Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-08-07
STATE DEPARTMENT 10 AGAINST
PECULIAR SITUATION IN
DIPLOMACY.
CONTROVERSY WITH ENGLAND
TO DRAG TO END OF WAR
Great 6ritain's Attitude Toward Nsu.
trail Shipping Upheld by Attitude
of United States During Civil War
To be Much Talk and Many Threats
in Next Congress-.
Especial correspondence

! Washington, Aug. THE replies of
Great Britain to the American repre-
sensations against various steps of in
reference on the part of England and
her allies with neutral commerce have
raised vast amount of discussion as
to what this nation is going to do
about it.
/ Not only has discussion been raised
but there is every reason to believe it
will be kept up. In the next session
of congress much will be heard of the
course Of England and her allies and
many will be the demands for retalia-
! ton or for some effective action TO
compel regard for American rights.
Naturally, those who are of pro-Ger-
man sympathies Will omit not hing to
! convince the country that the course
of England is grave wrong to the
United States and that the government
/! of Washington should proceed just as
vigorously toward England as it has
toward Germany in the Lusitania case.
General Embargo Demanded.
One Of the demands will be for an
embargo of shipments to England. De-
mand will no doubt be made in con-
! SIeSS lOE d general eNlUdrSO ana lOr
an embargo on munitions.
In the last congress. good deal was
heard on the embargo proposition.
Some wanted general embargo and
others wanted an embargo on NUM-
tons. 1t was freely stated that the
only way In which England and her
the rights of American shipping and
g 81
some sort or thru the threat Of an
embargo.
Moreover. the movement to get this
government TO embargo all shipments
Of arms and munitions to belIigerents
promises to be stronger in the next ses-
sion of congress than in the last SEES
sion
Controversy to Be Indefinite.
But as q practical fact, the indica-
lions are that the controversy with
England will run along indefinitely
thru the entire war-without definite
adjustment This country will insist on
what 1t asserts to be its rights. Eng
land will insist on what are alleged to
be her rights. More OF less feeling will
be stirred, but there Is nothing really
to indicate either that there Will bean
embargo or breach OF relations.
For this there are two big reasons In
addition to others. One of them is that
the United States Is finding In Eng
land and the allies customers of huge
proportions. The trade thus brought
about Is not going to he thrown away.
This was indicated by Secretary
Redfeld recently when asked about an
embargo on goods destined for Eng
land.
What. cut ourselves off from our
best customer" queried the secretary
in reply 1T is absurd"
Precedent Favors England.
The second reason is that the prece-
dents established by this country in
the civil war, in the blockade of the
confederacy, are arising now to sup
port England to a large extent. Eng
land at that time accepted the doc
trine of the continuous voyage. I'm
der that doctrine, in its efforts to shut
off goods from the confederacy, this
government stopped shipments des-
tined for the south when they were
sent ostensibly to an intermediate neu-
trail port but were intended to be sent
on to the confederacy. The Peterhof
case wherein q cargo sent to Matamo-
ras, Mexico. was seized by the United
states government, Is In point. This
government proceeded on the idea that
the goods were really intended to be
sent from Matamoras over the line into
Texas Consequently, while they were
en- route from one neutral port-Lon-
don-to another neutral port-Matamo-
raS-they were seized. England ac-
ceded that this country was within it's
rights Now, the United States Is not
in position to protest with very much
effect when England does about the
same thing done by US In the Mata-
moras case.
State department officials perceive
that they are up against this govern
ment's own precedents and that they
will have difficulty budging England
from her position under the circum-
stances.
It can be argued with force that
while England has blockaded the ap-
proach to Germany via the English
channel and the North sea, it has not
blockaded the Baltic route to Germany.
As legal proposition, this government
can make strong contention to this
effect. But it may be doubted whether
England will recede even so far as this
phase Of the matter Is concerned.
okuMA MAY RETAIN OFFICE.