Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-01-20
PREDICT BRITAIN
SOON WILL APPLY
ACTUAL BLOCKADE
Conditions Arising From Orders:
In Council Soon to Be ST.
perseded to Meet Amer
lean Views.
WON'T RELAX SEA GRIP
London Times Warns United
States England VIII Stop at
Nothing to Hold Naval
Advantage.


will soon announce the establishment
of an actual blockade Of Germany and
her allies thereby superseding the
condition which had been established
by orders in council, was the state
ment made today by Americans who
have been in close contact with the
machinery of the British orders liz
council in consequence of their action
here as representatives OF American
shippers whose business had been af-
fected by the execution of the orders.
A person who car speak authoritative
ly and who has acted as a representa-
tive OF American interests in nne
ton with their prize court proceedings
reviewed today for the Associated
Gil. He said:
Back of international Law.
1.-The British government shows an
unmistakable tendency now to shift
around to the persistently expressed
American contention that the interna-
tional law which prevailed before tho
present war would ultimately govern
Great Britain in the assertion of her
sea power 1t is well known that when
the wal began the admiralty urged on
the American vessels the necessity for
the declaration of an actual blockade,
but the latter believed that the sus-
capabilities of neutrals could be bet
ter me- by orders in council and after
the adoption OF these the government
began it's interminable agreement with
neutrals. These agreements might have
succeeded had it not been for opposi-
ton of the United States which took
h stand from the first that the or
ders in council We're illega! and that
therefore even yelled or sub-rOsa rec
OSnltiOn of them i'm forms similar tnr
the Danish agreement and the Neither
lands Overseas trust, would be a sur
render of American sovereignty under
International law. The smaller neu-
trail states began to chafe, under the
agreements.
The compromise out of court by the,
British government with the Chicago
packers is the best concrete evidence OF
the modification of the orders in coun-
ell to meet the conceptions Of Internal
tional law existing before the war.
New Code Doomed To Fail.
Great Britain's attempts to sub
stitute a code of her own that would
not form dangerous precedents when
she herself may be a neutral, are
doomed to fail, and l should not be sur
prised il the foreign office adopts the
course recommended by the admiralty
and declared AN actual blockade.
How strictly an actual blockade has
bCSIi SiilpiSSa Is d SUBJECT Ol SDGculd-
ton, There is no doubt in my mind
that the recent heavy shipments to-
Denmark, under the Danish agreement
had n tremendous effect in lowerina
the price of the German mark and there
are many strong adherents both in and
out of parliament of the c~ontraband
while keeping an iron clad barrier
against her exports.
SEVEN the British officials admit that
a declaration of actual blockade would
have strong backing in American prec-
edents, which are now lacking for the
orders in councils"
Warns United States.
The Pail Mall Gazette, discussing the
American press reports regarding the.
attitude which the United States may
adopt with regard to the blockade
question, says:
IF Count Bernstorff succeeds in Sc
curing a quid pro quo for the out
ware recantation by Germany Of her
acts of piracy and succeeds in enlist
ing the United States as n of Ger
many's minor indirect allies in her eff
forts to rule the world, we may expect
fresh attacks Upon our interpretation
of international law. If President Will
son should elect to walk the road so
o~bl1gingly constructed for him by Ber-
lin, it is we'll he should realize where
1t is going to lead him.
The empire which is shedding blood
n not ink for the %vindication of
neutral rights has reached a stage
in the conflict where technicalities
will not be allowed to restrain the
legitimate use of all it's weapon of
| warfare.
Our rights to prevent supplies from
reaching the enemy is absolute. No
British government would dare to re-
lax it grip on Germany now, :, def
erence to interests and threats of out
siders, who are chiefly interested i'm
what profit they can make out Of the
worlds agony.
Look for Fair Play.
w must not claim says the
Westminster Gazette, "but we find it
difficult to believe that the democratic
people of a new world will allow their
influence to be used to disarm the dem
ocratic peoples of the old world i'm
their struggle for liberty against mill
tary domination. They will be sure
to look back on their own history and
remember what they said when neu-
trails demanded they break their block.
d of the southern states"
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