Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-03-20
TAKING OVER HOLLAND SHIPS.
Government Finally VIII Act In Mat
ter of Shipping.

lana lear OF Germany tnf eat TO
sink them If they venture out, will
be brought in. the service OF the Uni
| ted States and Great Britain.
Unless The Netherlands govern
mcnt braves the menace of Ger
manys pressure and voluntarily ac-
cepts an agreement under which the
ships would he put in trade, the Uni
ted States and Great Britain will
take them over under international
law, availing themselves Of q s0ver-
eign right which Germany herself has
hitherto exercised under the same
authority.
Formal notice has been presented
to The Hague by the American and
British diplomatic representative Of
the allied governments intentions.
AS n result to-day, The Netherlands
minister, August Phillip, acting un-
der Instructions Of his government,
made a final and personal appeal to
President Wilson to at least modify
the decision.
The Associated Press is enabled to
state that the President saw no rea-
son for altering the decision, and
that unless the ships are turned over
by March IS Presidential procla-
nation will be issued taking over
the ships in American ports, OF which
there are about so. Many more,
however, are in British or other al
lied ports on the seven seas.
From the American official point
OF view, the action Is one into which
the allied governments have been
forced by the German duress Of Hol-
land, which may now see her ships
in trade again, and can point out to
Germany that they were taken
through no will of her own.
Considering Aftcr-War Trade.
Washington, March 14.-Ger-
many's latest campaign of ruthless
ness against neutral shipping is att
tributed by the war trade board in
statement tonight, to deliberate
plan for cutting off the North Euro
pean nations from America and al
lied food supplies and thereby reduc-
ing them through starvation to po-
litical and economic dependence upon
the Teutonic war lords.
While the board makes no refer
ence to the determination of the Uni
ted States and Great Britain, dis
closed tonight, to take over Dutch
ships In American and allied ports
unless The Netherlands government
accepts pending economic agree
ment, its statement throws interest
ing light upon the situation which
led to this decision. The hope is eX-
pressed that tho neutrals will con-
trast the respective attitudes Of the
United States and Germany toward
the problem Of feeding them. Fol
lowing is the statements:
To Starvc Ncutrals.
"Germany's war leaders are using
the submarine war weapon to pre-
vent fulfllment of American agree
ments to feed and relieve European
neutrals. A mass of cumulative ev-
idence and indications in the posses
sion of the war trade board shows
that Germany is employing the SUBJ
marine menace to prevent neighbor
neutrals receiving any food or favors
at the hands of the United States and
its associates in the war and to coerce
vol, n1> ,,t,
into political and economic depend
ence upon Germany quite as much as
to strike at the communications of
It's opponents---Germany ostensible
aim in proclaiming the ruthless sub
marine campaign.
Further indications tend to show
that the submarines are being used,
along similar dog-in-the-manger
lines, to destroy neutral shipping,
without regard to It's employment, in
order to weaken prospective neutral
competitors after the war and to drag
down neutral tonnage as far as pos
sible toward position to eqaulity
Cor inferiority) with the German
mercantile marine, which has lost be-
tween 80 and SO per cent of its
ocean tonnage, so that the neutral
traders may be equan. as badly off
as his German rival for tonnage In
the afterthe-war race for commerce.
Many "Mistakcs" Made.
"No other Interpretation can be
placed. for example, upon the repeat
ed instances Of destruction Of neu-
trail Danish ships on voyage between