The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-04-10
GERMANY SAYS WE
ASSIST ENEMIES
OF FATHERLAND
Have Not Opened Way For Food
Shipments 10 Civilians
SALES OF ARMS CONTINUE
Note to State Department Complains
of Discrimination in Favor of
Allies.

Washington. April 9-Germapy
has sent note TO the United States
Government complaining that Ameri-
ca has accomplished nothing in its dip
omatic correspondence with the Al
lies to obtain for American exporters
the right to ship foodstuffs to the
civilian population OF a belligerent
country, The communication also IN
Inmates that the United States has
virtually acquiesced in the British or
der in council prohibiting commerce
with Germany
In veiw of these considerations, TIE
German Government then calls atter
tion 10 the fact that the Allies are o.
tanning every day large shipments OF
arms and ammunition from dealers IN
the United States, and declares t,at
the American Government. While in
sisting on its legal right to stop AIMS
to belligerents, does not with equal
energy pursue its right to ship food
stuifs and non-contfaband articles 10
the civilian population of Germany.
The note urges that irrespective OF
the formal aspects of the question Of
shipping arms to belligerents, the
spirit of neutrality should be Oh
served. In support of this contention
n quotation is cited from President
Wilson's address to Congress on MeXi
can affairs in August, 1918, when he
said
q shall follow the best practice Of
nations in the matter OF neutrality by
forbiddng the expectation Of arms or
munitions of war of any kind from
the United States to any part Of the
Republic of Mexico--a policy suggest
ed by several interesting precedonts
and certainly dictated by many mani
fest considerations of practical expedi
ency. We cannot in the circnmstanc-
es be partisans of either party to the
contest that now distracts Mexico,
nor constitutes ourselves the virtual
umpire between them
Officials of the State Department.
have begun the preparation of a re
Ply, which soon will be delivered to
Count Won Bernstorff, the Germai;
ambassador here. The complaint that
neutral countries had submitted TO he
influence of the Allies. in connection
with the right to ship conditional
and foodstuffs to the civil
ian population of a belligerent, nas
been made before by Germany in her
diplomatic notes-this being citeo by
the German Foreign Office as one of
the reasons for proclaiming subma-
rine war zone of the waters surrouHd
ing Great Britain and ireland. The
United States denied in its reply then
that il had been silent on the question
and called attention TO its diploma
tic notes to Great Britain dealing
with these subjects.
1t is understood that the reply 20
the present complaint will deny Wig
orously that this Government has ac
quiesced in any way to the order in
council, and probably will refer to
the last note sent by the United
States to Great Britain. arguing a,
length its opposition to the viewpoint
of the Allies on the blockade ques
ton
As for the utterances of the Prcsi
dent on the shipment of arms into
Mexico officials here hold that the
Mexican situation constitutes a spec
ial case, in no way comparable with
the relations between the United
States and the European belligerents