Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-04

tries. Great Britain declines to
which originate in Germany or ter
Reply in Two Notes.
| Great Britains reply embodied IN
two notes, one supplemental was
made public here last night ana IN
London simultaneously by agreement
between the two governments. WIN
the notes was made public also the
CORRESPONDENCE over the AMI ;tiah
steamer Neches, seized by Ihe P 81 tha
while en- route from ROTTERDAM " .ne
United States with goods OF perLl 'a
origin. All the correspondence ass
gates 1000 words. ,. 70 tho
The supplemental note is rep.S ~ the
| American cayeat giving notice tnat .ne
| United states would not recognize tne
orders in council in lieu OF lnternaI ,.a
| law and defends prize court proceeulhe =.
| The United States is invited, no"eNei' ~
submit to arbitration any prize eo"i' "e
cision it holds unjust. -
| In the case of the steamer Neches' oe-
tanned under the orders in council, the
note justf1es British stoppage OF con,-
merce from Germany and German coh-
| trolled territory on the ground that Ger
many has violated international law IN
her war on British and neutral COM
MERGE
| An answer to the British notes shortly
will be forthcoming, data Tor Wnlch mas
been in course of preparation for some
| time.
Changed War Conditions the Plea.
Changed conditions of warfare, the
British note contends, require new
application of the principles of inter-
national law. The advent of the sub
marine, the airship, the alleged
n
are cited as justification for the exer-
else of extreme measures. The block
AIDE is justified on the contention that
| the universally recognized 1unqa-
mental principle of a blockade Is that
belligerent is entitled to cut OH
"by effectiye means the sea-borne COM
merce of his enemy
The note reiterates that Great Brit
ain will continue to apply the orders
complained of, although not Wltnout
tneutrals, and observes that the Ameri-
can statistics show that any loss IN
trade with Germany and austria mas
been more than overbalanced by the IN
| crease of other Industrial activities uue
| to the war.
In the general reply to the American
| representations against the orders IN
council, Sir Edward Grey, the foreign
minister, addressing Ambassador rage,
begins by expressing the hope that ne
may be able to convince the admins
tration in Washington that the meas
ures we have announced are not oIiy
reasonable and necessary IN themselves
but constitute no more than an adapta-
ton of the old principles of blockade to
the peculiar circumstances with which
we are confronted.
| Alleges German Atrocities.
| st need scarcely dwell" wrote Sir Ed
ward, ION the obligations incumbent
upon the allies to take every step in
their power to overcome their common
enemy in view of the shocking violation
of the recognized rules and principles OF
civilized warfare, of which he has been
guilty during the present struggle.
| Sir Edward then refers to atrocities
| in Belgium, poisoning of wells in Ger
| man Southwest Africa, use of poisonous
| gases against the allied troops In
| Flanders and finally the sinking of the
it is that we should leave unused no
| justif1able method of defending our
| selves
| Coming down to the question of the
| allied blockade of neutral ports, the
| note continues:
"In the various notes which l have
received from your excellency the
| right of a belligerent to establish a
| blockade of the enemy ports is admit
| ted-a right which has obviously no
| value save in so far as it gives power to
| u belligerent to cut off the sea-borne
exports and imports Of his enemy. The
| contention which l understand the
| United States government now puts
! forward is that if a belligerent is so
! circumstanced that his commerce can
pass through adjacent neutral ports as
| easily through ports in his own ter
| ritory his opponent has no right to in
| terfere and must restrict his measures
! of blockade in such a manner as to
| leave such avenues of commerce still
| open to his adversary. This is con-
| tention which his maJeStyS government
| feel unable to accept and which seems
| to them unsustainable either in point
| of law or upon principles of interna-
| tional equity.
| "They are unable to admit that bel
| ligerent violates any fundamental prin-
| ciple of international law by applying
| a blockade in such way a s to cut off
| the enemy's commerce with foreign
| countries through neutral ports, if the
| circumstances render such an applica-
| ton of the principles of blockade the
only means of making it effective. The
| government of the United States, in
deed, intimates it's readiness to take
into account the great changes which
| have occurred in the conditions and
| means of naval warfare since the rules
hitherto governing legal blockade We're
| Formulated and recognizes that the
| form of close blockade with its Gordon
| of ships in the immediate offing of the
| blockaded ports is no longer practicable
| in the face OF an enemy possessing the
| means and opportunity to make an eff
fective defense by the use Of subma-
| rines, mines and aircraft
| Conforms to War Usage.
| 1.-The only question. then, which can
arise in regard to the measures re-
! sorted to for the purpose of carrying
| out a blockade upon these extended
! lines is whether. to use your excel
! lencyHs words, they conform to the
spirit and principles of the essence of
| the rules of war and we shall be con-
| tent to apply this test to the action
which we have taken in so far as it has
necassitated interference with neutral
! commerce"
| Sir Edward Grey then refers to the
American civil war blockade of 5000
miles of coast with a small number of
vessels. and recalls how the United
States finally took recourse to block
| aiding "neighboring neutral territory
which afforded convenient centers from
| which contraband could be introduced
| into Confederate territory and from
which blockade running could be IA
| cilitated."
member" wrote Sir Edward, show, in
order to meet this new difficulty the
| old principles relating to contraband
| and blockade were developed and the
| doctrine of continuous voyage was ap-
piled and enforced. under which goods
| destined for the enemy territory were
| intercepted before they reached the