Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-08-29
THE BRITIsH BLAcK LIsT.

! ing" says Fair Play, "of the bad
! faith Of the leading British states
men who act as tools of the British
war-mongers. Their most recent ex-
PLANTATION OF the delay to which neu-
tral mails are subjected by Great
Britain is, to put it mildly, at var
lance with wellestablished facts.
| 1T is pleaded that due diligence
is exercised in examining and for
warding United States mails to and
| from the continent. 1t Is even as
serted that the delay has been re
duced to a minimum" and that
mails in transit between the United
States and Holland are held up only
from two to seven days, and between
the United States and Denmark from
seven to ten days.
Americans have learned from
sad experience, and not from official
theories, that because of the British
| tampering with neutral mail-bags no
definite limit can be set upon the
time required for the transmission
Of letters The postal system works
at random. Every European cor
respondent knows that sometimes
letters take six weeks in reaching
their destination. American business
| men nave DSeH IldQt 70 I1dllHc LndL
letters to and from this country not
only are opened and read, but fire.
quently disappear Is this military
censorship? Where the British For
eign Office admits q delay of few
days. 1t might with more truth con-
| fess to delaying business and per-
sonal letters for weeks. 1t might as
well confess also to delaying tenders
in lonp anOtob Pot Rrificl, Gt.,,oc IN
get their contracts, Sir Cecil Spring
Rice's explanations Notwithstanding.
But there are other points over
which we are at variance with the
Cecil clique. The publication of the
American white Book" revealed
that the United States Government
regarded the presence Of British
cruisers off the American coast as a
possible ground for q declaration OF
war" and demanded their removal.
Now, this demand, which implied
grave consequences unless complied
with, was made on April 26 Of this
year. No reply has been received
from Britain and, so far as Is known,
the matter has not been followed up
by President Wilson. He is appar-
emily going to wait for another few
weeks, but what Is the net result of
it all? Does Lord Robert Cecil mind
his letters? Does Asquith?
The British blacklist carries the
names of many Of the most prom
inent buyers Of North and South
America. It Is increased every day.
You cannot send to one of these
firms today an American shipment
larger than a parcel post package be-
cause no steamship will take charge
of the goods.
"An American steamer that should
offend would be refused British coal
at coaling stations between here and
Buenos Ayres, or at Buenos Ayres
itself. The steamer might be hauled
into British Trinidad, as neutral
ships for Scandinavia are taken into
Kirkwall, and inadvertently" held
up week or two while it was UNI
loaded and the shipment thoroughly
searched.
Even IL one could find bottoms to
carry the shipment, it is not likely
that the Journey could be financed.
Draw on your black-listed buyer and
no American bank will dare discount
your draft. So large are the black
lists today that the American banks
of New York employ blacklist clerks
to keep track OF neutral concerns
with which the bank and its GUS
toners may not do business Amer
lean firms which are black-listed are
being asked to withdraw their ac-
counts from American banks. Amer
lean banks are refusing to accept for
deposit checks drawn on black-listed
firms. Meanwhile the President and
Secretary Lansing are trying to find
IN. IIfQo 10
"This Gripping OF our trade this
seizure of our mails, this invasion of
American waters, may all possibly be
justified on the ground Of expedien-
cy. The goods might get through to
Germany If the vessels that sail from
South America to Europe were flying
the German or even neutral flags.
But the flags they fly are the Allied
flags What then is the true reason2
Trade rivalry; there is no other.
"To this date the only official
British answers to our protest
against the British blacklist have
been the forwarding to us of sup
Elementary lists, containing addition
al names, and the stopping of our
ship going from our own ports to
American Manila. How long, Mr..
Lansing, how long? Sweden, even
Chile, shows more pluck than we do.
The Administration shipping bill is
good enough in its way. but we
would much rather trust to the actiy-
tiles of Mr.. Benno Loewy counsel
for certain black-listed firms, and
who has made masterful study OF
William S. Bennet's bill to punish
discrimination by common car
riers"
Sin ltebereinfOmmen 1T 5uiIden