Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1917-07-18
is 1T IGNORANCE OR rs IT VII.
Full MISREPRESENTATION?

Lately the English press seems to be
over-anXlous IN eXcusing United States
and England for starving the neutral
countries. Is it morally and legally
right to starve anyone? We consider
1t wrong to starye even criminals and
murderers, how much more wrong is
it not to starve Greece, Holland, Den
mark, Sweden and Norway. These
countries have been strictly neutral
they have done no wrong and yet the
Allies seem to think it is right to
starve the neutral countries and there
by force them to subjugation. There
is no excuse for the Allies to force the
poor little Greek nation into this war.
1t is certainly not Democracy nor is it
morally or legally right. Neither is it
right for the Allies, to starve any neu-
trail country. OF course, the English
press, on both sides Of the Atlantic,
claims that the Allies are justified in
starving the neutrals, because they
have shipped in foodstuffs to Ger
many. Suppose they have, is it right
for us TO starve the Scandinayians be-
cause they have given some hungry
criminal little bread? I buy all my
foodstuffs from a certain grocer, one
Of his enemies is starving, my heart is
full Of pity for him, and I fill him up
with my foodstuff would it be moral
" or legally right for my grocer to
prevent everybody to sell me any food
stuff, and thereby starving me into
subjugation? Everybody knows it
would not be right, and what is not
right for an individual can not be
right for the Allies. But it is not
true that the Scandinavian countries
have helped the Germans. The Amer
lean Scandinavian Review in it's last
issue settles that question.
An investigation of neutral trade
was made last September by the
British War Trade Statistical Depart
ment, and report was published to
vindicate the efficiency of the block
ade. It deals in detail with the con-
ditions in Norway, where the greatest
increase in, American imports is seer.
"The only true test as to whether OF
not the imports of neutral countries
are now excessive is to be found in a
comparison Of their present and pre-
war imports from all sources. Statis-
tics of this nature are in the posses
sion of his Majesty's Government and
they show conclusivey that the large
increase in imports from the United
States can only be due to the redis-
tribution of the sources of supply,
which has been one of the consequent
ces of the war" The report goes on to
say that the average annual import of
corn and fodder to Norway in the
years 1911 to 1913 was $4,000 tons;
in the year ending June 80, 1916, 1885,
600 tons. This is an increase Of only
two per cent, easily accounted for by
the growth Of the population. In 1913
received $4,000 tons of grain
and flour from Russia, 1900 from
England, and 1917, 900 from Germany,
in all $4,000. ut is definitely known
that the whole Russian supply to Nor
way has ceased, and that the export
OF corn from England has shrunk to
negligible proportions. Germany may
obviously be left out of account as a
possible source of supply. These sup
plies being no longer available, it is
clear that Norway was faced with a
prospective shortage of 367, 600 tons."s
The increased import of meat is offset
by degrees in that of live animals,
while the increased import Of cotton is
explained by the absence of the man
ufactured textiles that formerly came
from Germany. With regard to Swed-
en- and Denmark the report states that
their aggregate imports of grain and
fodder have not been greater than in
times Of peace, and this is borne out
by official figures from those countries
The total import of Denmark from
the United States in 1913 was valued
at 100000 kroner, and in 1916 at
2O5,OOO,0OO kroner, showing an in
crease of 118,OOO,OOO kroner. Most of
this was grain and fodder, and we
should expect the excess to equal what
Denmark formerly received from the
countries now at war. We find that in
1913 Denmark imported from Ger
many, England, France, Russia, Ro-
and other European countries,
grain and fodder to the value Of 1885,
100000 kroner, which more than bal
ances the excess from American
sources, even judging by money value
alone. It we take into account the
rise in prices, the shortage of Den
marks grain and fodder supply ap-
pears to be even greater.
The total imports Of Sweden from
the United States amounted in 1913 to
S12, 1O4, 1866; in 1916 to $51, 93S, 1872. In
1913, however, Sweden received from
Germany goods valued at $75,374, $50,
If which $14,919,OO was for fo0dstuffs,
and from England goods valued at
S53, III $40, of which the largest single
item was minerals to the value Of $751;
1903, 26O. 1t is obvious that not only
these imports but the lesser though
quantities from Belgium.
Franco an6 Prussia have o,,oo4:o.11-s