New Britain herald., 1915-07-17
OUR COMMERCE.

l ambassador. took it upon himself t ! suggest to Secretary of State Lansing yesterday that the United States asf Great Britain to lift the embargo or 1 supplies for Germany in order thai the submarine warfare on merchant 1 ships be abolished. sH | Anything that would bring about . l discontinuance of the slaughter main tained by submarines would be wei comed at this date; but Count Von
 Bernstorff's suggestion cannot be con sidered now. It was tried once, and it failed. This Government previous
 ly made the same suggestion to Great
 Britain and there has been no re.
 sponse.
 While the United States cannot
 shape the policy of Great Britain re-
 garding it's blockade of Germany, nor
 can it dictate to Germany what it
 shall do regarding Great Britain $
 interests Tn the war zone, still the
 United States can, and must, insist
 upon it's rights being protected on the high seas. And to show that tnls will be done, Secretary of State Lans~ ing yesterday served notice on Great Britain that the rights of Americans having cases before British Prize courts rest upon international Law and not upon various Orders-in- -Coun- 2 al sor Ion.I I3rifich I 1a WIS
 Secretary Lansing has given it to be understood that the communica ton of yesterday was in no manner part Or parcel of the general note which will be sent to Great Britain later, relating to contraband and in terference with American commence on the high seas.
 Count Von Bernstorff should take profound interest in this latest action of the State Department. While not being in direct line with his ,sugges- ton, it may pave the way for removal of the British blockade on foodstuffs bound to Germany. There have been many cases where goods bound for neutral ports have been held up, some times non-contraband goods, in or der to prevent them from ultimately reaching Germany It-- -,.- s
 The United States is a neutral na- tion and vents to remain 50, in 8wor ,l and deed. Our people want peace for themselves and peace for the world, Only when our rights have been tranlpled upon have we mur- mured,, and Great Britain and Ger many have both been guilty of this
 We have a problem to solve with Great Britain as we'll as one with Germany.
 5 It is to be hoped that the negotia tions now proceeding between our government and the government of Germany will result in the recognl ton and naaintainance of every right the Unitsd States possesses as free and independent nation.
 Our flag apd our citizens are en- titled to the fullest freedom of ths seas and no nation can gainsay this right. s
 Great Britain has undertaken to cut the throat of our commerce She has held up our vessels bound from one neutral port to another, against all rules of international law Our commerce must have the freedom of the seas. Not only the United States but every neutral nation in the world is interested in this contention. And the United States as the leading neu- tral of the world. must secure from Great Britain and her Allies full recognition of the right of our peo- pie to traverse the high seas without interruption when bound from the United States to any neutral port
 By seizing our ships carrying meat, four, lard and farm products not on the contraband list bound from ono neutral port to another, Great Britain has made a fearful blow at our trade with such nations as Denmark, Nor way and Sweden, all indepedent na- tions and neutral.
 This has got to stop, if the United States has to send battleship con voy with every squadron of merchant 3 men that leaves the ports of this country. bound for neutral destina- tions.