Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-01

Waghington--ln his argument on
the ship purchase bill, after analyz-
ing the International law in the case,
Senator Root Of New York said:
THE ordinary trade IN ships Is not
to be prevented Trade in the ordin-
airy course Of business Is not to be
prevented. The ordinary devolution
OF property Is not TO be interfered
with II the owner OF snip belong
Ing to bellgerent dies the property
may deyolYe upon neutral.
but none Of these great nations
win permit a citizen of an enemy TO
rob them Of their prize by transfer
ring the ships they are entitled to
capture on the high seas to q neutral
mo one viii contend for a moment
that the Hamburg American line or
the North German Lloyd line is sell
ing It's ships IN the ordinary course of
business or for any reason other than
that they cannot go out on the ocean
and carry on their business, and no
one would doubt II II We were TO
buy q British ship aud put 1t in the
Bremen trade or the Hamburg trade.
There can be no purchase now of
ships that have been lying idle six
months under the conditions Of this
war that is not stamped with the
purpose that inyalidates the transfer
under the rule OF the declaration of
London equally with those old and
more severe rules which were pre-
scented at the beginning of the con-
ference.
'grherc Is the law OF Europe and
against that we will come; and. re-
peat, Il IS their law that will be en-
forced In the treatment Of this subject.
We would be left to protest and at
tempt to get them or some court of
arbitration TO abandon their rule and
adopt ours. How easy It would be,
sir, for us to bring that about through
the voluntary action Of any country or
The action of any court Of arbitration,
IN view of the fact that they have
adopted the rule OF the declaration Of
London 30 which our delegates finally
agreed, to which our government
agreed in sending IT to the senate for
ratification. and to which the senate
agreed by advising and consenting to
the ratification, | shall not discuss
There Is only one possible escape
from the condemnation and forfeiture
Of prize court for every ship of this
kind that IL purchased That is, the
possible protection of the sovereignty
OF the United states, preferring to oc-
cupy the position of violating neutral
ity rather than TO submit TO condem-
nation
"N'hot is the meaning. sir, of the
violation of neutrality II means
taking sides in The controversy II
means helping one helllgerent against
another. II means that we abandon
the attempt 10 be neutral and we take
steps in the great conflict; and we
cannot stop. We cannot measure the
number Of steps. one unneutral act
by us viii lead to acts by others that
viii compel further acts by us, more
acts lay others, and more by us and
more by them, until we are IN the
thick Of the controversy.
Recall TO your minds all that you
have read during the last six months
of the condition OF feeling on the part
Of the people 10 all these countries
England. belgium, France, Germany
Russia, Scrvia, all of thcm-tensc TO
the highest degree in that condition
of eNaltation which holds prudence
| for naught
why. sir, we were ready to fight
from Mason and Dixons line to Can
ada ON the instant when Mason and
! Slidell were taken from the Trent and
Great Britain modified her fleet. II
was ruin for the north il we fought,
| certain ruin We could not stand
against The gallant south and against
mighty England. our blockade would
be gone, but we were ready 10 fight
because every heart OF the north was
full of emotion and every nature was
tense with feeling and we cared
naught for prudence. That is Europe
today.
20. my friends il we are COINS
to maintain our neutrality we must
hold close to Il and keen ont of all
Needless causes OF controversy. And