The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-08-25
TEXT OF NOTE
SENT TO AUSTRIA
Continued from Page One)

and industry of legitimate fields of
enterprise, already heavily burdened
by the unavoidable restrictions of
war.
Attention is directed to the fact
that Austria and Germany before the
war produced a great surplus of war
munitions and sold them throughout
the world Especially to belligerents"
and "that eve during that period
did either of them suggest or apply
the principle now advocated by the
imperial and royal government"
A table of sales by Germany and
Austria to Great Britain during the
Boer war is appended to the note,
and it is suggested that had Austria
and Germany refused to sell arms to
Great Britain at that time, "on the
ground that to do so would violate
the spirit of strict neutrality, the i'm
perial and royal government might
with greater. consistency and greater
force use its present contention"
Note Cabled August IL.
The note was cabled to Ambassa-
dor Penfield at Vienna, August IL.
The text of the American reply
follows in part:
"The government of the United
States has given careful considera-
ton to the statement of the imperial
and royal government in regard to
the expectation of arms and ammuni-
ton from the United States to the
countries at wal with Austria-Hun-
gary and Germany. The government,
of the United States notes with salts
faction the recognition by the imper-
ial and. royal government of the un-
doubted fact that its attitude with
regard to the expectation of arms
and ammunition from the United
States is prompted by its intention to
maintain the strictest neutrality and
to conform to the letter of her pro-
vision of international treaties" but
IS surprised to find the imperial and
royal government implying that the
observance of the strict principles of
the law under the conditions which
have developed in the present war is
insufficient, and asserting that this
government should go beyond the
long recognized rules governing such
traffic by neutrals and adopt meas
ures to maintain an attitude of,
strict parity with respect to both bel
hgerent parties" /
ITO this assertion of an obligation
to change or modify the rules of in
ternational usage on account of spe-
cial conditions the government of the
United States cannot accede. The
recognition of al obligation of this
sort, unknown to the international
practice Of the past, would impose
upon every neutral nation a duty to
sit in Judgment on the progress of a
and to restrict its commercial in
tercourse with a belligerent whose
naval successes prevented the neutral
from trade with the enemy. The con-
tentlon of the imperial and royal
government appears to be that the
advantages gained to a belligerent by
its superiority on the sea should be
equalized by the neutral powers by
the establishment of a system of non
intercourse with the victor. The inn
perial and royal government confines
Its comments to arms and ammuni-
ton, but if the principle for which
1T contends is sound it should apply
with equal force to all articles of
~contraband. A belligerent controlling
the high seas might possess an am
pie supply of arms and ammunition
but be in want of food and clothing.
on the novel principle that equaliza-
ton is a neutral duty, neutral nations
would be obligated to place an en-
barge on such articles because one of
the ~belligerents could not obtain
them through commercial inter-
"But, if this principle, so strongly
urged by the imperial and royal
government should be admitted to
obtain by reason of the superiority
of a %belligerent at sea-, ought it not
to operate equally as to a belligerent
superior on land? Applying this the
DRY of equalization, a belligerent who
lacks the necessary munitions to con-
tend successfully on land ought to be
permitted to purchase them from
neutrals, while a belligerent with an
of war stores or with the
power to produce them should be
debarred from such traffic