The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-10-10
Freedom Of the Seas as Sabotage

$1,000 1919 ~ "sfeP
d Freedom Of the Seas as Sabotage
2 A possibly serious issue has been injected into the
naval limitation conference situation BY Senator Borah.
1.-The Idahoan and chairman of the senate foreign at
sfairs committee wants the matter OF the freedom Of
,.thc seas considered in the London conference which it
thas been decided shall open January 20.
S The United States and England once fought q war
over this issue, that or 1872. without settling it. During
Our civil war it kept the two nations dangerously near
qbecoming embroiled. One war probably STAYED off an
s1.her. in fact. England then stood for the freedom OF
fhc seas, SO that her swift blockade runners could run
icargoes to the aid OF the Confederacy out Of the near
by port Of Nassau. The United States protested this
method Of supplying the southern states with contra
band which allowed them to prolong the war. A good
deal Of the bitterness over what happened in this connec.
Zion found its way into the pressure with which the
United States forced the arbitration OF its Alabama
claims. resulting III a verdict against Great Britain for
tl5OOO,o 600.
l The basis OF the issue III 1872 was the inpressment Of
American sailors into the crews Of English men of war.
That practice has died out. but the attitude Of the two
nations on the question OF the freedom to be allowed neu-
trail commerce BY belNgerents in time OF war still remains
10 DC brought up at some conference table.
Senator Ec1ah wants it to como UP concurrently with
the discussion at London Of naval limitation. Prime Min
lister Macdonald docs not want the old specte- to In
lTuue. las government IS IN TIE minority as Tar as his
Own party, the Labor party. is concerned and the issue
could hardly serve q purpose other than to create trouble
fer the premier, possibly result in the overthrow Of the
Labor regime. A pretty kettle OF fish that would be for
him. his followers and for President Hoover. The whole
scheme Of naval reduction on . basis Of parity between
the United States an = n smashed by divided coun-
sells over : waif left @" the doorstep. It is doubtful that
President II Dover vi" land for the injection Of the mat.
ter at this time.
IN the event that Senator Boral is turned down he
can make a great deal Of trouble from his vantage place
OF foreign relations chairman in the senate, when the
results OF the naval conference are brought before it.
Thus a very ticklish situation confronts the president
and the premier.
For England the power TO interfere with commerce OF
n ,utrals in any war in which it is engaged is rather
vital from the British viewpoint. The strength Of Eng
laid has consisted III her navy. its tremendous power to
blockade an enemy and starve him into subsection. It Is
not conceivable that the English people ever under pres
ent nature Of war will be willing to forego that advan-
tage.
It was in accord with this principle Of what England
conceives to be international law that American ships
were ~interfered with in the carly part Of the World war,
before the United States joined in the cause of the Allies.
England held that. while their cargoes might be in
tended for other %neutrals, these neutrals were so located
that their ports were merely bases for contraband sup
plies reaching Germany-as the ports Of Norway and
Sweden. nd almost every conceivable type of raw prod
ucts and manufactured goods had become through the
highly technical character Of modern war articles OF
England, in fact, cleverly adopted and adapted q prin-
ciple laid down by this country in the Civil war-that Of
the doctrine Of continuous voyage" This contention
against contraband shipped ostensibly for the Ba-
hamas but in reality destined for the South Atlantic ports
OF the Confederacy, was vigorously advanced by the Lin
coin administration in Minister Adams protests at ST.
James against the virtual alliance Of England with the
cause Of the Southern states against the Union. In the
World war 1t came back to yex American diplomacy In
its protests against the hish-handed policy OF Great
Britain In interfering with American cargoes for the
neutrals OF Europe. The friction 1t entailed will be re.
membered. Il might have led to serious diplomatic strife.
had It not been submerged by American entry into the
war.
4 thus will be seen that Senator Borah has poised 4
monkey wrench to hurl into the delicate diplomatic ma.
chinery which is to function in the proposed naval con-
ference. With revelations such Is have come out Of the
Ghearer propaganda and lobby investigation It was diff
cult TO expect that the naval conference would escape ali
sabotage. This already seems to be impending.