Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-07-27
BLACKLIST GREAT
BRITISH B|UNDER
NEUTRALS ASSERT
Diplomats Declare Publication
Was Unnecessary and Will
Create Bad Feeling In
America.
MAY BRING RETALIATION
United States In Position to
Strike Counter Trade Blow
That Will Hurt-Lord
Cecil Defends Act.
MAY BRING RETALIATION

London, July GA neutral diplomat
exceptionally we'll informed regarding
the details of the economic war which
Great Britain is waging OF the central
powers today declared to g representa-
tive of the Associated Press that he
regarded the recent publication by the
British government of the blacklist of
certain American firms as the greatest
possible tactical blunder in this stage,
when a French loan is about TO be float-
ed in America and important Russian
financial arrangements are under way
there"
at is IA blunder," continued the diplo-
mat, because it is Unnecessary since
for months, most OF the firms on the
list have been on a subrOSa blacklist. AT
any rate they were not on the white
list, S o the government had complete
control over any of their operations
which touched British territory.
The financial section of London is
by no means unanimous in approval
Of the measure, even those in it's
being dissatisfied with its scope, on
tending that some omissions from the
list are more significant than inctu-
sions.
Forced to Act, Belief.
Its publication at this time is q mys-
terry. One possible theory IS that the
governments mana WdS IOFCeu Dy re-
calcitrant British firms, which may
have declined to give up trading with
firms not on the white list until their
position was made legally untenable by
the actual prornulgation OF the list. II
the government had desired to warn the
British public, wider publicity would
have been sought. The list was pub
lished only In the official London Ca
zette. None of the London papers
printed it.
Possibility of legal retaliation
against the blacklist is a question for
international lawyers, but the possi-
bility of unofficial retaliation is almost
unlimited. At least a Pacific coast firm
of u~nimpeachable Americans might
make the position Of British traders in
a numbe of fertile fields decidedly M
comfortable
Great uneasiness exists among
American branch housese here whose
home firms have any financial or trad
ing connection with Germany. but they
refuse to discuss the question for pub
lication, fearing the consequences OF
any indiscreet utteraaces
Defended BY lord Cecil.
Attention is called in these circles TO
the appearance on the South-American
list of several firms declared to be
financed by New York banking insti-
tutions. Lore Robert Cecil. minister of
war trade, stated To-Day LIat IL was
quite possible the government had not
placed certain American firms with
close German connections on the lis,
for the very good reason that they had
proved friends Of the allies in regard
to the Anglo-French a On the
other hand, he said. if other friends OF
the allies were suffering through the
inclusion of some of their connections
on the list, the British government was
; ready to make amends.
Lord Robert declared that names
! might be added to the list from time
to time, while others might be removed.
He admitted that he possibility OF
making mistakes In the compilation of
the list, but stated firmly that its pub
location was much better than q. pos
sible extreme law providing that no
British subject should trade with the
enemy, no matter what his domici!e.
enforcement of which doctrine would
entail much greater hardship upon in
nocent parties than the present method.