Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-06-02

t,on Of ships BY forcing or inducing
obtain greater belliserent rights as to
such ships than thsy could exercise on
epinios Of the -ot goVernment Of the
United States. no legal distinction be-
tween the seizure of mails at sea;
which is announced as abandoned. and
their seizure from vessels voluntarily
or ..r. lnvoipntarily nI,,,y in p.,. port ,..,,,,.
| amounts to an unwarranted Limitation
of the use by neutrals of the worlds
highway for the transmission Of cor
lowed by the allied powers must be
| said to Justify the conclusion, there
| fore. that the announcement of Feb
Illegal practice had been abandoned to
| make place for the development of an
other, more onerous and vexatious In
character.
Hague Rule Violated.
1.-THE present practice is n violation
not only of the spirit of the announce
| ment of February 15, but of the rule
of The Hague Convention, upon which
it is concededly based. Aside from this.
of nations which Great Britain and her
allies have in the past assisted to es-
tablish and maintain.
| THE arbitrary methods employed by
| the British and French governments
have resulted most disastrously to citi-
zens of the United States. Important
papers which can never be duplicated.
or can be duplicated only with great
| difficulty, such as United states pat
| legal papers relating to the settlement
of estates. powers of attorney. fire In
surance claims. income tax returns and
| similar matters, have been lost.
| Delays in receiving shipping docu-
] ments have caused great loss and in
convenience by preventing prompt de-
| livery of goods.
Business opportunities are lost by
| failure to transmit properly bids. speci-
fications and contracts.
| Money Order iist. Missing.
| Business correspondence. relating
to Legitimate and bona fide trade be-
tween neutral countries, correspond
ence of personal nature. and also
certain official correspondence such as
| money order lists and other matter
forwarded by government departments
are detained, lost or possibly de-
Not only are American commercial
interests injured. but rights of prop
erty are violated, and the rules of in
ternational law and custom are palp-
offense has led to susS losses 70
responsibility of the United States t.
repair them. that this government will
be compelled in the near future to
the attention of His Majesty's gov
crnment and that of the French Re-
TubIic.
Details Of United States Stand.
THE government of the United
States Is Inclined to the opinion that
ciudes stocks. bonds, coupons and sim
liar securities is to be regarded as of
the same nature as merchandise or
% to the S same exercise * ie'f of % bellige9ent
rights. Money orders. checks. drafts,
notes and other negotiable instru-
lent % Of none money are are, Il TITS is considered, CO. also
to be classed as merchandise.
Correspondence. including shipping
pers of that character, even though re-
lating TO enemy supplies or exports"
unless carried on the same ship as the
lon Of this government, to be regard
ed as genuine correspondence and en-
| titled to unmolested passage.
The gcysrnment IT, Of ,f,,theo the United dts
DDS employed by the British and
French authorities in interrnpting
a states and passf otfer neutral eoun,rles asd
between the United States and the en- :.
emies of Great Britain. can no longe:
the United States suffer and continue
to suffer through these methods
Rights Must he Observed.
ITO submit to a lawless practice of
this character would open the door to
repeated violations OF International
law by the belligerent powers on the
ground of military necessity. of which
the violator would be the sole judge
Manifestly a neutral nation cannot
permit its rights on the high seas to
be determined by belligerents or the
| exercise OF these rights to be permit
ted or denied arbitrarily by the gov
| crnment of warning nation.
| "The rights of neutrals are as sa-
cred as the rights of belligerents and
must be as strictly observed.
| THE government of the United
States, confident in the regard for in
| ternational law and the rights of neu-
trails. which the British and French
| governments have so often procla imed
| and the disregard Of which they have
urged as vigorously against their en-
emies in the present war. expects the
present practice of the British and
French authorities in the treatment OF
| malls from to the United States to
| cease. and belligerent rights. as ex-
ercised, to conform to the principle
governing the passage of mail matter
and to the recognized practice OF ma
| tions.
| only a radical change in the pres
ent British and French policy: restor-