The Ordway new era., 1916-06-02
STOP SEEING MAIL
U. s. 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 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. l9l6-EXcelleucy: | have the
honor to acknowledge receipt of your
excellcncy's note OF April 3 last, trans
mitting Il memorandum dated February
l5, 1916. and communicated in sub
stance to the American ambassador in
London on February 2Sth. i'll 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
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 or
'inviolable. the joint memorandum ot
February IL closes with the following
assertions:
u. That from the standpoint of tn"
right of visitation and eventual arrest
and seizure, merchandise shipped in
post parcels needs not and shall not be
treated otherwise than mcrchandis"
shipped in any other manner.
-. That the inviolability of postal
correspondence stipulated by the elcv-
enth convention of The Hague of 1907
does not in any way affect the right of
the allied governments to visit and, If
occasion ARISE. arrest and seize mcr
ohandisc kddcn in The wrappers, ~
yelopes or letters contained in the mail
bags.
''3. That true to their engagements
and respectful of genuine correspond
cnce' the allied governments will re-
frain for the present, on the high seas
from seiZing and confiscating such cor
rcspondence. letters or dispatches and
will insure their spcediest possible
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 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 ovcrsea
transportation of mails of which the
government of the United States com
plains.
'Furthcrmorc. the allied powers ap-
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
belligerent rights as recognized by in
ternational law. But the government
of the United States does not admit
that such parcels are subject to tn"
exercise of the rights of police super
vision. visitation and eventual seizure
which belongs to belligerents with ref
erencc to all cargoeS on the high seas.
as asserted in the joint note under ac
acknowledgement.
Right of Search Limited.
1T Is noted with satisfaction that the
British and French governments do not
claim and. in the opinion of this gov
ernment. properly do not claim. that
their so called blockade measures are
a right to interfere with all classes of
mail matter in transit to or from the
central powers.
appears to be that as genuine cores
spondence' is under conventional stipu-
lation fnviolable. mail matter OF other
classes is subject to detention ana eXr *
the United States agrees that genuine
correspondence mail is inviolable. 1t
does not admit that belligercnts my
search other private sea-borne mails
for any other purpose than to discover
whether they contain articles of enemy
ownership carried on belliSercnt Ves-
sells or articles of contra band trans
mitted under sealed cover letter
mail. though they may intercept at sen
all mails coming out of or coins int"
ports of the enemN'S COASTS Whlch are
effectively blocltadcd.
MnIIs Seized in Port.
The governments of the United
states. Great Britain and France. how
ever, appear to be in substantial agree
ment as to prin, ipie. the method o;
cause of difference.
Though giving assurances that they
consider genuine correspondence to be
.inviolable.' and that they Will. true to
their engaEements.' refrain on the
high seas from seiZing and confiscnt :.
ing such correspondence, the allied
trail governments of the benefits of
these assurances by Seizing and cor
fiscating mail from vessels in port in
"Thev compel neutral ships without
Just 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 detain
all vessels merely calling at British
ports--thus acquiring by force or un-
justifiable means ar illegal 1urisaic-
ton.
CensOrsIiip Assaulted.
Acting upon this enforced jurisdic
ton the authorities remove all mail.
genuine correspnndence as well as
where every piece. even though of neu-
trail origin and destination, is opened
and critically examined, to determine
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 irrepnrable delay. to its
"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 t"
ports of North Europe. Via British
ports.
This has been the procedure which
has been practiced since the an
nouncement of February IL. 1915. To
some extent. the same practice was fol-
lowed before that date. calling for the
protest of this government of January
L. 1916 But to that protest the mem
oraI,dum un er ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
makes no reference and Is entirely
unre sponslve.
United Stntrs Innist~ ON Position.
1.-The government of the United
states must again insist with emphasis
that the British and French govern
ments do not obtain riEhtful jurisdic-