Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-04-17
A LITTLE cATEcHIsM OF FUNDAMENTALS

No better summary Of the war situation has been
written than the following, which appeared recently
in the News Leader Of Richmond, Virginia:
What Icas the immediate cause of this coHntTys
break tcith Germany! g..
Germany's withdrawal of her promise TO obey the
principle OF visit and search and to respect the rights
Of neutraIs in a ..war zone" she defined.
Whafdsfhe principle of risit and search
That when unarIned ships encounter warship OF
beitfgGrentsat sea. the warship mnst send boat
TO the other vessel and make certain that il ~
CARVING goods that will help the enemy or is ship
Of the enemy. Only when the warshiph has done this
can fttfTy the other vessel into port or sink it. If
unable to take il into port. 4
What0fher rights hare Rcutruls at sea!
The rightto carry into open ports Of every nation
goods that will not help the enemy's array navy,
and, secondly, the right to safe transport by their
captor in case they are ship that can lawfully
be sunk or carried into port by the enemy.
Could Germany establish blockade this country
could respect?
Yes, IL she had the ships at sea; or even If she
would require her submarine commanders to OBJ
serve the rules Of visit and search and regard the
safety of neutrals
Wig does not Germany establish such a blockade :
Because the superior British blockade keeps the
war vessels Germany must rely on her submarines,
which are too fri 10 observe the principle Of visit
and search and too small TO take aboard the pas
sengers of captured ships What she is unable to
do lawfully Germany insists upon doing unlaw-
fully.
What Is tho difference bctiecen the British and
the Geriadn bIockades
"a blockade" says international law, "must be
real to be effective that is the blockading power
must - be strong enough to patrol the waters it
prohibits ships from entering and (2) il must con-
duct the blockade with full regard for the rights Of
neutrals and for the principles of visit and search
The British blockade meets these conditions; the
German blockade does not The British Keep from
German ports all ships with goods for the enemy
and, when they find such ship, the British search
1t and take itinf0 port No merchant ship has yet
been sunk at sea by the British No neutral has
lost Ms life letause Of the British blockade
Haa the British blockade been Ialcfnl IN al
respcctss
MOI It has intercepted mails that should have
been passed without question The British blockade
has also applied the "doctrine of continuous yoy-
ages to conditional conraband, that is, it has
fuscd f0JEs to neutral countries goods that may OF
may not be useful to the enemy and it has assumed
these goods to be bound for Germany when il should
prove they were 50 bound
IF the British blockade is unld,rfut. ,chy do nc
United Statss ,rmainon friendly terms arifh Great
Britain
The United States have protested against the
seizure Of the mails and against the application Of
the principM of continuous voyages to conditional
contraband Bntsffe United States have rightly
regarded property as less important than life and
have refutsA toput the British, who are gailty OF
international petty larceny, in the same class with
the Germaa government, which has sanctioned
murder at sea
Are JotlrGreut Britein, and Geiaaay pledged 70
obserre tho principles for wAich the United States
are contendings
Yes both are equally bound to the same interna
fional agreements and neither has a right to abro
gate those agreements in dealing with the other or
With the United States. These agreements were
specifically designed to lessen the horrors OF war
and to project peaceful trade in war time.
Haze the United States rioIated any international
lac IN dcaFing 10Th Great Britdilor Germany dar
ing the present scars
None whatsoever, at any time or in any manner
Hoo about the constant shipment Of munitions to
the AIIiess
Both Germany and Great Britain signed an agree
ment at The Hague, In which Il was plainly stated
"a neutral power IS not obliged to prevent the ex
porfation or transit for the account Of either bel
Igerent, of arms nunitions and, in general of any
thing which may be useful to an army or feet The
only obligation resting on this country was to sell
TO both belligerents II they came into our markets
and bought for delivery. Cut of from the seas Ger
many could not do this That fact did not lesser
our right to sell to the Allies
An IL RIo.. -.