Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-03-07

ton cabinet, in view of statements
made on February 10 of last year and
on January 81, 1917, by the Austro-
Hungarian government is now IN
doubt regarding the attitude which
Austria Hungary will henceforth OBJ
serve regarding the submarine war
and as to whether the assurances
given by the Austro-Hungarian gov
eminent to the Washington cabinet,
in the course of negotiations about
the Ancona and Persia papers, have
not been nullihed by the aforemen-
toned statement. The Austro-Hun-
garian government is ready to make
a clear and definite statement that
these doubts may be solved.
England and The Hague.
THE Austro- Hungarian govern
ment may be allowed first of all to
discuss briefly the methods employed
by the entente powers in waging sub
marine war, because they are the
starting point for the intensified sub
marine war begun by Austria-Hun-
gary and its allies and also throw a
bright light upon the attitude which
the Austro-Hungarian government
has taken hitherto in regard to the
questions which have arisen. When
Great Britain. joined the war against,
the central powers only few years
had elapsed since that memorable
time when it, in union with other
states, began to lay the foundation
at The Hague for modern naval war
law. Soon afterward the British gov
eminent had assembled in Holland
representatives of the great sea pow
ers in order to consolidate the fur
Their work of The Hague conference,
especially in the sense of just ar
rangement between the interested bel
ligerents and neutrals. These eff
forts aimed at nothing else than the
mutual establishment OF principles of
right, which even in war times should
embody the principles of freedom OF
the seas and the safeguarding of the
interests of neutrals.
Britain Disregards Own Proposals.
"Neutrals were not to enjoy these
benefits for long. Hardly had the
United Kingdom decided to partici-
pate in the war when, almost at once,
it began to break down the barriers
which the principles of international
law had erected. While the central
powers. i'll the very beginning of the
war, had declared that they would
observe the Declaration of London,
which also bore the signature of the
British representative, Great Britain
threw overheard some of its impor-
tant provisions. In all endeavor to
cut off the central powers from sup
plies from overseas, it enlarged, step
by step, the list OF contraband until
nothing was missing in the list of
things which today men want for
their subsistence.
North Sea Blockade Illegal.
Then Great Britain proclaimed
what it called blockade of the coasts
of the North sea, which form also an
important commerce route for Austro-
Hungarians, in order to prevent goods
which were still missing in the list OF
contraband from entering Germany
and IN order to prevent all sea traffic
by neutrals to those coasts as we'll as
all exports brought neutrals. That
this blockade was in fragrant contra
diction to the customary principles of
the right of blockade as established
by international agreements was ex-
plicity declared by the president of
the United States of America in words
which will continue to live in the his
tory of international law.
by the illegal prevention of ex-
ports from the central powers Great
Britain aimed at paralyzing the count
less factories and works which the
industrial and highly developed peo-
pies of central Europe had created
and, by forcing workmen to be idle,
to incite them to rebellion.
When Austria Hungary's southern
neighbor joined the enemies of the
central powers, its first act was to
declare as blockaded all coasts of
the enemy, following, of course, the
example of its allies in ignoring all
the legal rights in the creation of
which Italy had taken an active part