The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-12
vTSCOUNT GRAY MUCH AGAINST
 SERVIIE HOUSE
(Continued from Page One)

l free in times of peace and Great Britain had placed no restrictions upon them. During the war the! American navy had aided the Brit ish navy in maintaining the block ade and Lord Grey thought the United States would use the same weapon, if necessity for 1t arose in the future. Without the blockade, he added, Germany might have won.
 The term freedom of the seas," he continued, was American in orig in and had been adopted by the Ger mans for their own purposes. He believed President Wilson meant freedom of the seas to all who join ed a. league of nations, but the phrase needed clearer definition.
 "This is a matter which, it is fear ed. may create difficulties between President wilson and the British government" he said. ''I think it is a great pity that so much has been said about the freedom of the seas without 1t being defined. It is true there Is considerable prejudice l against the phrase, largely due to the | fact that 1t is believed to be Ger man phrase. It is not German, but American. It was made in the United States and tho Germans adopted and used it for their own purposes in a sense to which we have never agreed. Hence it's unpopu- larity. But until President Wilson defines it and comes to discuss it with our government, there is no need to anticipate difficulty about an agreement as to what it means.
 Freedom of the seas in time of peaoe? If so, we agree. Wherever the British navy has been in posi- ton to exercise it's influence and pow CT on the seas in times of peace it has exercised that influence tmpar- tiarly for the freedom of the seas for all nations without distinction. The United States, think, has some rule forbidding foreign ships to carry goods between the United States and the PhTlirp!nes, Some other COun- tries have similar rules. We never had a regulation like that. We have been more completely for the free : dom of the seas in times of peace l than any other nation. However [ have used it for impartial freedom of 1 tho seas for every other nation as i much as for ourselves, and I think we ought to receive B little more 1 recognition than we do for the fact 1 that we have never used British naval ] power in times of peace to make the l use of the seas easier for ourselves ! without simultaneously making 1t ! easier for others on the same terms.
 "If the question is one of the free 1 dom of the seas H. times of war, then ! I would say this: the United States as we all most gratefully recognize, has taken part in the last two years ! of the war, Without tho United 1 States we could not have had the 1 success the Allies have now won, l cannot emphasize that too much nor { express too much admiration of 1t. | But since the United States entered | the war, she has not only aequiesced, ! but, I believe most strongly CO., operated, in carrying out ths block ade of Germany, In the early stages e3 sf1e war the blockade was not nearly so complete because the Unit ed States raised many questions about it, but in the later years of the conflict the blockade was made eon- pIete with the cooperation of the United State Without that block Ade success could not have been won. Indeed, without the blockade Ger
 many might have won,
 Suppose this situation should
 szist again, and it is impossible to
 suppose that the United States would
 gay the blockade which was so es-
 Sential for success should not be al- lowed, That would stultify. every
 hing America did in this war, Ii would really be an insult to the United States to suggest that she AVould in future advocate any course F1n 8 war such as this inconsistent with what she did in this war and pthat was the complete blockade of an offending nation. If this be so, we
 come to this, that probably what i! n President Wilson's mind is tha
 freedom of the seas should be se
 1uFed to any nation observing tht
 covenants of a league of nations ant Aihould be denied o0 any natioI s'orsakiHg these covenants, If that i
 hIe, then a league of nations is the so
 Button to the whole question and can
 lslot be discussed apart from it,
 "On these grounds, I believe ther' Enay be complete agreements between
 he tive countries only if a league 0
 nations is formed. I do not see Wh,
 This country should not accept tn
 orInh1la that if a league of nation
 $ formed there is to be complet
 freedom of the seas so long as tn
 Govenants of the league are observed
 FIlut if the covenants are brelzau the
 5here ie to be no freedom of the sea
 hend every means are to be use
 kstgaiRsk the power which has broke
 them"