Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1916-10-19
MAIL SEIZURE
NOTE ANSWERED
Allies Assert German Misuse
of Mails.

public by the state department to-
night, fatty refuse to stop seizing
mail of neutral countries. The allied
governments differ from the Ameri-
can government on the question OF
neutral mail rights in the following
points and maintain:
That they are justified in forcing
neutral ships into allied ports fo1
the purpose of censOring mail.
As The Hague convention was not
signed by all of the belligerents, the
Allies are not bound by its provi.
sions respecting mail censorship.
The practices of nations in previ.
ous wars show no rule prohibiting
the present allied censorship policy
Germany, contrary to the state.
ment of the United States that she
has observed the American princi.
pies, has sunk many steamers with
the consequent total loss of the
mails aboard.
Money order lists of the United
States postOffice are really the same
as money orders and therefore sub.
jcct L. seizure by tho Alies.
Altho state department officials
refused to comment formally on the
note, it is known the department
does not agree with the Allies as
sumption that "the government OF
the United States acknowledges it
agrees with the allied governments
as to principle"
Two Principles Conflict.
The main contention is whether
the Allies have the right to search
mail in neutral ships on the high
seas, or force such vessels into allied
jurisdiction to make the search. The
issue is caused by two conflicting
principles of international law, one
that a belligerent may search neu-
trail vessels at sea for contraband,
the other that letter mail aboard
neutral ships is inviolate.
In justifying the acts at variance
with the United States contentious
the note said:
"Under the right to search for
contraband, the Allies are justified
in searching letter mail, even on
neutrals which do not voluntarily
como into an allied port. Their pur-
pose in forcing such ships into allied
ports is to facilitate search and
cause the minimum delay. In pre-
vious wars the cases cited by the
American notes wese cases where
tho nature Of tho wars did not nec-
essitate such drastic action
In justifying the censorship of
neutral mail to neutral country
upon the ground of contraband
search, the note says:
"A few lines of letter delivered
to an enemy may be as useful or ev-
en- more useful than cargo of
arms. Hostile acts which had been
projected in mails have failed.
German Use of Mails Charged.
Finally, the addresses of certain
letters which the Allies had seen fit
to respect have evidenced salts
faction, the hostile character Of
which removed every doubt as to
the significance of those letters.
1T may be added that the prac-
tice of the Germans to make improp-
er use of neutral mails made it nee
essary to examine mails from or to
countries neighboring Germany it.
self, but as a matter of course, mails
from neutrals to neutrals that do
not cover such improper uses have
nothing to fear"
In conclusion the note says:
Furthermore, should any abuses
committed by the allied authorities
be disclosed to the governments of
France and Great Britain, they are
now as they ever we're, ready to set
tie responsibility therefor, in accord
ance with the principles of law and
justice which it never was and is
not now their intention to evade."
It is reported that in view of the
conflicts of international law there
is little likelihood Of serious trou-
BILE between the Allies and the Unit
ed States over the mail censorship.
The note will be answered after the
state department has been able to-
further study the questions involved.