Cheyenne record., 1916-06-01

tion Of ships p sercins Or induein,
pose of seizing their nails. or thereb,
such ships than thsy could exercise OF
the high seas; for there Is, in thu
opinion of the government Of the
sWeen esa s. shs seisure ho esa Of nails At sea @
which is announced as abondone4, and
4 their seizure from vessels voluntarily
S. .aitIsS an and port French pract,e.
amounts to an unwarranted limitatfon
Of the use by neutra1s of the worlds
highway for the transmission Of cor
lrespondence. The practice actually fol-
lowed by the allied powers must be
said to Justify the conclusion. there
fore. that the announcement Of Feb
ruary Is was merely notice that one
Illegal practice had been abandoned to
make place for the development of an
other. more onerous and vexattous m
character.
Hague R.se vistsssd-
"The present practice Is violation
not only Of the spirit Of the announce
it is concededly based. Aside from this.
it Is q violation Of the prior practice
of nations which Great Britain and her
allies have In the past assisted to es-
tablish and maintain.
The arbitrary methods employed BY
have resulted most disastrously to citi-
zens of the United States. Important
papers which can never be duplicated,
difficulty, such as United States pat
ents for inventions, rare documents,
legal papers relating to the settlement
surance claims, income tax returns and
similar matters. have been lost.
Delays in receiving shipping docu-
ments have caused great loss and In
livery of goods.
Business opportunities are lost by
failure to transmit property bids spect-
fications and contracts.
Msaey Order Lists skissanG.
Business correspondence. relating
to. legitimate and bona fide trade be-
tween neutral countries. correspond
ence of a personal nature. and also
money order lists and other matter
forwarded by government departments.
are detained, lost or possibly de-
mot only are American conmercial
interests injured. but rights, of prop
erty are violated, and the rules Of In
ternational law and custom are paip-
II can only add that this continuing
offense has led to such losses to
American citizens and to possible
repair them. that this government will
be compelled in the near future to
press claims for full reclamation upon
ernmeht and that q the French Re-
iyublie.
De4.sas - U,ss<s State. st..a.
'"The government Of tho United
States Is inclined to the opinion that
the class of mail matter which In
cludss stocks. bonds, coupons and sim.
the same nature as merchandise or
other articles of property and subject
to the same exercise Of belligerent
notes and other negotiable instru-
ments which may pass as the equiya-
lent Of money are, II !, considered also
Correspondence. including shipping
documents, money order lists ard pa
pers of that character, even though re-
iating to enemy supplies or exports"
property referred to. are. in the opin-
ion of this government, to be regard
ed as genuine correspondents" ana en-
titled to unmolested passage.
"The government of the United
States. in. view Of the improper meth;
ods employed BY the British and
P. passhs en- int 1ntea
States and other neutral countries and
between the United States and the en- !.
emies OF Great Britain can ne aonsef ef
the United States suffer and continue
to suffer through these methods
Rights Must BE 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 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
ernment of a 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 80 often proclaimed
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
mails from or 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-
ing to the United States its full rights
as a neutral power, will satisfy this
government.