The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1916-06-01
STOP SElzIMe MAIL
= q NOTIFIES ORIYAiN AND
NAAcE IN VIGOROUS NOTE.
elo3sees Practice" ea Soao ~oSe
lo~ser Can De Teiersted." aAA
Allies Are Warned . Change
Policy.
Weston Newspaper Union New. Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Washington. May eo.-The text of
the communication addressed TO the
British and French ambassadors. TO
whom it was delivered Wednesday,. in
part follows:
Department of State. Washington.
May "a. lyl6.-ExceIle 4 have the
honOr to acknowledge receipt of your
exceiiencys note of April last. trans
mittlng memorandum dated February
Is. 1916, and communicated in sub
stance To the American ambassador in
London on February 2sth. in which are
stated the contentious of the British
and French governments in regard I"
the right to detain and examine par
Gel and letter mails EN- route by sea
between the United States and Eu-
rope.
After discussion of the use of the
mails for the transmission of parcels
and of the limitations to be placed on
'inviolable, the joint memorandum oi
February l5 closes with the following
assertions.
Il. That from the standpoint of the
right OF visitation and eventual arrest
and seizure, merchandise shipped in
post parcels needs not and shall not be
treated otherwise than merchandise
shipped in any other manner.
-. That the inviolability of postal
corresponding stipulated by the elev-
entn convention OF Inc hague OF l9".
does not In any way affect the right of
the allied governments to visit and, If
occasion ARISE. arrest and seize mer
chandise hidden in The wrappers, ~
velOpes or letters contained in the mail
bags ----
and respectful of genuine correspond
ence the allied governments will re-
fratn for the present. on the high seas.
from seiZine and confiscating such cor
respondence. letters or dispatches ana
will insure their speediest possible
transmission, as soon as the sincerity
of their character shall have been AS
certained."
Allies Costeation Rejected.
IN reply the government OF the
United States desires to state that 1t
does not consider that the postal union
convention Of 1906 necessarily applies
to the Interference by the British and
French governments with the oversea
transportation Of mails of which the
government of the United States com
plains.
"Furthermorc, the allied powers ap-
pear to have overlooked the admission
of the government of the United States
that post parcels may be treated as
merchandise subject to the exercise of
belligerent rights as recognized by In
ternational law. But the government
of the United States does not admit
that such parcels are subject to the
exercise of the rights of police super
vision. visitation and eventual seizure
which belongs to belligerents with ref
erence to all cargoes on the high seas.
As asserted in the joint note under &C
knowledgment.
Right Of Search Limited.
"It is noted with satisfaction that the
claim and, In the opinion of this gov
ernment, properly do not claim, that
their 10 o-called blockade measures are
sufficient grounds upon which to base
Ill tn mt wi ff
mali natter In transit to or from the
centekf powers
"on the contrary. their contention
appears to be that as genuine cores
spondence' is under conventional stipu-
lation inviolable,' mail matter of other
classes 10 subject to detention and ex-
animation. While the government of
the United States agrees that genuine
correspondence mail is inviolable. 1t
does not admit that bel'igerents may
| search other, private ea-borne mails
whether they contain articles of enemy
ownership carried on beihgerent yes
sells or articles Of contraband t"nns
mitted under sealed cover as letter
all mails coming out of or goinS INT"
ports of the enemy's coasts which are
effectively blockadcd.
Mails Seized in Port.
THE governments of the United
States. Great Britain and France. how
ever. appear to be in substantial agree
ment as to principle. The method of
applying the principle is the chief
cause of difference.
Though giving assurances that they
consider genuine correspondence 10 pc
inviolable.' and that they WILL true to
their engagements refrain on the
high seas from seizinE and confiscat,
ing such correspondence. the allied
tral governments OF the benefits of
these assurances by Selling ana cor
fiscating mail from vessels In port IN
stead of at sea.
lust cause. to enter their own ports or
they induce shipping lines. through
some form of duress to send their mati
ships via British ports. or they detain
ali vessels merely calling at British
ports-thus acquiring by force o' I'M
iustifiable means an illegal jurisdic-
tion.
Censorship AssniIed.
Acting upon this enforced jurisoic.
ton the authorities remove all mail,
genuine correspondence as well AS
post parcels take them to London,
where every piece. even though OF n"u-
trail origin and destination. is openeI
and critically examined, to determine
the sincerity of their character. in
accordance with the interpretation Civ
en- that underlined phrase by the Brit
expurgated remains is forwarded. fire.
quently after irreparable delay. to its
destination.
ships are detained en- route to or
IRON the United States or. to or from
other neutral countries. and mails are
held and delayed for several daIs and,
in some cases. for weeks. and even
months, even though not routed to
ports Of North Europe. via British
ports.
This has been the procedure which
has been practiced since the an
nounce ment of February 15. 1916. To
some extent. the same practice was FOL
lowed before that date. calling for the
protest OF th.s government Of January
l. 1915 BG. to that protest the mem
orandnm uroer acknowled cement
makes no reference and is entirely
unrc sponsive.
United states Insists on Position.
.'The government of the United
states must again insist with emphasis
that the British and French govern
ments do not obtain rightful jurisdir-
Church Doubles Pension Fund.
Saratoga Springs, N. Y.-Authoriza-
ton of campaign to raise 100000
900 for the pension fund for retired