Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-26
Former Maine Mans Protest.

January 23d, 1915.
| Hon. Charles F. Johnson,
| United States Senate,
| Washington, d. {.
| Dear Senator Johnson
From old time personal relations with
you / am convinced OF the sincerity of
| your patriotism, and of the depth of
! your desire for peace for our nation. l
believe all Americans. irrespective of
politics, share these feelings. and that
! they rise above partisanship. For these
reasons / venture to call your attention
to certain non-partisan, patriotic aspects
| OF the present Situation-more particu-
larry IN regard to the Ship Purchase Bill
and proposed limitations upon our neu-
trality.
| AS Democrat you might well consider
| the Governments entrance into the
sonian and repugnant to the traditions of
your party, but there may we'll be big
ger and more vital arguments against it
than party traditions.
Let US imagine that the Government of
| these United States should begin operat-
ing merchant vessels. Government Off
Gals and admiralty lawyers might recog-
nize these ships as still merchantmen.
! public they would be Government YES
sells. Engaging in private trade they
should be amenabla to the laws of war.
| We saved our nation in 1S60-5 by an ex-
| tension Of the principles OF naval block
! ade that challenged the world, but which
| finally established precedents now accept
ed. 1t was our great contribution to inter-
national law; and was it not the logical
| FAINT nation. When we refused tribute to
the Barbary pirates and broke their
power? One of these purchased mer-
chantmen, which it is proposed to oper-
! ate by the Government. might be con-
sidered to carry contraband, and a for
eign war vessel might seize her, taking
her into port for adjudication by the
| prize courts Of the captor's country-as
we have taken hundreds Of vessels in our
own history. Government officials and
admiralty lawyers would know that the
people there would be but one aspect-a
Government vessel had been taken by a
foreign man-of-war.
| President Wilson and the leaders Of all
release of the ship and the abject apollo
gy would hardly appease the public up
roar. Yet we could not expect such ac-
tion-in the Trent affair 1t strained the
pie to make amends when We were in
the wrong. No foreign government
could so surrender, merely to appease
our people, when that government was
Furthermore, for nations at war to
concede the unchallenged freedom of the
seas to merchantmen. operated by this
or not would be to Wa,s
for which we ourselves have been ready
to fight 1t would be asking them to let
us serve their foes without penalty or
risk.
In other words. is it not fair to say
that the proposal to have the Govern
ment purchase and operate merchantmen
Is more than a question of the Govern
ment's going into private business-is it
not a question of whether the Govern
ment shall deliberately incur the risk of
war? Do We want war? Should We take
SO great a risk?
This leads to a consideration Of our at
titude in this present great war. so much
lamented. America has always stood for
the right Of neutral to sell contraband
| to belligerents. We fought for this right
In 1893 AGAINST our friend. France. in be-