Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-05-28

own ports or they induce shipping
lines, through some form OF duress
TO send their mails via British ports
or they detain all vessels merely call
ing at British ports, thus acquiring by
force or unlustitiable means an illegal
jurisdiction. Acting upon this enforced
jurisdiction the authorities remove all
mail, genuine correspondence as well
as post parcels and take them to Lon
don, where every piece, even though
OF neutral origin and destination, is
opened and critically examined 10 de-
termine the sincerity of their capture
in accordance with the Interpretation
given that underlined phrase by the
British and French censors. Finally
the eXpurgated remainder is for.
warded, frequently after irreparable
delay, to its destination. Ships are de.
tanned en- route TO or from the United
States or 10 or from other neutral
countries, and mails are held and de
layed for several days and, in some
cases, for weeks and even months,
even though not routed TO ports OF
north Europe via British ports.
Offense Is fragrant.
This has been the procedure which
has been practiced since the announce
ment OF February Is, 1915. To some
extent, the same practice was fol-
lowed before that date calling forth
the protest Of the government Of Jan
uary 4, 1916 But TO that protest the
memorandum under acknowledgment
makes no reference and is entirely
unresponsive. The government of the
United States must again insist with
emphasis that the British and French
governments do not obtain rightful
jurisdiction Of ships by forcing or in
dueing them to visit their ports for
the purpose Of Selling their mails, or
thereby obtain greater belligerent
rights as TO such ships than they
could exercise on the high seas; for
there u.s. IN the opinion Of the govern
ment OF the United States no legal
distinction between the seizure OF
mails at sea, which is announced as
abandoned, and their seizure from
vessels voluntarily or Involuntary in
port. The British and French practice
amounts to an unwarranted lmita-
ton Of the use by neutras OF the
worlds highway for the transmission
OF correspondence The practice ac-
tually followed by the allied powers
must be said TO Justify the conclusion,
therefore, that the announcement OF
February IS, was merely notice that
one illegal pratice had been aban.
doned to make place for the develop
ment OF another more onerous and
vexatious in character
Violates Spiri: and Letter.
The present practice is a violation
not only OF the spirit of the an
uouneement OF February Is but of the
rule OF The Hague convention upon
which i is concededly based. Aside
from this, it is a violation of the
prior practice OF nations which
Great Britain and her allies have in
the past assisted to establish and
maintain, Notwithstanding the state
ment in the memorandum that "as
late as 1907 the letters and dis
patches themselves could be seized
and confiscated." During the war be-
tween the United States and Mexico.
the United States forces allowed
British steamers to enter and depart
from the port OF Vera Cruz without
molesting the mails intended for in
land points During the American
civil war Lord Russell endeayored TO
induce the United States 10 concede
that Her Majesty's mail on board a
private vessel should be exemnted
from visitation or detention" This
exemption Of mails was urged in
October, 1862, in the case Of British
mails on board the Adela. On Octo.
Der 81, Secretary Seward announced
that public mails OF any friendly or
neutral power daily certified or
authenticated as such, shall not be
searched or opened, but be put as
speedily as may be convenient on
the way TO their destination" In
accordance with this announcement
the government of the United States
in the case Of the British steam
ship Peterhoff, which had been
seized with her mails against the pro-
test OF her majesty's government,
had her mails forwarded to destina
ton unopened.
Followed in Other Wars.
The same rule was followed by
France, as ! am advised in the
raneo-Prussian war of 1870, by the
United States in the Spanish-Amer-
lean war OF 1898; by Great Britain in