The Washington times., 1915-02-10
AN INVISIBLE BLOCKADE

Germany has notified the world
that she will attempt to blockade
the British Isles and the north and
west coasts of France by means of
submarines, and possibly mines, and
the statement is made that it might
be dangerous for neutral vessels to
navigate the vast areas of open sea
that she designated as a war zone.
A blockade is a recognized insti-
tuition; Germany may blockade
whenever she can make the blockade
effective. Heretofore blockades have
been visible, but in the present in
stance Germany is seeking to estab-
lish an invisible one. Now neutrals
have their rights no less than bel
ligerents, and neutral ship when
carrying contraband or going to a
blockaded port has the right of visit
and search; gun is fired over her
bow as a notice to stop, and an Of
ficer of the warship boards the
merchantmen lying to in order to
learn if it is carrying contraband or
attempting to run the blockade. But
the German decree would deprive
neutral vessels of these rights and
destroy them as ruthlessly as if they
were enemy ships. 1t says to them
in effect: IF you go into this i'm
mense space which we have defined,
our submarines and mines will be
unable to distinguish you from hos
tile craft, and you will be destroyed"
A great question arises. The high
sea is open to the commerce of all
the world; none has the right to pre-
empt it. Belligerents may use it
incidentally, but not permanently.
Shall Germany, or any other bel
ligerent, be permitted to appropriate
permanently what is a large portion
of high sea?
If the German decree is permitted
by neutrals to become effective, it
will prevent all American vessels
from entering English and French
ports, but even the damage done to
our material interests at the moment
would be infinitely less than what we
might ultimately suffer by reason of
acquiescing in an act Of international
lawlessness that exceeds even the
notorious DEGREES of Napoleon and
Great Britain when they undertook
to starve one another.
Grand Admiral Won Tirpitz, fore
casting Germany's drastic action,
stated in an interview last Decem-
ber:
America has not raised her voice in
protest and has taken little or no
action against England's closing Of the
North Sea to neutral shipping. What
would Anne rica say If Germany declared
submarine war on all enemy merchant
ships?
1t is not Americas business to
say anything about any action Ger
many takes against her enemies;
but the United States will have
something very definite to say if
Germany treats American vessels as
enemy ships. Before Great Britain
declared the North Sea a closed area
Germany had scattered mines
throughout those waters, possibly
with the purpose of preventing Eng
land from blockading German ports.
England, as a protective measure,
also scattered mines in the North
Sea, and not only gave notice as to
that fact, but also made statement
at the time that neutral vessels pass
ing through the mine fields would be
given pilots. Thus England kept
within the law. If Germany resorts
to measures that have no sanction
and that jeopardize the ships of
peaceful nations in waters where
they have surer right than her
warships, then she must be forced
to keep within the law. The high
seas are free, and cannot be monopo.
lized.