Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-08-07
BR|TA|N'S REPLY To
AMERICAN NOTE
ENGLiSHMEN DECLARE THAT
THE CONTENTION OF THE v.
s. 10 uNSusTAiNAHLE.
Changed Conditions OF Warfare, the
Note Contends, Requires q New
Application Of the Principles Of
international Law

Washington. Britains re-
plies to the latest American represen.
tations against interference with neu.
tral commerce reject entirely the con.
tention that the orders In council are
illegal and justify the British course
as being wholly within international
aw.
'unsustainable either In point OF
law or upon principles OF international
equity" Is the British reply to the
American protest against the block.
ade of neutral ports, with an invita-.
tion to submit to international arbi-
tration any cases In which the United
States Is dissatisfied with the action
of British prize courts.
Great Britain's reply, embodied In
two notes, one supplemental, WAS
made public here and In London sim
ultaneously, on August 8, by agree
ment between the two governments.
With the notes was made public also
Ihe correspondence over the Ameri-
can steamer Neches, seized by the
British while en- route from Rotter-
dam to the United States with goods
OF German origin All the correspond.
ence aggregates 1000 words.
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 and the alleged
atrocities by German troops In Bel.
gium are cited as justification for the
exercise of extreme measures. The
blockade Is justified ON the contention
that the universally.recognized funda.
mental principle OF blockade Is that
belligerent is entitled to cut of by
effective means the sea-borne com.
merce of the enemy"
The note reiterates that Great BRIT.
ain will continue TO apply she orders
complained of, although fss without
every effort to avoid embarrassment
to neutrals, and observes that the
American statistics show that any
loss in trade with Germany and Aus.
tria has been more than overbalanced
by the increase of other Industrial
activities due to the war.
In the general reply to the Ameri.
can representations against the orders
In council Sir Edward Grey. the for.
eign minister addressing Ambassador
Page, begins by expressing the hope
that he may be able to convince tha
administration at Washington that
the measures we have announced are
not only reasonable and necessary In
themselves. but constitute no more
than an adaptation OF the old prin-
ciples Of blockade to the peculiar cir.
cumstances with which we are con-
fronted."
Il need scarcely DWELL" wrote Sir
Edward, ON the obligations incum-
bent upon the allies to take every
step In their power to overcome their
common enemy in view OF the shock
ing violations Of the recognized rules
and principles of civilized warfare of
which he has been guilty during the
present struggle"
Sir Edward then refers to atroci-
ties In Belgium, poisoning OF wells In
German Southwest Africa, use OF
poisonous gases against the allied
troops in Flanders, and finally the
sinking OF the Lusitania, to show
how indispensable 1t is that we should
leave unused no justifiable method of
defending ourselves"