The sun., 1916-10-15
BRITONS ANGRY
OVER POLICIES
OF U.S.IN WAR
Complaints Against Censor
and Blacklist Cause
Bad Feeling.
NECESSITY FORCES
SEIZURE OF MAILS
English Banker Denies
Theft of Trade Secrets
From Letters.
By JOHN l.. ~BALDERsTON.

CVpxTNVTty lyiu, W 'N"cp"Pef
Syndicate.
loypoN. Oct. l--Irritation against
va measures Of Great Britain which
Affect American trade and c~pntravene
line honored rights of neutrals is In
creasing In the United States, as well
Americans know and as | learned for
myself during a recent visit across the
Atlantic. III feeling toward the United
states exists in Great Britain. probably
more widespread than at any time since
the civil war. An attempt to analyze
n. relations between the two countries
rom the British point Of view may be
' therefore not without interest.
Asked since my return by puzsled Eng
i!shmen 10 explain the American grew
aace against them. | have summarized
Il something as follows
'Our people feel that you rave gone
beyond all bounds In your treatment Of
our mails. We grant your right to hold
up, censor. destroy. do what you will
with letters sent by us into or out Of
he United Kingdom. but We feel that
20 make use Of confidential business in
formation contained In our letters for the
purpose OF renalizing the writer's Is an
'ntolerab'e abuse OF the spirit OF the in
'erratioral postal agreements. whether
or not IL is Illegal.
Your Government has admitted in
Parliament that this course Is followed.
1t Is then lit lie wonder 4! thousands Of
Americans believe the German reports
'hst you pass on trade secrets con-
cerned in our letters to British firms To
enable them to get business. All
his, however, is unimportant compared
~ your seizure Of our mails from neutral
Ships bound 10 neutral countries in our
own mail bags. When you do this YOU
infringe International law beyond a
doubt.
Rules Too Stringent.
" are at peace with Germany, and
yt, your censorship will not permit us
10 send money tn Germany by post in
'.rutral ships which would never come
\ within British waters II they were not
. brought in by cruisers or forced in by
mine fields. Even the interchange of
opinion between Germany and ourselves
= forbidden. since you seize all Ger
nan newspapers and magazines intended
Tor US, whatever their nature.
As for the blockade. we feel that the
~as are primarily intended for peace
,ul countries going about their ordinary
business. and that have no right
% interfere with our normal trade with
neutral European countries carried In
SHIPS which would not enter British
waters at all II you did not fetch them
and detain them.
That some OF u exports to Holland
and Scandinavia would leak through to
Trmany is undoubtedly true. but that
Is not our fault, We only ask you to
pay the game according to the rules.
and the rules forbid you to blockade
Neutral countries. You are not entitled
because you are at war with Germany
and desire to injure her to take meas
ures which injure harmless outsiders
a the san time"
Surprise TO EnGlishmen.
This line Of argument astounds and
argers Engl.shmen. The studied cour-
'esy AMI moderation OF the British For
eisn Office In answering American COM
plants does not reflect the sentiment of
me pubic, England IL as,onished at her
" moderation whenever she thinks
~ the censorship OF the blockade. In
ne past two days have discussed
American relations with a noted peer.
a great banker. a leading Tory editor
ana several other representative Britons,
Their views s~ubstantiaily agreed.
We are nghting for our existence
me banker said. land in such a struggle
us ours n~eutra!s must expect to suffer
70 some extent. We try TO minimize the
oss and inconvenience TO your people
~ 'tr az is consistent With u own
Wal interests, and | think the majority
m The public thinks our Government
has already one too far In its anxiety
70 meet your wishes.
u cannot understand how intelligent
Am"r.cans can argue with a straight
.aoe mat We have no right In This new
hlhd o' war TO introduce new precedent'
'h'o International law. In her civt, wal
america d'l what she found necessary
20 trangle the South. and most OF oul
blockade procedure In carried on under
var
The doctrine OF continuous yoyag,
uNoer which most OF our seizures ar
,,naoe we owe 10 America, but II woult
80 cant not 10 admit that II Americs
Isd nor invented II In the sos we should
40" Done 80 now. This one precedent
ump'ete!y demol!shes your argument
nat American traders have q right Il
ZERO goods TO neutral countries border
'ns Germany regardless OF their ultimat,
iestnatlon.
Change IN Warfare.
Al for the mail censorship. We ar,
.''npelled TO adopt new restrictions Il
meet The changing conditions Of warfar,
:" caused by the methods Of our enc
mes Early in the war We did not cen
tor the American malls At all. Suci
."ps as %e have taken have been forced
uIoh w by German intrigue. We cannot
pefm't your country TO be made tn,
tehtre OF plots against our control II
iIeland and India. AZ was done for man,
."on'hs through the German post. No
AN we allow enemy agents here and II
m'herica to correspond, and It was, 4
prevent this that our censorship OF TIT
| winter.
But so vast Is that mail and q
: many The ways OF evading censorshiI
ma. We could not stop everything Of
rost'e Intent, and the extension o.
~ censorship TO German mails between
"utrsi countries and America ant
s'e versa gives us two chances instead
one OF catching communication
~snsm'tted from England to Germany
me other way via the United states
= German trtcA Of ssnling eoatsa
materials II great esaatltae'