Evening star., 1915-02-20
DEFENDS SEIZURE
/. OF THE W|[HE[M|NA
British Government Decides to
Hold Cargo for Decision
of Prize Court.
FOOD CONSIGNED TO FOE
RATED AS CONTRABAND
Note Of Sir Edward Grey in Answer
to American Note Foreshadows
Other Reprisals.

UCner heprlSalS.
LONDON, February 20.-The British
government has announced that it has
decided that the cargo of the Ameri-
can steamer Wilhelmina should be held
for the decision of the prize court.
This announcement was made by Sir
Edward Grey, the British foreign sec
retary 1t seems to make clear the
purpose of Great Britain to declare all
foodstuffs for Germany contraband as
well as to foreshadow other reprisals
In his note Sir Edward Grey, after re-
viewing the German methods of war
fare and denouncing them as absolute
violations of all International usages,
says:
II, therefore, his majesty's govern
ment should heSeafter feel constrained
to declare foodstuffs absolute contra
oand or to take other measures for
interfering with German trade by way
or reprisals. they confidently expect
tHat Such action will not be challenged
on the part or neutral states by appeals
TO iaWs and usages of war whose va
idlty rests on their forming an inte-
graz part of that system of internation-
al doctrine which, as whole their
enemy frankly boasts the intention to
disregard, so long as such neutral
states cannot compel the German gov
ernment to abandon methods of war
iare which have not in recent history
oeen regarded as having the sanction
OF either law or humanity
Reply to American Note.
Great Britain's reply to the Ameri-
can note on the Wilhelmina case, which
was handed yesterday to Walter Hines
Page, the American ambassador, fol-
lows:
THE communication made bv the
United States ambassador in his note
10 Sir Edward Grey, Of the 18th instant,
mas been carefully considered, and the
following observations are offered in
reply:
AT the time when his maiestv.s gov
ernment gave directions for the seizure
OF the cargo of the steamship Will
nelmlna as contraband, they had before
them the text of decree made by the
German federal council the 25th of
January, under article as. of which all
grain and flour imported into Germany
after the 31st of January was declared
dellVerable only to certain organiZa-
tions under direct government control,
or to municipal authorities. The ves-
sci was bound for Hamburg, one of the
free cities of the German empire the
government of which is vested in the
municipality. This was one of the rea-
sons actuating his majesty's government
in deciding to bring the cargo of the
W1lhelmina before prize court.
Information has only now reached
them that by subsequent decree dated
the 9th of February, the above provi-
sion in article As of the previous de-
cree was repealed, it would appear for
the express purpose of rendering diff
ficult the anticipated proceedings
against the Wilhelmina.
Notice of Repeal Delayed.
THE repeal was not known to his
majesty's government at the time of
the detention of the cargo, or, indeed,
until now. How far the ostensible ex-
ception of imported supplies from the
general government monopoly of all
grain and flour set up by the German
government may affect the question of
the contra band nature of the shipments
seized is a matter which will most
suitably be investigated by the prize
court.
''It is, however, necessary to state
that the German decree is not the only
ground on which the submission of
prize court is justified. The German
government have in public announce
ments claimed to treat practically
every town or port on the English east
operations. On the strength of this
contention they have subjected to bonn
bardment the open towns of Yarmouth,
Scarborough and Whitby among others.
On the same ground number of neu-
tral vessels sailing for English ports
on the east coast, with cargoes of
goods on the German list of conditional
contraband, have been seized by Ger
man cruisers and brought before u Ger
man prize court.
,toI Nlr hn
ing sailed from California with car
go of grain consigned to Dublin and
Belfast, was sunk in September last by
the German cruiser Karlsruhe Th1s
could only have been justified if, among
other things, the cargo could have been
proved to be destined for the British
government OF for armed forces and If
a presumption to this effect had been
established owing to Dublin or Belfast
being considered fortified places or
bases for armed forces
Cannot Have It Both Ways.
1.-THE German government cannot
have 1t both ways. If they consider
themselves justified in destroying by
bombardment the lives and property of
the peaceful civil inhabitants of Eng
lish open towns and watering places
and in seizing and sinking ships and
cargoes of conditional contraband on
their way th1ther, on the ground that
they are consigned to a fortified place
or base, fortiori, his majesty's gov
ernment must be at liberty to treat
Hamburg, which is in part protected
by fortifications at the mouth of the
Elbe as Il fortified town and base of
operations and supply for the purposes
of article "a of the declaration of Lon
don.
"If the owners of the cargo of the
Wilhelmina desire to question the va
lidity in international law of the action
taken by order of his majestys govern
ment they will have every opportunity
of establishing their case in due course
before the prize court, and his majes-
tys government would in this connec-
ton recall the attention of the United
States government to the considera-
tions put forward in Sir Edward Grey's
note to Mr.. Page of the 10th instant,
as to the propriety of awaiting the re-
suit of prize court proceedings before
diplomatic action is initiated. 1t Will
be remembered that they have from the
outset given definite assurance that the
owners of the Wilhelmina as well as
the owners of her cargo, if found to be
contra band, would be equitably indem-
nified.
There is one further observation to
which his majesty's government think