The Arvada enterprise., 1916-06-01
STOP SEEING MAIL
y. .. NOTIFIES BRITAIN AND
RANCE IN VIGOROUS NOTE.
Iaw'ess Practice" on Seas mo
lonaer Can Be Tolerated." and
Allies Are Warned to Chance
Policy.
Western Newspaper Union News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service
WASHINGTON, May 29.-The text of
fhe communication addressed to the
6rltish and French ambassadors, TO
whom it was delivered Wednesday, In
part follows:
Department of State. Washington
May "a, sl6.-ENccllency: / have the
honor to acknowledge receipt of YOUR
excellency's note of April last, trans
hitting memorandum dated February
Id, lSl6, ana 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 to
me riEht TO detain and examine par
Gel and letter mails en- route by sea
between the United States and Eu-
rope.
After a discussion of the use of the
mails for the Transmission of parCu. :
and OF the limitations to be placed on
Invioiable,' the joint memorandum O.
February Is closes with the following
ass, rtiouS:
Il. That from the standpoint of the
right OF visitation and eventual arrest
and seizure, merchandise shipped III
post parcels needs not and snail not be
treated OF lorWlS@ than merchandise
shipped in any other manner.
- That the inviOlability of postal
correspondence stipulated by the elcv-
snth conversion of The Hague of 1907
does not in any way affect the right Of
the allied governments to visit and, If
occasion arse. arrest and seize mer
chanuiSc ktudvn in thu wrappers ~
Yelopes or letters contained in the mail
bags.
80 That true to their engagements
and respectful of genuine correspond
encc' the allied governments will re-
frain for the present. on the high seas,
from Selling and confiscating such cor
respondence, letters or dispatches and
Will insure their Sptgul, = npSSihlg
transmission, as soon as the sincerity
of their character shall have been as.
certained."
Allies Contention Rejected.
In reply the government OF the
United States desires to ; ate that It
does not consider that the postal union
convention of 1906 necessarily applies
to the interference by the British and
French governments with the oversee
transportation of mails of which the
government of the United States com
plains
uithermorc. the allied powers APP
pear TO have overlooked the admission
of the government of the United States
that post parcels may he treated as
merchandise subject to the exercise OF
bel iSercnt 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 pc ice super
vision. visitation and eventual seizure
"nitn b'lbheS To DtIllStl'hlS WIN rel
srcnce to all cargoes on the high seas,
as asserted in the joint note under ac
Lnowlcd gment.
Right Of Search Limited.
1T Is noted with satisfac' ion that the
British and French governments do not
claim. and. in tn" opinion of this gov
eminent, property d, not claim that
their so-callcd blockade measures are
sufficient grounds upon which to base
right to interfere with all c asses OF
mail matter in transit to or from the
central powers
"On the contrary. their contention
appears to be that as genuine CORES
spUndcnce' is under con .cntional stipu-
iation 'inviol BILE mail matter OF other
classes is subject to detention and cN-
animation. While the government of
the United states agrees that genuine
correspondence mail is invio'uhle. II
does not admit that bel'igercnts my
search other private soa-bornc malls
for any other purpose than to discover
whether they contain articles Of enemy
ownership carried on bclligercnt yes
sells or articles "f Contr1"uud t~"'s
nitted under sealed cover as letter
mail. though they may intercept 90 H.1
all mails coming out Of or g"in' into
ports OF the cnemv's coasts which are
effectively blockadcd.
MniI- Seized In Port.
The governments Of the United
states. Great Britain ana France, how
ever appear to he In suhstant' al agree
ment Ms to prin iplr. The IN. ihod %.
app'ying tho principle Is tho Chin'
caus" Of difference
Though giyilg assurances that thcy
consider genuine correspondence. to be
inviolnhlc' and that they Will true to
thelr cnsagcWauts' refrain on the
high seas from soiZiuE and ,untiscnt-
ing such coTrcspOnlruC'.' me ''li"d
governments proceed to doNHlv" nfU .
trail governments Of the benefits Of
these assurances by s"Hin" and cor
rscatug mail from vessels boz port IN
stcnd nf At srl-
They compel neutral ships without
lust cause to enter their own ports or
they induce shipping limos through
some form uf dUrcEs tu E"ud their mail
ShIpR win British ports or they d"'nln
all y,gs0ls merely cglIin" nt British
ports-ihus ACQUIRING Nv 'nr"o o. IN
ius,IfIahIn means an Illegal turisdic'
ton.
I-,-or-hIp Assaulted.
"4tIn~ upon this enforced iuris'ic
tiuA til, authorities remove ar mail
xO61uiur c0rrysnnud"u"c as VOL MS
no., parcels. take lnom 70 bundon
where every piece. even though ~ n'u-
tral origin aud destination. is "pfl'l
and critically rSnWiurd, in h"i"ffnin"
thc sincerity Of their character ln
arCor1nur" with the Interpretation CIV
on that un1rfincd uhras" Icy No." l'r,is
Ish and French CrrHorH FInn' s.. IN"
rsnuruatrd remains is forwarded. ire
1urutl, after irrcpurnhlc d'lay 10 IT,