The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-04-01
RESOLUTION ON
SHIP SEIZURES
HITS COOLIDGE
Inquiry Reveals Secret
Understanding
BY LAURENCE TODD,
Federated Press.

WASHINGTON, March so-Behind
Sen. 6orah's resolution requesting the
state department. to furnish informa.
ton as to the status Of the American
claims against the British government
for seizure Of American ships and car.
goes while the united States was
neutral in the World War Is a mys.
terry. Coolidge and Kellogg can
solve II.
Why did the state department. and
the Administrations lose interest in
these claims? Was 1t, by any chance,
due to secret understanding between
Hughes, Mellon and Stanley Baldwin,
now British premier, at the time they
reached an agreement on the British
war debt to America? Were private
claims amounting to millions of dol
lars for losses OF goods and ships lille
gaily seized by the British blockading
fleet in 1914-17 secretly abandoned by
the American government? If not,
why has the dust collected ON the
records of these cases ever since the
British debt commission came to
Washington, in the Harding admins
tration? And why has Secretary KEEL
logg, coming into the cabinet by way
of the London embassy, been so Sc
renely oblivious to their existence?
NERVOUS Nell" Wants Time.
Letters began to reach Borah some
time ago asking whether the legal
principles in dispute between the Brit
ish government and Former Secretary
Lansing during those years of block
ade had been settled. If so, the letter
writers wanted to know whether Ian
sings firm stand for the right Of
Americans to trade with Europe had
been upheld. Borah has set out to
learn. Thus far he has discovered
that Secretary Kellogg wants time in
which to prepare the information.
Plenty Of Information.
Three big volumes, in the series
Diplomatic Correspondence Between
the United States and Belligerent
Governments Relating to Neutral
Rights and Commerce" contain the
letters, cablegrams and memoranda
exchanged between Washington and
London regarding the seizure and con-
fiscation of this American property.
American ships bound for Holland,
Denmark and Norway were contin-
ually being stopped by British naval
vessels and taken into Kirkwall or
other British ports for examination
and often for action by British prize
courts. These acts by the British
were deeply resented by the American
shippers and by many congressman
and senators. The state department
was indignant, inits press talks, at va
rious incidents Of British capture OF
these ships and cargoes. The tone OF
much correspondence is indicated by
Lansing's note to the British ambas-
sador, on May 10, 1916, in which Lam
sing quotes Sir Edward Grey's warn
ing that "the immunity from capture
at present enjoyed by the American
Transatlantic company's vessels can
only be continued provided that an
assurance is given by the company
that the vessels will not trade with
Scandinavia or Holland"
Lansing Wanted Information.
Lansing tells Grey's envoy that "un-
der these circumstances, before CIV
ing further consideration to the mat
ters referred to in your note, would
like to be informed whether, as would
appear from your note, 1t is the in
tention Of the British government to
repudiate their promise respecting the
treatment of these vessels which in
good faith has been relied upon by
this government and by the owners OF
these vessels"
Borah wants to know whether the
administration silence of the past
few years on these claims means that
the British may henceforth seize or
control the movements OF American
commerce at will.