The Dolores star. [volume] (Dolores, Montezuma County, Colo.) 1901-current, 1916-06-02

tion Of ships by forcing or indueiaa
them 20 visit their ports. for the PUP
pose Of seiaine their mails. Q. thereby
such ships than they could exercise on
the high seas; for there II. In tbs
opinion of the government Of the
tween the seizure of malls at sea.
which is announced a. abandoned. and
their seizure from vessels voluntarily
or 1nyolpa s,i.S IN port French nr.e,,e.
amounts to an unwarranted limitation
of the use by neutrais Of the worlds
highway for the transmission of cor
loved by the allied powers must Be
said to Justify the conclusion. there
fore. that the announcement Of Feb
ruary Is was merely notice that one
illegal practice had been abandoned to
make place for the development Of an
other. more onerous and vexatious In
character.
Hague Rale Violated.
THE present practice In q violation
not only of the spirit of the announce
ment Of February is. but Of the rule
Of The Hague Convention; upon which isei
it is a violation of the prior practice
Of nations which Great Britain and her
allies have In the past assisted to es :
The arbitrary methods employed bv
the British and French governments
have resulted most disastrously to citi-
gems of the United States. Important
or can be duplicated only with great
difficulty, such as United States pat
ents for inventions. rare documents.
legal paper. relating to the settlement
surance claims. income tax returns and
similar matters. have been lost.
Delays in receiving shipping docu-
convenience by preventing prompt de-
livery of goods.
Business opportunities are lost by
failure to transmit properly bids. spsci-
fications and contracts.
Money Order Lists MissinG.
Business correspondence. relating
tween neutral countries correspond
ence of a personal nature. and also
certain official correspondence such as
money order lists and other matter
forwarded by government departments.
are detained, lost or possibly de-
stroyed.
interests injured, but rights Of prop
ternat :onal law and custom are palp-
Il can only add that this continuing
American citizens and to a possible
responsibility of the United States -
repair them, that this government will
he compelled in the near future to
press claims for full reclamation upon
the attention of His MaJesty's gov
eminent and that Of the French Re-
iualic.
Details Of United states stand.
THE government of the United
States is inclined to the opinion that
the class of mail matter which In
cludes stocks. bonds. coupons and sim
liar securities Is to be regarded as OF
marchanhiaa
other articles Of property and subject
to the same exercise Of belligerent
rights. Money orders. checks. drafts.
nUtsa Which G may pass assU a. the eaaiva
lent of money are. It ID considered, also
to be classed as merchandise.
Correspondence, including shipping
of
lating to enemy supplies or exports"
unless carried on the same ship as the
property referred to. are. in the opin-
ed as genuine correspondence" and en-
titled to unmolested passage.
States. in view q the improper meth;
Rds s"piSysa ~ the sns
malls passing between the United
States and other neutral countries and
between the United States and the en-
emies of Great Britain, can no longe::
the United States suffer and continue
to suffer through these methods.
Rights Must he Observed.
ITO submit to a lawless practice of
this character would open the door to
repeated violations OF international
law by the belliGerent powers on the
ground of military necessity. of which
the yiolator would be the. sole Judge.
n neutral nation cannot
permit its rights on the high seas to
be- determined by belligerents or the
exercise OF these rights to be permit
ted or denied arbitrarily by the gov
eminent of a warning nation.
1.-THE rights of nsutrals are as sa-
crea as the rights OF belligerents and
must be as strictly observed.
The government of the United
law and the rights of neu-
trails. which the British and French
have SO often proclaimed
and the disregard of which they have
urged as vigorously against their en-
emies in the present war, expects the
present practice of the British and
French authorities in the treatment of
mails from or to the United States to
cease. and belligerent rights, as ex-
ercised, to conform to the principle
the passage of mail matter
and to the recognized practice of ma
tions.
"Only a radical change in the pres
emit British and French policy, restor-
ing to the United States its full rights
as a neutral power, will satisfy this
ROBERT LANSING"