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The Commoner
VOL. 15, NO. 2
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result In lntonse bitterness and might cause an
undesirable, if not a serious situation. On tho
other hand, contracts for and sales olf contraband
are more matters of trade. The manufacturer,
unless peculiarly sentlmental would sell to ono
belllgdrent as readily as ho would to another.
No general spirit of partisanship Is aroused no
ympathles excited. The wholo transaction is
merely a matter of business.
This government has not been advised that
any general loans havo been made by foreign
governments in this country since the president
expressed his wish that loans of this character
should not bo made.
(14) Submission to arrest of jiutlvo born
Americans on neutral vessels and in British
and their imprisonment.
Tito gonoral charge as to the arrost of American-born
citizens on board neutral vessels and in
British ports, the ignoring of their passports, and
their confinement in jails, requires evidence to
support it. That there havo been cases of in
justice of this sort is unquestionably true, but
Americans in Germany have suffered in this way
as Americans havo in Great Britain This gov
ernment has considered that the majority of
these cases resulted from over-zealousness on
the part of subordinate oflldalB in both coun
tries. Every case which has been brought to the
attention of the department of state, has been
promptly investigated, and, if the facts warrant
ed, a demand for release has been made.
(IB) Indifference to confinement of non
combatants in detention camps in England and
France.
As to the detention of non-combatants con
findd in concentration camp3, all the belligerents,
with perhaps the exception of Sorvia and Russia,
have made similar complaints, and those for whom
this government Is acting have ashed Investiga
tions, which representatives of this government
havo made impartially. Their reports have shown
that the treatment of prisoners is generally as
good as possible under the conditions in all
countries, and that there is no more reason to
say that they are mistreated in one country than
in another country, or that this government has
manifested an indifference in the matter. As this
department's efforts at investigations seemed to
develop bitterness between the countries, the de
partment on November 20 sent a circular in
struction to its representatives not to undertake
further investigation of concentration camps.
But at the special request of the German gov
ernment that Mr. Jackson, former American min
ister of Bucharest, now attached to the Amer
ican embassy at Berlin, make an investigation
of the prison camps in England, in addition to
the investigations already made, the department
has consented to dispatch Mr. Jackson on this
special mission.
(1G) Failure to prevent, transshipment of
British troops and war materials across the ter
ritory of tho United States.
The department has had no specific case of the
passage of convoys of troops across American
territory brought to its notice. There have been
rumors to this effect, but no actual facts havo
been prosented. EJie transshipment of reserv
ists pf all belligerents who have requested tho
privilege, has been permitted on condition that
they travel as individuals and not as organized,
uniformed or armed bodies. The German em
bassy has advised the department that it would
not be likely to avail itself of the privilege, but
Germany's ally, Austria-Hungary, did so.
Only one case raising the question of the tran
sit of war material owned by a bellicoront across
United States territory has come to tho depart-
ment's notice. This ,was a request on the part
of tho Canadian government for permission to
ship equipment across Alaska to the sea. The
request was refused.
V (17) Treatment and final internment of Ger
man steamship "Geier" and the collier "Lock
sun1' at Honolulu.
The Geier entered Honolulu on October 16th
in an unseaworthy condition. The commanding
officer reported the necessity of extensive repairs
which would require an indefinite period for
completion. The vessel was allowed tho gener
ous period of three weeks to November 7th to
make repairs and leave the port, or failing to do
so, to be interned. A longer period would have
been contrary to international practice, which
does not permit a vessel to remain for a long
time in a neutral port for tho purpose of repair-
Ing a generally run down condition due to long
tea service. Soon after the German cruiser ar
rived at Honolulu a Japanese cruiser appeared
ft the port and the commander of the Geier
-.'',.''
chose to Intern tho vessel rather than to depart
from tho harbor.
Shortly after tho Gier entered the port or
Honolulu tho steamer Iiockaun arrived. It was
found that this vessel had delivered coal to the
Geier en route and had accompanied her toward
Hawaii. As she had thus constituted herself a
tender or collier to tho Geier she was accorded
tho same treatment and interned on November
7 th.
(18) Unfairness to Germany in rules rolotivo
to coaling: of warships in Panama Canal zono.
By proclamation of November 13, 1914,, cer
tain special restrictions were placed on the coal
ing of warships or their tenders or colliers in
tho canal zono. These regulations were framed
through the collaboration of the state, navy and
war departments and. without the slightest ref
erence to favoritism to the belligerents. Before
these regulations were proclaimed, war vessels
could procure coal of the Panama Railway in
tho zono ports, but no belligerent vessels are
known to have done so. Under the proclama
tion, fuel may bo taken on by belligerent war
ships only with the consent of the canal author
ities, and in such amounts as will enable them
to reach the nearest accessible neutral port; and
tho amount so taken on shall be deducted from
tho amount procurable in tho United States ports
within three months thereafter.
Now, It Is charged the United States has
shown partiality, because Great Britain and not
Germany happens to have colonies in the near
vicinity where British ships may coal, while Ger
many has no such coaling facilities. Thus it is
intimated the United States should balance the
inequalities of geographic position by refusing to
allow any warshipa of belligerents to coal in the
canal until the war is over. As no German war
ship has sought to obtain coal in the canal zone
the charge of discrimination rests upon a possi
bility which during several months of warfare
has failed to materialize.
(19) Foilnro to protest against the modifi
cations of tho Declaration of London by the Brit
ish Government.
The German foreign office presented to the
diplomats in, Berlin a memorandum dated Oc
tober 1.0th, calling attention to violations of,, and
changes in, the Declaration of London by the
British government, and inquiring as to the at
titude' of the United States toward such action
on the part of tho allies. The substance of the
memorandum was forthwith telegraphed to the
department on October 22nd, and was replied to
shortly thereafter to the effect that tho United
States had withdrawn its suggestion, made early
in the war, that for the sake of uniformity, the
Declaration of London should be adopted as a
temporary code of naval warfare during the pres
ent war, owing to the-unwillingness of the bel
ligerents to accept tho Declaration without
changes and modifications, and that thenceforth
the United States would, insist that the rights ol
the United States and its citizens in the war
should be governed by tho existing rules of in
ternational law.
As 1;his government Is not now interested in
the adoption .of the Declaration of London by the
belligerents, the modifications by the belliger
ents in that code of naval warfare are of no con
cern to it except as they adversely affect the
rights of the United States and those of its cit
izens as defined by international law. Insofar
as those rights havo been infringed the depart
ment has made every effort to obta'i redress for
the losses sustained.
(20) General unfriendly attitnrfa of nnvAm.
mqnt toward Germany and Austria.
if any American citizens, partisans of Germany
and Austria-Hungary, feel that this administra
tion is acting in a way injurious to the cause of
those countries, this feeling results from the
fact that on the high seas the German and Aus-tro-Hungarian
naval power is thus far inferior
to the British. It Is the business of a belligerent
operating on the high seas, not the duty of a
neutral, to prevent contraband from reaching an
enemy. Those in this country, who sympathize
with Germany and Austria-Hungary, appear to
assume that some obligation rests upon this gov
ernment, in the performance of its neutral duty
to prevent all trade in contraband, and thus to
equalize the difference due to the relative naval
strength of the belligerents. No such obligation
exists; it would be an unneutral act, an act of
partiality on the part of this government, to
adopt such a policy if the executive had the pow
er to do so. If Germany and Austria-Hungary
can not Import contraband from this country it
is not, because of that fact, the duty of the
United States to close its markets to the allies.
Tho markets of this country are. open upon equal
terms to all the world, to every nation, belliger
ent or neutral.
The foregoing categorical replies to specific
complaints is sufficient answer to the charge of
unfriendliness to Germany and Austria- Hungary.
I am, my dear senator,
Very sincerely yours,
W. J. BRYAN.
Honorable William J. Stone,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign4 Relations,
United States Senate, '
Washington, D. C. ' '
NEUTRALITY
Chicago Tribune: Mr. Bryan's le.tter to Senator
William J. Stone may not allay prejudiced opin
ion which confuses the obligations of neutrality
with the offices of partisanship, but i will com
mend itself to the unprejudiced as sane and con
vincing. Mr. Bryan has been accused of bias, but we
are certain that in his case, as in the case of
, President Wilson, distress caused by the Euro
pean conditions makes no distinctions. Repug
nance to war and sympathy for all the victims of
it dominate Mr. Bryan's emotions, and we 'think
he is justly entitled to a defense against tho
charge that he personally is an advocate, and
that, whether in consequence or not, the admin
istration adjusts its policies to favor one and in
jure another set of combatants.
The issue is already troublesome, and might
become dangerous, there being elements in our
citizenship naturally and violently partisan, and
therefore incapable of the clear thinking they
would give a question which did not appeal so
powerfully to their emotions.
The statement of this government's policy with
regard to the nations at war may help compose
or it may tend to aggravate our controversies at
home, but it certainly will reassure the citizen
whose one demand is for neutrality that the ad
ministration has no 'intent other than to pre
serve it
Mr. Bryan explains that in many cases -in
which the United States comes in contact with
the belligerents there are no international con
ventions, and our government relies upon inter
national law and precedents. Consistency has a
real value here, and the administration with
justice applies not only the rules which the
United States itself has made in war but the
rules which the warring governments them
selves have made or recognized in the past.
Strong opposition to the sale of munitions of
war to belligerents has come not only from the
naturally prejudiced but from persons whose
sentiment is outraged by the thought of this
commercial participation in the killing of men.
The German government would not recognize
such a sentiment as controlling, and Mr. Bryan,
by quoting from a memorandum presented by
the German ambassador, at the direction of his
government, shows that Germany has not ob
jected to such trade, but has conceded the rights
of belligerents and neutrals in it.
In dealing with Mexico we put an embargo on
munitions of war, but that was not the act of a
neutral nation. It was the act of one interven
ing indirectly in tho war to bring about a certain
result.
..xxu n tvcio uuuuyymg vera uruz, aitnougn
not at war with Mexico, a shipment of German
arms, which would have been contraband if
there had been a state of war, reached its Mex
ican consignees and would have been used
against our troops if they had been obliged to
undertake more extensive operations.
Mr. Bryan makes it plain that if a neutral
by embargo endeavors to take away the results
of an advantage given a belligerent by the su
periority of one of its military factors it has
ceased to be neutral and has become a partici
pant. Naval superiority confers an advantage in
the procuring of contraband. The United States
has been asked, but not by any belligerent, to
minimize this advantage and thereby become a
factor in the struggle, ceasing to be neutral.
There have been vexed questions in our rela
tions with the nations at war. Mr. Bryan dis
cusses many of them. There undoubtedly will
arise more and more of them, but the adminis
ll HB anBwer gives us confidence to believe
tnat the government's Intent is to mind Amer
ican business strictly and give cause to no just
complaint. , .
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