The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-29
QUOTES ADMIRAL SCOTT

Admiral Sir Percy Scott, man whose
opinion carried weight. took up the
same attitude in the Times" OF July
IS 1914. He wrote:
Such a decree--a blockade by means
of mines and submarines-wouid in my
opinion be quite regular; and If Eng
lish and neutral vessels were to Ignore
the decree and attempt to break
through the blockade, one could not
saw that they were following the peace
full pursuits; were they to be destroyed
in the attempt, we could not designate
it as a relapse into saVaSery' VI PiA"os
in it's worst form.
we were within our rights, as far
as the submarine war was concerned,
in adopting such measures as we con
sidered necessary to serve our purpose
in the war, so long as they were In
accordance with the laws of humanity
and showed due regard for neutrals.
W. found the right solution and no
criticism can make any difference, as
! the future will prove.
THE WAR OF STARVATION"
At the very beginning of the war
England, in total disregard to~inter-
national law, started the war OF starva-
ton against Germany and austria
Hungary. This strangling hunger
blockade was intended 50 to debilitate
the body as to prepare the mind for
the poison of propaganda England nau
another aim; to make war against
the children still unborn, SO tnat
physically inferior race might arise II,
Germany. more gruesome hieehoo
cannot be imagined.
England acted with memorable con-
lsistency. as so often before in her cruel
| history SCtep by step. and OF set pur-
pose the English government, by oroers
in council of August 20 and OCTOBER ~,
| 1914 and other economic and mliitdiy
i all
Tthe German harbors all imports through
| neutral countries and even the I'M
| mort of the products of neutral coun-
tries into Germany
The trump card was the proclamation
| of the North Sea as "a War zone on
November 2, 1914. The northern APP
/ nroacbes to the North Sea were there
.by completely cut off, and the. neutral
| trading vessels were compelled to go
| through the Channel close to the Eng
lish coast, and could then only proceeu
/ in one direction, right across the North
! Sea. And yet at the beginning OF the
var England had declared that she
r-o,,1d IL principle accept the conven-
| tion of the Declaration of London as
= nor standard of action. Her attitude in
the years before the war was also quite
different
I BLOCK AIDE "UNLAWFUL"
With the declaration ola war zone
| she had allowed 1t to be understood
| that she would no longer consider her-
| self bound by the regulations OF cruiser
warfare as laid down by the prize
| courts and also that she considered
herself justified in the adoption OF
| violent measures against trafflc IN the
war zone Germany was therefore
blockaded, although there was no law
! full BLOCKADE. The only reason why q
| true blockade was ineffective, accord1
| ing TO the rules of naval warfare, waf'
| that England was powerless to hinde@
| traffic insfhe Baltic
| The German declaration of a war
| zone" on February 4, 1915, only slm{-
| lar measure to the English precedent,
gave England an excuse for further
| severity in the economic war against
| the Central Powers. In the famous
order in council OF March IL. 1915. she
declared her intention of seizing all
! ships entering or leaving Germany. All
| goods intended for Germany, or export
! ed from there, as well as all goods in
German ownership, or OF German
origin, even if the property of neutrals,
could henceforth be taken from neutral
| ships.
| might BEFORE RIGHT
| This was another unexampled in
lstance of putting might before right.
England justified herself by declaring
| this procedure to be an act of reprisal
! against the submarine wsrfare COM
menced In February. 1915. This de-