Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-04-01
DUTCH PEEvED
Over Seizure of Ships
By Americans
IAN Act Of Violence Which II Will
Oppose With All the Energy of Its
Conviction and Its Wounded Ma
tional Feeling"

The Hague, Saturday. March 3o.-The
| seizure of the Dutch merchantmen in
American ports is characterized by the
Dutch government in a statement in the
Official Go=ette as IAN act of violence
which It will oppose with all the energy
! 0 its conviction and its wounded ma
tional feeting.
! The government takes issue with the
, proclamation of President Wilson re-
garding the decision of the United
states. saying it contains assertions
winch are contrary to the facts. The
statement says the Dutch nation with
PAINFUL surprise has taken notice of
President Wilson's proclamation and
that the seizure of a neutral mercantile
ileet Is unjustfiable
The statement says:
With painful surprise, the govern
Hleht OF the Dutch nation has taken no.
ice OF the presidential proclamation ana
the statement of March 20 relative TO
the seizure of p. TT of the Dutch mer-
chant fleet
lhe seizure enbloc of a neutral mer-
camille fleet if only for the duration f
me war is an ace indefensible from the
viewpoint OF international law, and un-
Justinable towards a friendly nation,
apart from consideration of legality.
But the manner also in which the
presidential statement defends this act
VI violence does not contribute towards
lessening the sting thereof, for this de-
tense has plainly been drawn I'D under
the influence of complete incorrect rem
fesentation of affairs
The manner in which the Dutch
merchant fleet has been treated Il,
past months in the United States, tue
.hcessant difficulties placed in the way
81 our sailinSs from American ports,
repeated reiusals Of hunkering facll-
i'ies and forced unloading of cargues
already boueht--all this may be with
IN the rights of the United States
'savc one case. that Of the Zeelandia,
winch with her own bunker coal en-
tered an American port and has beea
Lnlawfully detained there since.)
1T surely was against the tradition
81 friendship between the two coun-
tries. although on this point the pres
idential stateme' u keeps silence.
According to ..Eesident Wilson's
proclamation The Netherlands. entire
~ to German pressure. failed to OBJ
serve the preliminary arrangement
which was proposed for the purpose
q leaving no longer idle the Dutch
tonnage i'll American ports and fur
flshlns an opportunity for making
voyages within period Of 80 days,
pending definite agreement on
l'utch tonnage in American ports and
furnishing an opportunity for making
voyages within a period Of 90 days,
pending definite agreement on Dutch
tonnage rationing. This is distinctly
incorrect. IT is equally as incorrect as
the allegation that Germany mad
threatened to sink two ships which
were to sail from Holland with Amer
ica's approval and that Germany had
made increasing threats to prevent
both the observance Of such pre-
llminary arrangement and the con-
clusion of z permanent one.
The statement continues at great
length reviewing the negotiations
with the Allies prior to the taking
over of the ships and setting forth
the position of The Netherlands. The
statement says that The Netherlands
could not consent, as a neutral coun-
try. to the use of it's ships in the
submarine zone unless the Allies
agreed that the ships should not be
armed.
The charge is made that President
Continued on Page 4-Col. %