Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-20

principles of law which have been the re-
suits of a century of struggle has been
avoided, and have made 1t clear that
while this Government does not ask for any
special favors from any of the belligerents.
IL docs stand as a defender Of that spirit of
the legality upon which our Western civil
ization rests,
The Results of Our Policy
1t should not cause us the slightest con-
Germ that the position taken by the United
States Government should make us unpopu-
lar with all the contending parties. This is
the penalty which always attaches to by
ISLANDERS who refuse TO throw their influence
with one or the other party in llfe-and-
death struggle. There Is a tendency, how
ever, not only In Germany, but particularly
in Great Britain, to interpret the attitude
OF the United States dictated by purely
sordid motives-the attempt to preserve the
interests of American commerce by MAIN
tanning as far as possible, our trade rela-
tions with all the countries that are parties
to the present conflict.
This represents a purely superficial view
of the situation. AS n matter of fact, in
preserving the rights of neutrals we are at
the same time performing a great service to
humanity Had we supinely acquiesced in
the German decree and in the
dangerous and uncertain policy formulated
in the British order in council would
on the one hand, have asquiesced in per-
mlttlng the open to be made the scene
of the wanton destruction of human life,
and, on the other, would have condemned
great non -combatant population of innocent
women and chiIdrento untold hardship, If not
actual starvation. The net result of
policy has been twofold. First, although
Germany has not changed the wording of
her decree, she has fundamen-
tally modified its actual enforcement,
that the dangers which threatened neutral
commerce have been greatly diminished
Secondly, in response to the demand of
powerful neutral, Great Britain has been
compelled to come into the open and clearly
state that 1t is her intention, in conjunction
with her Allies, to establish blockade.
The "Radus of Action"
It is true that If the Allies are able to
make such a blockade effective we have no
choice but to acquiesce not only in the in
jury to our commerce but to the hardship
which such a blockade will infict the
non-Combatant German population But 1t
still remains duty to to it that the
blockade is made effective and is not merely
a paper instrument The Government of the
United States has acquiesced in the neces-
sity of some modification of the rules with
reference to blockade, owing to the impor-
tant Part played by submarines in the pres
ent war, but our definite demand that a
radius of action" be defined has had the
immediate effect of confning the operation
of this blockade to European waters, and
thus free our American waters from its
effects. To the uninitiated this may not
seem a great gain, but there is no doubt that
the historian of this war will record it
one of the real triumphs of American diplo-
macy.
On one important point there is consider
able doubt as to the position assumed by
the Allies, IT, as stated in the communica-
ton of Great Britain, the status established
Is that of BLOCKADE" the principles of in
ternatIonal law will not permit the Allies
to prevent access to the neutral ports OF Eu-
rope such as those of Holland, Denmark,
Sweden or Norway. The alertness shown
by Government in the matter of defend
ing neutral rights and the high plane upon
which the discussion has been held, makes
it quite certain that this important phase
of the situation will receive the immediate
attention of the State Department.
Preventing Barbaric Practices
In short, the position taken by the Gov
ernment of the United States with reference
to neutral rights has brought our diplomacy
into line with the best traditions of Ameri-
can foreign policy. We are today doing for
humanity the same service that we per-
formed at the beginning of the 18th century,
when the ruthless Napoleonic struggle
threatened to destroy every principle Of
order and justice in international relations.
Now, as then. in protecting neutral rights
we are at the same time softening the rigors
of war, and above all We are preventing
recurrence to the barbaric practices Of the
10th and 17th centuries.
The next step in the development of clear
and definite principles OF neutrality is to ex-
tend their radius of action, so that we will
be speaking not only for ourselves but will
Join with our sister republics of the Ameri-
can continent in expressing the united senti-
ment of the 2l republics of the Western
Hemisphere
The Pan-American Principle
Such action on our part win serve two
fold purpose. 1t win be an assurance TO the
countries of Central and South America that
in this matter of neutral rights we have
raised our policy to the dignity OF Pan
American principle Nothing we can do at