and by which, even if unwil
n ingly, she suffered.
S There is reason to believe thu
t England will be able to make col
: cessions calculated to mollify Ame
lean feelings. In the early stage
:. of the war trade from Sweden an
f Norway into Germany was eas
+" and direct, by way of the Baltic.
e was against this trade that the la
# Of continuous voyage had to
IS stretched. But in recent weeks Il
Il British blockade has been extendt
n into the Baltic. There is no part
y Germany's coast which can tods
Ie be regarded as free for the a
'e proach of neutral commerce. TT
le blockade of neutral Sweden becom
unimportant so long as blockade
IS belligerent Germany is in effet
4 During the civil war the Unit
ID States seized vessels destined
,e neutral Nassau, with perfectly re
III ular papers. 1t was necessary b
Is cause, once a vessel had made Ma