The Benson signal., 1916-06-03
STOP SEEING MAIL
u. 8. NOTIFIES BRITAIN AND
FRANCE IN VIGOROUS NOTE.
"lawless Practice" on Seas mo
Longer Can Be Tolerated." and
Allies Are Warned to Change
Policy.
western Newspaper Union News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Washington, May 29.-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, 1916.-Excellency: have the
honor to acknowledge receipt of your
excellency's note of April last, trans
mitting a 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 to
the right to detain and examine par
eel 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 parcels
and of the limitations to be placed on
inviolable.' the joint memorandum of
February Is closes with the following
assertions:
81 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.
T..
correspondence stipulated by the elev-
enth convention of The Hague of 1907
does not in any way affect the rlght OF
the allied governments to visit and, II
occasion arise, arrest and seize mer
chandise hidden in the wrappers, en-
velopes or letters contained in the mall
bags NO. 4r,,o 80 +,a,r onaoaemen+s
and respectful of genuine correspond
ence' the allied governments will re-
frain for the present, on the nigh seas,
from seizing and confiscating such cor
respondence, letters or dispatches and
will insure their Speediest possible
transmission, as soon as the sincerity
Of their character shall have been as
certained."
Allies Contention Rejected.
I'm reply the government of the
United States desires to state 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
transport alton of mails of which the
government of the United States COM
plains.
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
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 ac'
acknowledgement.
Right of Search Limited.
s'It is noted with satisfaction that the
British and French governments do not
claim, and, in the opinion of this gov
ant In
their soFrailed blockade measures are
sufficient grounds upon which to base
q right to interfere with all classes of
mail matter in transit to or from the
central powers.
ION the contrary, their contention
appears to be hat as genuine cores
spondence' is under conventional stipu-
lation inviolable, mail matter of other
classes is 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 belligerents may
search other private sea-borne mails
for any other purpose than to discover
whether they contain articles of enemy
ownership carried on belligerent YES
sells or articles of contra band trans
mail though they may intercept at sea
all mails coming out of or golnS into
ports of the enemys coasts which are
effectively blockaded.
Mails Seized I'm 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 to be
inviolable.' and that they Will true TO
their engagements refrain 'on the
high seas from seizing and confiscat,,
ing such correspondence the allied
governments proceed to deprive neU-
trail governments of the benefits of
these assurances by seizing and con-
fiscating mail from vessels in port In
stead of at sea.
"They compel neutral ships without
iust cause to enter their own ports or
they induce shipping lines. through
some form of duress to send their mail
ships via British ports or they detaln
all vessels merely calling at British
ports-thus acquiring by force or un-
justifiable means an illegal jurisdic-
ton.
Censorship Assailed.
Acting upon this enforced jurisdic
tiOn the authorities remove all mail,
genuine correspondence as we'll as
post parcels; take them to London,
where every piece, even though or neu-
trail origin and destination, is opened
the sincerity of their character in
accordance with the Interpretation Civ
en- that underlined phrase by. the Brit
ish and French cenSOrs. Finally, the
expurgated remains is forwarded, fire.
quently after irreparable delay. to it's
destination.
"Ships are detained en- route to or
from the United States or to or from
other. neutral countries and mails are
held and delayed for several days. 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
nouncement of February Is. 1915. TO
some extent, the same practice was fol-
lowed before that date, calling for the
protest of this government of January
I, 1916. But to that protest the mem
orandum und er acknowledgment
makes no reference and is entirely
unresponsive.
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 jurisdic-
Church Doubles Pension Fund.
Saratoga Springs, N. Y.-Authoriza-