The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1915-08-19
ALLIES HAVE RULED
COTTON C0NTRABAND.

ed unOfficially bet authoritative
ly the State Department. The
department 5 advices are that the
decision has been reached aud
the delay in making an announce
nent is due 10 the necessity OF
arranging uniform treatment OF
the subject by all of the allies.
The step has been agreed upon
by Great Britain, France, Russia,
Italy and Belgium, but Japan =
attitude has not been defined and
she may decide that no action Is
called for from her at this time
because of the elimination Of the
only German colony in the lar
east from the military problem
and the absence of any reason Tor
"A blockade.
Ever since the application to
the British orders in council to
cotton, among other American
products, the entente allies have
felt that some more effective an
less burdensome method must be
found for dealing with cotton and
preventing its entry into Ger
many and Austria The alias
contend that American cotton
shippers, in many cases alleged
TO be backed by German capital,
have been shipping cotton TO
Germany through neutral ports.
| Under the orders in council
such a cargo, ii captured, merely
was taken into a British port and
paid for by the British govern
inent. The allies contend that
under these conditions a great
deal of the cotton got through
Sweden, Denmark aud Holland
into Germany. From the allies
point of view the orders in
council were ineffective because
they obliged the British govern
ment to buy cotton and at the
same time offered an incentive to
blockade runners.
According Ia the advices reach
ling Washington. the pressure IN
England and France has compel
ed a change. The British govern.
ment originally regarded cotton
AS noncontraband and expressed
"A desire 10 avoid inflieting hard
ships upon Southern planters and
To avoid development OF AN anti
British feeling in this country
The change 10 cOniraband Will be
defended as authorized by inter
, national law.
! Great Britain protested againSl
/ the American blockade of oui'
, going cotton from the South dur
my the GGiiyr;;! War, and had ref'ls
/ ed 10 recognize it as coniraband
, during the Russo-JapaneSe war
| but will now contend that radical
changes in the conditions of war
fare since that time justify
Z change in attitude.
J. The entente powers, accordln.
+ 10 adviceS here, expect that III,
{ State Department will resist max
; ing cotton contrahand and ar
! preparing 10 base their action Oh
D American precedents. The adj
J, vices reaching here indicate they
intend 10 argue that both Presl
dent Lincoln and Johnson, Il
I, formal prOclamationS, issued II
April, May and June in 1850
went ON record as maintaining a
y contraband of war material 10
Il the fabrication OF ammunition.
That cotton has taken the plac
of saltpeter, always recognized IA
absolute contraband, in the man
: ufacture of gunpowder, will b
n held 10 be an established fact an
by way of convincing the Stat
Department. to that effect, attei
ton will probably be directed !
a letter by Secretary Hay to W
w. Roekhill. American minlstc
TO China dnring the RuSsoJaI
anese war, stating that the Amel
lean ordinance officers whom j
had called into consultation r
garding the Japanese blockade o
ders had advised him that colto
was used in the manufacture
smOkeleSs powder and so mn
properly be regarded as conlr
properly be rearded as eonlr
band of war.
IL is expected that some so
of an arrangement will be pr
posed by which the allies viii e
gage to allow cotton to trav
- unmOlested 10 neutral countrl
= in quantities in proportion
u their normal consumption. Nh
the effect will be- on the Amerlc
cotton growers is the subject