The Sentinel=record., 1918-04-13

Washington, April IT, Americas reply to the recent statement of the Netherlands government bitterly pre-
 testing against and denouncing the action of the United States in taking
 over Dutch ships in it's ports was made public tonight in the form of a mem
 orandum by Secretary Lansing, q copy of which has been sent to tho Netherlands legation.
 Pointing out that The Netherlands 1 government itself does not question the legality of the act, Mir. Lansing devotes himself to a demonstration
 that it was an act of necessity re- sulting from Germany's menacing at tltude, which prevented Holland from fulfilling her engagements and that instead of an injustice the step re- suits in real benefit to the Dutch ship owners and people. The memoran-
 cum follows:
 "The Netherlands government has issued a statement relative to th3 recent action of the government of the United States in putting into it's service for the period of the present war emergency certain privately own
 ed vessels of Netherlands registry lying within the territorial jurisdic- tion of the United States. While this
 action Is referred to as being 1nde- fensible from the standpoint of inter- national law. the statement of the Netherlands government does not argue the question of legality. Nor is this government disposed to do so. The practice of nations and the opin- ion of jurists on the right of bel ligerent to utilize all vessels which come voluntarily and unconditiongally within it's jurisdiction are sufficien tly
 well known to render citation of precedent and of authority unneces- sary. But as The Netherlands gov ernment themselves suggest ouf' action must be subjected to a finer test than that of mere legality. It matters very little that our act be legal if, as alleged, 1t violates tra-I ditional friendship and Is inconsist-
 ent with right and justice.
 The Netherlands government first
 declares that the very presence of
 Dutch ships in our ports resulted from our detention of them with an unfriendly hand. While our right to lrefuse bunkers and cargo licenses is conceded, friendship, it Is said, should have led to the granting of special privileges in favor of the subjects of friendly state. Our own supply of bunker coal at seaboard has been in adequate for our pressing national needs. The cargoes which were de-
 manded were largely of grain, of which our own reserves are all too
 low. The bunker, if granted, would
 have served to carry this grain to The 1 Netherlands, where, as events have | demonstrated, it was not then needed, | and where it would only have served
 to release equivalent foodstuffs for the
 enemy. Such action upon our part,
 whatever it's intention, would in fact have been an act beneficial to the
 enemy and having no relation to our 1 friendship to The Netherlands.
 The owners of Dutch ships were, l however, unwilling that their ships perform any other services than those
 which # was clearly impossible for us
 10 facilitate and the ships of this
 maritime nation accordingly lay idle 1 for many months and until the con
 cluson on January 25. 1918. of the
 temporary shipping agreement which
 was proposed hv The Netherlands commissioners at London ana ac-