The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-19
FREEDOMO SEAS
FOR
WARLESS FUTURE
tcontinued From First PaEs.l

for many years advocated this humane
and benetlcent principle, and is now in
a position to recommend IL to other
powers without the imputation Of self
ish motives"
Mr.. Roosevelt was successful in Sc
curing the adoption by congress Of a
Joint resolution on April rs, 1904, which
said:
THAT il is the sense of the congress-
Of the United States that IL is desir-
able, in the interests or uniformity of
action by the maritime states Of the
world in time Of war, mat the presi-
lent endeavor to bring about an un-
derstanding among the principal mari
time powers with a view Of ~incorporat-
ing into the permanent law of civilized
nations, the principle of the exemption
OF all private property at sea, not con-
traband OF war, from capture or de-
structiOn by belligerents."
II was Elihu Root, secretary of state
under President Roosevelt, who referred
to that resolution in his instructions to
the American delegates to the second
Hague peace conference. What Mr..
Root said on that Occasion is particu-
larly timely because he rs 10 be a mem
Der Of the American peace delegation
appointed by President Wilson. Mr..
Roots words are remarkably prophetic
OF what has actually happened and it
Is TO be noted that he did not hesitate
TO put his finger on the very thing
President Wilson at one time had
hoped to limit-the number Of articles
which can be declared contraband of
war. Said Mr.. Root with reference to
Mr., McKinley's original declaration:
Roots Viewpoint.
Whatever may be the apparent spe-
cific interest Of this or any other
country at the moment, the principle
thus declared is of such a permanent
and universal Importance that no bal
anCing Of the chances of probable loss
or gain In the immediate future on the
part OF any nation should be permitted
to outweigh the considerations of COM
mon benefit to civilization which call
for the adoption of such an agreement,
1T is Of the highest Importance that
not only the rights but the duties Of
heutrals shall be most clearly and dis
tinct!y defined and understood not only
because the evils which belligerent ma
lions bring upon themselves ought not
to be allowed to spread to their peace
full netghbors and inflict unnecessary
injury on the rest of mankind but be-
cause MISUNDERSTANDING regarding the
rights and duties OF neutrals constantly
tend to involve them IN controversy
with one or the other belligerents.
For both these reasons, special con
sideration should be given to an agree
ment upon what shall be deemed to
constitute c~ontraband of war. There
has been a recent tendency to extend
widely the list of articles to be treated
as contraband n It is probable that
II the belligerents themselves are to
determine at the beginning OF a war
what is contraband, this tendency will
continue until the list OF c%ontraband
is made to include a large proportion
of all the articles which are the sub
jeCt of commerce on the ground that
they will be useful to the enemy. When
this result is reached, especially II the
doctrine Of continuous voyages is
applied at the same time, the
doctrine Of free ships make free goods
and the doctrine that ~blockades In
order to be binding must be effective,
as well as any rule giving immunity to
the property of belligerents at sea will
be deprived Of a large part of their eff
feet, and we shall find ourselves going
backward instead Of forward In the eff
fort to prevent every war from becom-
ing universally disastrous.
The exception of Contraband of war
in the declaration Of Paris 1855 will
be SO expanded as to very largely de-
stroy the effect of the declaration. On
the other hand, resistance to this tend
endy toward the expansion Of the list
Of contraband ought not to be left to
the neutrals affected by 1t, at the very
moment when war exists because that
Is the process by which neutrals be-
como themselves involved in war. You
should do all in your power to bring
about an agreement as to what Is to
constitute c~ontraband; and it is very
desirable that the list should be lin
tied as narrowly as possible"
Veritable Forecast.
The above paragraphs, read in the
light OF Americas enforced entry into
the European war because Of a trans
gression Of neutral rights on the high
seas, constitute a remarkable forecast
of the condition In which neutrals
found themselves In the early periods
Of this war when German autocracy
obeyed nc rules Of civilized warfare
and not only violated sacred rights Of
the sea, but compelled Great Britain
and France to take steps for their W
protection, which did not correspond
to their own traditional views on the
subject Of neutral rights.
Indeed, the freedom of the seas, SO
far as war time Is concerned, should
never be a cause for friction between
the United States and Great Britain,
because the American delegation prob
ably would not ask for anything more
than the declaration made by Great