Arizona republican., 1917-08-09

At international law it had always been recognized that private individu- als and corporations have the right to sell arms and munitions of war to any belligerent, and in The Hague conven- ton held in 1907 this right was ex- pressiy ratified and confirmed. This same Director kriege, who represented Germany at this Hague convention in 1907. in the debates on this point said: The neutral boats which engage in such a trade commit violation of the duties of neutrality. However, ac- cording to a principle generally rec osnized, the state of which the boat flies the flag is not responsible for this violation. The neutral states are not called upon to forbid their subjects commerce, which, from the point of view of the beligerents, ought to be considered as unlawful. Confer ence Internationale de la PaiX, La Have, 15 Juin-1S Oetobre, 1917 Vol III, D. S59)
 During our troubles with General Huerta arms and ammunition for Huerta's forces from Germany were landed from German ships in Mexico. During the Boer war, the Germans, who openly sympathzed with the Boers, nevertheless furnished great quantities of arms and munitions expressly des- tined to be used against the Boers to England; and this, although it was manifest that there was no possibility whatever, that the Boers could obtain arms and munitions from German sources during the war For instance, the firm of Eberhardt, in Dusseldorf. furnished 109 cannon, complete with wagons, caissons and munitions, etc, to the English expressly designed for use against the Boers.
 At one time the Imperial foreign office sent me q formal note concerning a paragraph in former Ambassador An drew D. Whites autobiography with reference to the alleged stoppage in a German port of boat laden with arms and ammunition for use against the Americans in Cuba during the Spanish war. Of course, former Ambassador White wrote without having the em- bassy records at hand, and these rec ords show that the position he took at the time cf this alleged stoppage was tfllileHtIy coITecl.
 The flies show that he wrote the let ter to the state department in which he stated that knowledge came to him of the proposed sailing of this ship but he did not protest, because he had been advised by a naval attache that the United States did not have the right to interfere The department of state wrote to him commenting his action in nit filing any protest or other wise interfering
 Germany Reverses Position or Arm.
 Exports
 It seemed as if the German govern men expressly desired to stir up hatred against America on this issue in order to force the American government through fear of either the German gov ernment or the German American propagandists at home to put an i'm mediate embargo on export of these supplies.
 Zimmerman showed me in the au- tumn of 1914 a long list sent him bS Bernstorff reporting quantities of sad dies, automobiles, motortrucks, tires explosives, foodstuffs and so on ex ported from America to the Allies an( he intimated that this traffic hat reached such proportion that it shoul, be stopped.
 In February, 1915, in the officia communique of the day appeared tn following statement: Heavy artiller, fire in certain sections Of the yves front mostly with American ammuni tion;" and in April, in the official com munique, something to this effect Captured French artillery officers sa, that they have great stores of Ameri can ammunition I obtained throug the state department in Washington statement from the French ambassado certifying that up to that time, tn end of April, 1915, no shells whateve of the French artillery had been furn ished from America.
 Germany's Anti American Propagand
 Nothing, however, would satisfy tn Germans. They seemed determine that the export of every article, whetht