The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-05-26
THE BLOCKADE QUESTION.

Et HE DLVNAADH q
- n
There are stil q few folk who raise hat old,
old question: what, anyway. is the difference
between the blockade Germany proclaimed
against the allies, and the blockade the allies have
seen ruthlessiy enforcing against Germany!
The answer is simple; and it explains why the
United States stands where she does today.
In the British blockade, the recognized princl-
oles of international law, requiring warning, visit
and search of vessels, have been faithfully regard
II. Not a single American life has been menaced.
The German blockade, so-called, from the very
outset defes these principles. Its cost in Ameri-
can lives we partly know.
international law further requires that a block
,de, to be legal, must be effective. Such is the
British blockade. 1t has efectually sealed the
coast of Germany. The German blockade, to be
Effective would require a submarine greater than
Germany could possibly have built. Whether or
not it is effective is a question answered by the
list of sailings to and from allied ports since the
BLOCKADE" was announced.
True, the United States did not admit the val
;dity of the British blockade as affecting neutral
countries. To this the British reply is that traffic
to n~eutrals is dealt with on the principle Of "con-
~tinuous voyages upheld by our own supreme
court.
There is the whole difference. One blockade
conforms to the requirements Of International
'aw, the other does not. One conforms to the die
.ates of humanity, the other does not. One is an
effective blockade; the other is not.
The United States, in such a situation, could
have taken no other stand than the stand she did
AXE.
STRIKING THROUGH THE MAILS.
In the last decade the federal government has
o-operated with state governments to regulate
certain lines of business through the mails; also
some lines of erstwhile fruitful endeavor-such
IS swindling has struck body blows through the
control of the mails against their use for unlawful
means.
There is practically no limit to the things that
AN be made unlawful through the use of the
nails.
On July 1 a far.reaching reform done through
he mails will go into effect, when it will be un-
awful to mail letters, postal cards, or publications
containing liquor advertisements through the
nails to a large bevy Of states; and others will fol-
| wv Ill LuS COulSC VI OLA II Va .
BY the end of December, 1918, twenty-four en-
| ire states will be barred to mail solicitation for
strong drink-by letter or newspaper advertise
nents-and more than a score Of towns and dis
tricts in other states.
The states which in a year and a half-some
If them by July-will be barred from liquor ad-
yertisements will be Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas,
Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maine,
Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New
Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Okla
homa, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia
In some of these states liquor ads are already
barred, but in most of them the 'bone dry" law is
still to go into effect.
Truly a remarkable list-and probably will
grow all the time.
/
FAKE WAR HEROES.