The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-06-09
BRYAN URGES
PACIFIC ATTITUDE
Secretary Bryan Urges a More Con.
ciliatory Attitude For The
United States.

fore tomorrow at the earliest. The
best information obtainable is that
it is still at the White House and that
the president is engaged in putting
the finishing touches on it.
Secretary Bryan, it is understood,
has been working hard to persuade
the president not to go to the lengths
in his note suggested by other men,
bers of the cabinet and to leave an
opening for further negotiations with
Germany.
New Phase to Negotiations.
A consideration of Importance
which it is understood will not affect
the note which is about to be sent,
but may have bearing on the nego-
tiations that are almost certain to
follow, has developed within the last
IL hours.
This came with the realization
that when the question of peace be-
tween the belligerents in the Euro
pean war is taken up, Germany's
principal demand will be one on
which the United States will be in
complete accord with her and which
this government will be just as inter-
ested in bringing about. This is
the freedom of the seas for the lack
of which the United States now has
several issues pending with Great
Britain.
The fact that the day will come
when the two governments will be
interested in obtaining the same
guarantees is suggested as an impor-
tant reason why break between the
United States and Germany should
not be permitted to occur. Authori-
tative information already obtained
is that the United States is on friend
ly terms with all the belligerents and
will be called on within three months
to sound out all concerned on the
subject of peace.
Freedom of Seas Question.
Officials of the state department
have admitted their opinion that the
question of freedom of the seas will
be one of the principal questions
when the discussion of peace begins.
It is significant that at the second
Hague conference the United States
made an effort to obtain assurances
of freedom of the seas for private
property, which is long step to-
wards freedom of the seas in its
broadest sense. This is advanced
in spite of the belief that the United
States and Germany will have the
same object in common when the
time comes for a settlement of &C.
counts.
When the effort was made at The
Hague, England declined to consider
the suggestion that an arrangement
of this kind would be a direct step
toward the limitation of armament
and the reduction of the military
strength and expenses of all the pow
ers. This would develop, primarily,
it is stated, because the establishment
of the freedom of the seas would re-
move automatically the main cause of
friction between most of the powers,
and particularly Germany and
France.
1t is pointed out also that the pres
ent war has shown that navies are of
little value except as commerce de-
stroyers and with the guarantee of
safety to commerce that would be
given in an agreement of freedom of
the seas, the destruction of merchant
men would come to an end and the
warships would have nothing to do.
The German view is that the de-
velopment of the submarine has
made it possible for any country to
protect itself against hostile fleet
without a navy. The submarines
also have made it impossible for one
nation to maintain a legitimate
blockade against another. All of
these things, from the German stand
point, warrant the belief that the
time is ripe for the establishment of
the freedom of the seas, for which
she has so long contended.