The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1916-06-02
STOP SEEING MAIL
v. Q. 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
Washington. May 2s.-The text of
the communication addressed to the
British and French ambassadors. 20
whom it was delivered Wednesday. in
part follows:
Department of state Washington,
May "a, l916.-Excellency: l have the
honor to acknowledge receipt of your
exceliencys note of April last. trans
hitting a memorandum dated February
10. 1915, 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
Gel and letter mails en- route by sea
rope.
After a discussion of the use of the
mails for the transmission of parcels
and of the limitations to be placed on
inyiolable,' the joint memorandum of
February Is closes with the following
assertions:
y, 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
correspondence stipulated by the elev-
enth convention OF Inc hague OF lSUi
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, an
vsiopes or letters contained in the mail
bags. mo-, ,r ., ,,.,u
and respectful of genuine correspond
ence' the allied governments will re-
frain for the present, on the high seas,
from setting 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
csrtained."
Allies Coatention Rejected.
United States desires to state that 1t
does not consider that the postal union
convention Of 1905 necessarily applies
French governments with the oversee
transportation of mails of which the
government Of the United States com
plains.
Furthermore, the allied powers APP
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
beliigerent rights as recognized by In.
ssrna.ional law But the D",
that such parcels are subject to the
exercise Of the rights of police super
which belongs to belligerents with ref
srence to all cargoes on the high seas
A. asserted in the Joint note under &C
Acknowledgement.
Right Of Search Linited.
1t is noted with satisfaction that the
cla.m. and. in the opinion Of this gov.
eminent, properly do not claim, that
their so-called blockade measures are
sufficient grounds upon which to base
q right to Interfere with ali classes of
mali matter in transit to or from the
ION the contrary their contention
appears to be that as genuine cores
spondcnce' Is under conventional stipu-
classes is subject to detention and ex-
animation. While the government of
the United States agrees that genuine
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 ves-
sells or articles of contraband trans
mitted under sealed cover as letter
mail. though they may intercept at sea
all mails coming out of or goinG into
ports OF the enemy's coasts which are
effectively blockaded.
Malls Seized In Port.
The governments of the United
ever. appear to be In substantial agree
mont as to principle The method of
applying the principle is the chief
Though giving assurances that they
consider genuine CORRESPONDENCE to be
inviolable,' and that they Will true to
high seas from seizing and confiscat-
ing such correspondence, the allied
governments proceed to deprive. neu.
those assurances by Selling and con
fiscating mall from vessels in port in
They compel neutral ships without
Just cause, to enter their own ports or
they induce shipping lines. through
ships via British ports. or they detain
all vessels merely calling at British
ports-thus acquiring by force or un-
5ustffiable means an illegal ,urisdic-
Censorship Assailed.
Acting upon this enforced jurisdic
ton, the authorities remove all mall,
genuine correspondence as well as
post parcels; take them to London,
whore every piece, even though of neu-
trail origin and destination, Is opened
sne critically examlnsd to determine ne
accordance with the Interpretation Civ.
en- that underlined phrase by the Brit
exourEated remains Is forwarded. fire.
quentfy after irreparabls delay. to it,
from the United States or to or from
held and delayed for several days. and.
months, even though not routed to
porss Or North Europe, via British
ports.
has been practiced since the an
nouncement Of February Is. 1916. To
some extent, the same practice was fol-
lowed before that date. calling for the
protest Of this government of January
l. 1915. But to that protest the mem.
no aka !.
unresponsive.
United states Inslsts On Position.
The government of the United
States must again insist with emphasis
that the British and French govern