The Elk Mountain pilot., 1916-06-03
STOP SEEING MAIL
U. 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 New. Service.

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.-Excellency: l have the
honor to acknowledge receipt of your
excellency's note of April last, trans
mitting memorandum dated February
Is, 1915, and communicated in sub
stance to the American ambassador In
London on February 2Sth, in which are
stated the contentious of the British
the right to detain and examine par
eel and letter mails en- route by sea
between the United States and Eu-
rope.
mails for the transmission of parcels
and of the limitations to be placed on
inviolable, the Joint memorandum or
February 15 closes with the following
assertions:
Il. 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.
''2. That the inviolability OF postal
oorrespondence stipulated by the elev-
snth convention of The Hague of 1907
does not in any way affect the right OF
the allied governments to visit and II
occasion arise, arrest and seize mer
chandise hidden in The wrappers, IN
velopes or letters contained in the mail
bags. -
and respectful of genuine correspond
ence' the allied governments will re-
frain for the present. on the high seas
from SELLING and confiscating such cor,
respondence. letters or dispatches and
will insure their speediest possible
transmission, soon as the sincerity
OF their character shall have been as
eertained."
Allies COntention Rejected.
"In reply the government OF the
United states desires to safe that II
does not consider that the postal union
convention of 1906 necessarily applies
to the Interference by the British ana
French governments with the oversea
transportation of mails of which the
government of the United States COM
plains. -
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 the
exercise of the rights OF police super
vision. visitation and eventual seizure
which belongs to belligerents with ref
erence to all cargoes on the high seas,
as asserted in the Joint note under &C
Acknowledgement.
Right of search Limited.
ut is noted with satisfaction that the
British and French governments do not
claim and In the opinion OF this gov.
ernment. properly d, not claim. that
their so-called blockade measures are
sufficient grounds upon which to base
Q right to Interfere with all classes of
mail matter In transit to or from the
ION the contrary. their contention
appears to be that as genuine cores
apondence is under con 'entional stipu-
Iation 'inviolable.' mail matter OF other
classes is subject to detention and ex-
animation. While the government OF
correspondencc' mall is inviolable, 1t
does not admit that belligerents may
search other private Claiborne mails
for any other purpose than TO discover
ownership carried on bclligerent Hes-
sells or articles of contrahand t-a"s
mitted under sealed cover as letter
mail though they may intercept at 81
all mails coming out of or going into
ports of the enemy's coasts which are
effectively biockaded.
Malls 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' iple. The method o.
applying the principle Is the chief
cause OF difference
consider genuine correspondence to be
fnvioiabIe.' and that they VIII, true to
their engagements retrain on tne
inu such correspondence.' the allied
governments proceed to deprive neu.
tral governments OF the oenei,ts OF
fiscating mail from vessels in port in
"They compel neutral ships without
lust cause. to enter their own ports or
they induce shipping lines. through
some form of duress to send their maii
ships via British ports. or they detain
ports-thus ACQUIRING nv force or un-
JustifIable means an Illegal 1urisdic-
ton.
Censorship Assailed.
Acting upon this enforced jurisdic
ton. the authorities remove all mall.
post parcels: take them to London
where every piece. even though OF neu.
trail origin and destination, is opene1
and critically examined, to determine
the sincerity of their character. in
accordance with the Interpretation Civ
en- that underlined phrase by the Brit
lsh and French censors. Finally, the
e1purgated remains is forwarded, fre-
quently after irreparable 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 to
ports of North Europe. via British
ports.
This has been the procedure which
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
I. 1916. But to that protest the mem.
orondum under acknowledgment
makes no reference and is entirely
unresponsive,
UniteJ state. Insists on Position.
..The government of the United
States must again insist with emphasis
that the British and French govern
ments do not obtain rightful turisdic-
Church Doubles Pension Fund.
Saratoga Springs. N. Y.-Authoriza-