Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-10

EXPECT U. S. TO
PROTEST plan
Of Prize COURT
Freedom of Seas Laws Is In
volved In Return of Ameri-
can Goods Seized by
England.
By JAY JEROME WILLIAMS.


Washington, Jan. o.--Great Brit
ain has finally decided to release
American canned goods seized dur
ing the war. The releases are to
be granted upon such terms as the
prize court may regard as just the
announcement said.
lnasmuch, however, as it was the
unwarranted acts of this same prize
court which practically brought the
United States to the verge of open
conflict with Great Britain, shortly
before this country entered the war
on the side of the allies, it is expect
ed that there will be many protests
from the American corporations in
question. Believing that the British
government violated every precept
of international law in the seizure Of
their goods, it is hardly likely that
they will accept as final the price to
be arrived at by the prize court in
payment of the same.
State Department Mum.
Whether or not the American
government is willing to accept the
decision of the British foreign Office
and submit to the authority of the
prize court in the matter of payment
for American goods is question
which remains unanswered
If this government does accept
the British view it means that every
contention raised by the American
government at the time it was using
all means to effect the release of the
American goods is admitted now to
have been worthless. And in the
opinion of certain authorities here
it means that international law will
have to be rewritten with the, oblit-
Grafton of any idea of the freedom
of the seas.
No Estimate Given.
The State department. was unable
to estimate the total amount of the
American claims against the British
government. The Department of
Commerce, 1t is reported, has sent
to the State department a complete
tabulation of all the claims and the
estimated value of the seized goods.
They are believed Nto total more
than $l00,000,000. t,H
When Great Britain, through con-
fscation, and the Inauguration of
BLACK list" began its campaign
against American goods which it be-
lieved were destined ultimately for
Germany the United States protest
ed. Great Britain would not take
the position that it had instituted a
blockade, but rested its case entirely
ON the question of contraband., Then
the American, government took the
position that there would have to
be a blockade and upon receipt Of
] this note England admitted a block
ade had been put in effect. To this
the United States replied that to be
a blockade it must be effective and
cited the failure of the British to
interfere with shipments from Scan
dinavian countries to Germany.
u. S. Enters War. q
1t was at this point, however, that
America entered the war and
/ the negotiations were practically
dropped. Indeed, this government
in the course. OF the war practically
adopted the same methods which
the British had used, and because of
this reason some credence was given
to the belief that we had acquiesced
! in the British decision.
1t was in last August, when the
economic blockade of Germany was
lifted that the American government
again attempted to bring about the
release of the American goods, but
its efforts were OF no avail until the
present time.