Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-04-21
NEUTRAL NATIONS HAVE FEW RIGHTS

The position of neutral nation in such war as the
one now raging is very uncertain and unsatisfactory,
because warning nations make international law ht tnel
necessities The rules of the war game are very UNJUST
as it being played now but SO is everything cqecet @
with war AS neutral nation we may protest but that
counts ttle-uness want to get into the fight our
selves and that is the thing we are deyouty trying
to avoid
Most of the comergroceTy and newspaper talk about
the current war is from the standpoint OF one or the other
of the contending parties The neutral angle is over
looked Yet is wholly from that standpoint that we as
Americans are directly interested in the struggle now
going on,
force and in the last analysis the power of the warning
nations is the only measure have OF what may or may
not be done In other words the basic law of war is to
crush the enemy and the means to that end change from
age to age The old three-me neutral limit for example,
was agreed to by the nations when that the extreme
range of artillery. Great Britain and Germany, by
establishing war zones in the open sea adjacent to the
others coasts have virtually repudated this Worn-ou
agreement and have recognized the presenday TACT that
an enemys shores begin where the lines OF shipping con-
verge toward his ports NeutIas forced by these new
rules to take added precautions may protest. but they
must remember that war and not peace establishes the
working rules of warfare and Of the privileges OF neu
tras'withn the war area In all probability the end OF
the war will be followed by an international convention
accepting the Brtsh-GeTm view OF neutral waters,
dscardng that hitherto held.
BY common agreement what is or is not c0ntraband
Of is for the nations at and not for neutlaS to
determine. The United States is clear on this point.
During the Civil war; northern fleets bockaded the south
em coast cOnfscated cotton on its way to England,
stopped food of all kinds from entering the COnfederacy
in short Theoretically sealed the South and paid at
enton whatever to the distress such action caused either
the civilian population of the South or the weavers Of
England Because we had the sea power to do it, did,
fifty years ago. exactly what both England and Germany
are today attempting to do The tools with which they
work are somewhat different that is ALL The siege of
entire nation right and proper if the investment OF
city, as Paris in 1871 is right and proper And that
point force and not diplomacy, says the last word The
eutra nation may in behalf of humanity protest against
the exclusion of nOncombaants but it go farther
than protest unless it wishes to enter the itself
The modern state, as organized, is virtually all under
arms in time of war; The lives of its citizens ordered
TO the end of crushing the enemy Factories, working
men and women, farms, all the industries may be anC
are being made use of in military way From military
standpoint there are noncombatants except the non
workers. and future international law will undoubtedly
recognize this point of view
In other words all commerce to or from nation a
war is subject to seizure due notice of such action havnl
been made Where this seizure made and the name
Of making it, is for sea-poWer to determine Neutra
nations have rights whatever in the protection
of life and of property not contraband but they have
voice in determining what articles of commerce shall b.
designated as contraband