The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-02-10
FREEDOM OF SEAS
AND NEUTRAL SHIPS
(From Speech of United States Senator
\ Knute Nelson OF MinnesotR.)


CFrom Speech of United States Senator
Knute Nelson. Of MinnesotaD
Mr.. President, this war has been pro-
life on the part of all the belligerents OF
violations of the rules Of international
law as we have understood 1t heretofore.
The senator from Georgia (dr. Smith) de-
serves great credit for calling attention to
the manner In which the British govern
men in one way or Gnother has violated
the rules of international law in respeca
to American commerce. Most of our COM
merce during the war has uttered into or
through the little neutral countries of
northern Europe Holland. Denmark,
Sweden, and Norway Most OF the com
merce which has been held up by the Brit
lsh orders In council has been commerce
and traffic plying to those countries.
the contrary entirely agree with the con-
illusions reached by the senator from
Georgia in respect to the conduct OF Great
Britain, yet In this connection want TO
present to the Senate another side or the
picture. There are those four little coun-
tries that / have referred to I'm northern
Europe. have list in my hand here OF
the number of merchant ships OF those
countries which have been sunk by Ger
man submarine boats and German mines
since the war began up to the 14th or this
month, and the list is perfectly startling.
THESE are InGTCIduL N6SSSlbg 4
will say that have compiled this list from
the leading commercial newspapers OF the
city OF New York that have from day to
day published an account.
submarines. mines, and by warships-the
latter being only one-is 1874. One hundred
and three have been sunk by German sub
marines, 80 have been sunk by mines. some
Of them German and perhaps some or
them English. and one was sunk by a war
vessel. -.f
have been able in this list to give the
names OF the vessels and to give the date
when they were torpedoed or sunk. 1t APP
pears from this list of 1874 vessels that the
total number OF Danish ships sunk Is Is,
the total number of Swedish ships sunk is
q. and the total number OF Norwegian
ships sunk Is 81
AS I said the other day, since the Ger
man merchant marine has been eliminat-
ed from ocean traffic most OF the. trade
traffic Is carried on by our ships, some by
the English. and to large extent by these
neutrals.
am unable to give in this list the ton
mage Of all the vessels. In some In
Neither am able to give list Of the
people who have been destroyed when
the ships were cunk. but Il is a horrible
poor sailors the crews on these vessels,
have persisted by reason of the sub
marines
Now, there is this difference, to which
tween the British method and the Ger
man method. The British have held up
our ships. taken them into port, searched
their cargo and taken out what they con-
ceived to be improper and either confis-
Gated II or Communicated II, but in the
main they have let the ships go: they
have not destroyed the ships. The Ger
mans have not only destroyed the cargo
out they have destroyed the ships, and In
many instances they have killed the crews
on these vessels.
OF course these four little neutral coun-
tries Of Holland, Denmark, Norway, ana
Sweden are, in the face OF these great
POWERS, helpless. They have to submit to
this treatment. I bring this to the atten-
ton Of the Senate in order that wher
the great country OF the United Statef
intervenes In this matter It will see to J
that the traffic of these neutral countfie
Is protected-protected not only In the In
terest of our commerce, but In the inter-
est of fair play to these neutral nations.
Just think OF II. 1874 neutral vessels de-
stroyed, mainly by German submarines.
since the war commenced!