Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1915-02-12
GERMANYHASAW0RD
CONCERNING RETALIATION OF
ARMED MEASURES TAKEN
BY BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
INTERNATIONAL LAWINV0LVED
Claims Eneland's Mercantile Warfare
Doines are All Wrong-Names
Articles Contraband Which Are
Not-Text of Proclamation.

Berlin, Feb. S.-Germany officially
gave out Saturday the full text of the
man government concerning retalia-
ton against the measures taken by
England in violation of international
law to stop neutral sea commerce with
Germany" 1t says:
"Since the beginning of the present
war Great Britain has carried on
mercantile warfare against Germany
in way that defies all the principles
of international law. 1t is true that
the British government has announced
in a number of DEGREES that the Lon
don declaration concerning naval war
fare is to be binding On its naval
forces, but in reality she has re-
nounced the declaration in it's most
important particulars, although her
own delegates at the London confer
ence on naval warfare had recognized
its conclusions to be valid as interna-
tional law.
Alleqe Contraband Abuses.
"The British government has put a
number of articles in the list of con-
traband which are not or, at most,
are only indirectly useful for military
e purposes, and therefore, according to
the London declaration, as well as &C.
cording to the universally recognized
rules of international law, may not be
q designated as contraband. She has
S further, actually abolished the distinc
e ton between absolute and relative
[ contraband, inasmuch as she has sub
/ jected to capture all articles of rela
p tive contraband intended for Germany
l. without reference to the harbor il
e which they are to be unloaded or t.
l. the hostile or peaceful use to which
they are to be put
"She does not even hesitate to vic
late the Paris declaration, as her nava
u forces have seized, on neutral ships
. German property that was not contra
% band, in violation of her own decree
- concerning the London declaration
She has, further, through her nava
" forces, taken from neutral ships nj
e merous Germans liable to militar
T. service and has made Of them pri.
y oners of war"
Acting Secretary Lansing has issue
N the following statement:
s "The department has received fror
IN the American ambassador at Berli
T. the text of a proclamation issued b
n the German admiralty on the 4th il
IN slant, which reads as follows:
If The Proclamation.
IN "'The British waters around Gres
IL Britain including the whole Englis
m channel, are declared hereby to be il
" Guided within the zone of war and thu
after the 18th instant all enemy me
- chant vessels encountered in thes
10 waters will be destroyed even if
y, may not be possible always to say
their crews and passengers.
Within this war zone neutr;
IS vessels are exposed to danger sine
re in view of the misuse of the neutr,
flags ordered by the government
IN Great Britain on the 31st Ultimate al
20 on the hazards of naval warfare ne
trail vessels can not always be pr
vented from suffering from the q
OF lacks intended for enemy ships.
ny 1.-The routes of navigation arour
ne the north of the Shetland islands
the eastern part of the North sea al
in strip 80 miles wide along Il
Dutch coast are not open to the da
ry ger zone
m "The German foreign office sent Il
on ambassador a long memorandum e
n nj ff,. Of 10