Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-13
FREEDOM OF
 THE SEA IS
 OYERTALKED
Lord Grey Says England Favors Freedom of the Sea in Time of Peace.

Dewsbury, England, Dec. 11.-A league of nations is the solution of the question of freedom of the seas" and Great Britain and the United States can reach complete agree ment on that question by joining such a league, declared Viscount Grey, former foreign secretary, in a speech here tonight.
 The seas, Viscount Grey said, were free in times of peace and Great Bri- tain has placed no restrictions upon them. During the war. the Ameri- can Navy has aided the British navy in maintainy the blockade and Lord Grey thought that the United States would use the same weapon if neces- sity for it arose in the future. With out the blockade, he added, Ger many might have won.
 The term ,,fraedom of the seas '' he continued, was American in ori- gin and has been adopted by the Germans for their own purposes. He believed President Wilson meant free dom of the seas to all who joined league of nations, bNt the phrase needed clearer definition.
 Continuing, the Viscount said:
 ''This is a matter which it is fear ed may create difficulties between President Wilson and the lBl,itish government. 1 think it is great pity that so much has been said about the freedom of the seas with out being defined. It IS true there is considerable prejudice against the phrase largely due to the fact that it is believed to be a German phrase. It. is not German, but American. Ut was made in the United States and the Germans adopted and used it for their own purposes in sense to which we have never agreed. Hence it's unpopularity. But until President Wilson defines it and comes to dis cuss it with our government, there is no need to anticipate difficulties about an agreement as to what It means.
 Freedom of the seas in times O. peace? If so, we agree. Wherever the British navy has been in position to exercise it's influence and power on the seas in times of peace it has exercised that influence impartially 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 Philippines Some other countries have rules of the same kind We never had a regulation like that. We have been more completely for the freedom of the seas in times of peace than any other nation. However great our sea power has been, we have used it for impartial freedom of the seas for every other nation as much as for ourselves and 1 think we ought to receive little more recog- hilton than we do for the fact that we have never used the British naval power in times of peace to make the use of the seas esier for ourselvs without simultaneously making it easier for others on the same terms
 "If the question is one of the free dom of the seas in times of war, then 1 would say this The United States as7 we all most gratefully recognize, has taken part in the last two years of the war. Without the United Sta- tes we could not have had the suc- cess the allies have now won. cannot emphasize that much nor eX- press too much admiration of it. But since the United States entered the war she has not only acquiesced, but, l believe, most strongly co-operated in carrying out the blockade of Germany. In the early stages of the war the blockade was not nearly so complete because the United States raised many questions about it, but in the later years of the conflict the blockade was made complete with the cooperation of the United States Without that blockade, success could not have been won. lndeed> without the blockade Germany might have won r.n, i,
 Suppose this situation. should ex- ist again, and it is impOsitle to suppose that the United States would say that the blockade which was so es5enetial to success, should not be allowed That would .stultify every thing that America dfd in this war. It would really be an insult to the United States to suggest that she would in future advocate any course in war such as this inconsistent with what she did in this war, and that was the complete blockade of an offending nation. Ifs this be so, we come to this, that probably what was in President Wilson's mind is that freedom of the seas should be secured to any nation observing the covenants of league of nations and should be denied to any nation break ing those covenants. If that is SO, then a league of nations is the solu- tion to the whole question and can not be discussed apart from it"
 AMERICAN PRISONERS
 LEAVE FOR GENEVA Geneva, Wednesday, Dec. 11.-CRy The Associated Press. )-The last con-