The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-10
GERMANY CHARGES US. HAS ACQU|ESCED ID ORDER IN COUNCIL
Sends Note of Complaint to Washington Claiming U. $. Attitude Is Not in Accord
 With Strict Neutrality

Wnshing gtOn. April 9.--Germany has pIafning that the latter has nccon- pIished nothing In its diplomatic cor respondence with the allies to obtain for American exporters the right Co ship foodstuffs to the civilian populn- tion of n beIIigerent country. The com municstion intimates also that the tDi ted states has virtually acquiesced In the British order in council prohibiting commerce with Germany.
 In view of these considerable Ger many calls attention to the fact that the allies daily are obtaining large shipments of arms and ammunition from dealers in the United States and declares the American government while insisting on it's legal right to ship arms to belligerents. does not with equal energy pursue its right Co ship foodstuffs and noncontraband ar ticles to the civilian population of Ger many.
 The note urges that irrespective of
 
 shipping arms to belligercnts the spir- it of neutrality should be observed In support of this contention, quota tion is cited from President Wilson's address to Congress on Mexican affairs in August 1913. when he Said:
 q shall follow the best practice of nations in the matter of neutrality by forbidding the exportation of arms or munitions of war of any kind from the United States to any part of the republic of Mexico-a policy suggested by several interesting precedents and certainly dictated by many manifest considerations of practical expedicncy. We cannot in the circumstances be partisans of either party to the contest that now distracts Mexico, or consti- tute ourselves virtual umpire between them .+-.f
 Prepare Reply
 Officials of the state department have begun the preparation of d reply. The complaint that neutral countries had submitted to the Influence of the allies in connection with the right to ship conditional contraband has been made before by Germany in her dip lomatic notes-this being cited by the German foreign office as one of the reasons for proclaining submarine war zone of the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland. The United States denied in its reply then that it had been silent on the question, and called attention to it's diplomatic notes to Great Britain dealing with these subjects.
 It is understood that the reply to the present complaint will deny vigorously that this government has acquiesced 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 at length in opposition to the viewpoint of the allies on the 1 blockade question.
 As for utterances of the President on the shipment of arms into Mexico, of | sicials here hold that the Mexican sit uation constitutes a special case, in no way comparable with the relations between the United States and the European belligerents. Officials | pointed out that the President said in I the same address to Congress: Following Duty
 "I deem it my duty to exercise the authority conferred upon me by the | law of March A. 1912, to see tosit that neither side to tine struggle now going | on in Mexico receive any assistance | from this side of the border" There is no law by which the Presi- dent of the United States. it was de-
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