New-York tribune., 1918-11-27
''The Freedom of the Seas"


President Wilson intends to sail next
week for France Is he going to carry
with him, locked up in >his bosom, the
meaning of his demand on the peace con-
ference for "the freedom of the seas"?
The President has injected this phrase
into the peace council; but he has never
offered any definition of it. The second
Of his fourteen peace conditions reads:
H. Absolute freedom of navigation upon
the seas outside territorial waters, alike
in peace and in war, except the seas
may be closed in whole or in part by in
ternational action for the enforcement Of
international covenants
The Allied governments could not IN
tefpret this language When they ac-
cepted Germany's proposal to make peace
on the basis of Mr.. Wilson's fourteen
articles they felt obliged to reserve as
sent to stipulation which they did not
understand. In a memorandum which
they sent to Washington this notice was
given:
They the Allied powersl must point
out, however that Clause 2, relating to
what is usually described as the freedom
Of the seas, is open to various interpreter
tions, some of which they could not ac-
cept. They must therefore reserve to
themselves complete freedom on this sub
ject when they enter the peace confer
ence
In his note OF November to the Ger
man government, transmitting the Allied
memorandum and announcing that Mar
shall Foch was ready to discuss armistice
terms, Secretary Lansing said: Il am in
structed by the President to say that he
is in agreement with the Interpretation
set forth in the last paragraph of the
memorandum quoted" The last para
graph covered the additional Allied de-
mand for compensation for damage done
to the civilian populations Of the Allies
and their property by German land, sea
and air operations This language seemed
to imply that the President was not in
agreement with the Allied reservation on
the subject of the freedom of the seas.
At all events, the Allies do not know
what President Wilson meant by free
dom of navigation upon the seas outside
territorial waters, alike in peace and in
war" Nor does the American public
know. Yet everybody ought to be per-
mitted to know, according to the Presi-
dents own declarations in behalf Of open
diplomacy.
Article l Of the fourteen conditions
says: Diplomacy shall proceed always
frankly and IN the public View" Why.
then, have we not had long ago an off,
cial elucidation Of the meaning of Para
graph II?
In his peace without victory" address
to Congress on January %, 1917. Mr..
Wilson said: "The paths of the sea must
alike in law and in fact be free. The
freedom of the seas is the sine ozuz non,
OF peace, equality and cooperation"
de also said; "No doubt, a somewhat
practical reconsideration Of many Of the
rules OF international practice hitherto
sought to be established may be neces-
sary IN order to make the seas indeed
Tree and common in practically all cir
cumstances for the use of mankind but
1ne motive for such changes is convinc-
ing and compelling"
These are grandiose ideas. Ye+ Tbo
EVenang Post is still trying to convince
'tsen and the country that all the Presi-
dent has in mind is the immunity Of non-
coneraoand private property at sea. Re-
cent developments of belligerent power at
sea nave made such immunity of infn;-
teslmal value. SO long as a belliperent
has the right to extend the contraband
list indefinitely, to impose direct and in
direct biockades, TO refuse coal to neutral
shipping and to take over practically the
merchant marines of all neutral nations
the immunity of private property at sea
remains shrunken legal abstraction
The programme which Mr.. Wilson
stands for, says The Post, "has nothing
whatever to do with the right of naval
blockade or the definition of contraband -
Then it cannot guarantee anything but
shadow Of neutral sea rights 1t can
not make the seas any freer than thew
were when the war ended, with all the
commerce Of the world under the military
. control Of the Allies.
Can Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Lansing he
suppoged TO be advocating so minute an
alteration in the code of sea warfare? 1t
seems incredible, in view Of the presi-
acnt's spacious phrascology.
Every intelligent student Of interna-