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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1915)
"UY U The Commoner FEBRUARY, 1915 tional contraband. As the government of the. United States has in the past placed "all articles from which ammunition is manufactured" in its contraband list, and has declared copper to he among such materials, it necessarily finds some embarrassment in dealing -with, the subject. Morepver, there is no instance of the United States acquiescing in Great Britain's seizure of copper shipments. In every case, in which it has been done, vigorous representations have been made to thef British government, and the representatives of the United States have pressed for the release of the shipments. (6) Submission without protest to intcrfcr oncp with American trade to neutral countries in conditional and absolute contraband.. The fact that the commerce of the United States is interrupted by Great Britain is conse quent upon the superiority of her navy on the high seas. History shows that whenever a coun try has possessed that superiority, our trade has been interrupted and that few articles essential to the prosecution of the war have been allowed to reach its enemy from this country. The de partment's recent note to the British government, which has been made public, in regard to deten tions and seizures of American vessels .and car goes, is a complete answer to this complaint. Certain other complaints appear aimed at the loss of profit in trade, which must include at leapt in part trade in contraband with Germany; while other complaints demand the prohibition of trade in contraband, which appears to refer to trade with the allies. (7) Submission without pr-'ast to interrup tion of trade in conditional contraband consigned to private, persons, in Germany and Austria, thereby supporting the policy of Great Britain to cut off all supplies from German and Austria. As no American vessel so far as known has attempted to carry conditional contraband to Germany or Austria-Hungary no ground of com plaint has arisen out of the siozure or condemna tion by Great Britain of an American vessel with a belligerent destination. Until a case arises and the government has taken action upon it, criticism is premature and unwarranted. The United States in its note of December 28th to the .British government stronglr contended for th.e principle of freedom of trade,. In. articles- of conditional contraband not destined to the bel ligerent's fores. C8) Submission to British interference with trade in petroleum, rubber, leather, wool, etc. Petrol and other petroleum products have been proclaimed by Great Britain as contraband of war. In view of the absolute necessity of such products to the use of submarines, aeroplanes and motors, the United States government has not yet reached the conclusion thrit they are im properly included in a list of contraband. Mil itary operation today are largely a question of motive power through mechanical devices. It istherefore difficult-to argue successfully against the inclusion of petroleum among the articles of contraband. As to the detention of cargoes of petroleum going to neutral countries, this government has, thus far, successfully obtained the release in every case of detention or seizure which has been brought to its attention. Great Britain and France have placed rubber on the absolute contraband list, and leather on the conditional contraband list. Rubber is ex tensively used in the manufacture and opera tion of motors and like petrol is regarded by some authorities as essential to motive power today. Leather is even more widely used in cav alry and infantry equipment. It is understood that both rubber and leather together with wool have been embargoed by most of the belligerent countries. It will bo recalled that the United States has in the past exercised the right of em bargo upon exports of any commodity which might aid the enemy's cause. - (9) The United States has not interfered with' the sale to Great Britain and her allies of arms, ammunition, horses, uniforms, and other munitions of war, although snch sales prolong the conflict. There is no power in the executive to prevent the sale of ammunition to the belligerents. The. duty of a neutral to restrict trade in munitions of war has never been imposed by international law or by municipal statute. It has never been tlie policy of this government to prevent the shipment of arms or ammunition into belliger ent territory, except in the case of neighboring American repuliHss, and then only when civil strife prevailed. Even to this extent the bellig erents in the present conflict, when they were, neutrals, have never, so far as the records dis- closo, limited the sale of; munitions of war. It is only necessary to point to tho enormous quan tities of arms and ammunition furnished by manufacturers in Germany to the belligerents in the Russo-Japanese war and in tho recent Bal kan wars, to establish tho general recognition of the propriety of tho trade by a neutral nation. It may be added that on tho 15th of December last, the German ambassador, by direction of his government, presented a copy of a memorandum of tho imperial German government which, among other things set forth tho attitudo of that government toward traffic in contraband of war by citizens of neutral countries. Tho Imperial gov ernment stated that ''under the general prin ciples of international law, no exception can bo taken to neutral states letting war material go to Germany's enemies from or through neutral ter ritory," and that the adversaries of Germany In the present war are, in tho opinion of tho im perial government, authorized to "draw on tho United States contraband of war, and especially arms worth billions of marks." Theso principles, as the ambassador stated, have been accepted by the United States government in the statement issued by the department of state on October 15th last, entitled "Neutrality and Trade in Con traband." Acting in conformity with tho propo sitions there set forth, the United States has it self taken no part in contraband traffic, and has, so far as possible, lent its influence toward equal treatment for all belligerents in the matter of purchasing arms and ammunition of private per sons in tho United States. (10) Tho United States has not suppressed tho sale of dumdum bullets to Great Britain. On December 5 last, tho German ambassador addressed a note to the department, stating that the British government had ordered from tho Winchester Repeating Arms Company 20,000 "riot guns," Model 1897, and 50,000,000 "buck shot cartridges" for use in such guns. The de partment replied that it saw a published state ment of the Winchester Compauy, tho correct ness of which the company has confirmed to tho department by telegraph. In this statement the company categorically denies that it has received an order for such guns and cartridges from, or made any sales of such material to the British government, or to any other government engaged in tho present war. The ambassador further called attention to "information, the accuracy of which is not to bo doubted," that 8,000,000 cart ridges fitted with "mushroom bullets," had been delivered since October of this year by the Union Metallic Cartridge Company for tho armament of the English army. In reply the department referred to the letter of December 10, 1914, of the Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Company of New York to the ambassador, called forth by certain newspaper reports of statements alleged to have been made by the ambassador in regard to the sales by that company of soft-nosed bullets. From this letter, a copy of which was sent to tho department by tho company, it ap pears that instead of 8,000,000 cartridges hav ing been sold, only a little over 117,000 were manufactured and 109,000 were sold. The let ter further asserts that these cartridges were made to supply a demand for a better sporting cartridge with a soft-nosed bullet than had been manufactured theretofore; and that such cart ridges can not be used in the military rifles of any foreign powers. The company adds that its statements can be substantiated and that it is ready to give the ambassador any evidence that he may require on theso points. The de partment further stated that it was also in re ceipt from the company of a complete detailed list of the persons to whom these cartridges were sold, and that from this list it appeared that the cartridges were sold to firms in lots of 20 to 2 000 and one lot each of 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000. Of these only 960 cartridges went to British North America and 100 to British East Africa. The department added that, if the ambassador could furnish evidence that this or any other company is manufacturing and selling for tho usevof the contending armies in Europe, cart ridges whose use would contravene the Hague conventions, thCjfdepartment would be glad to be furnished with this evidence and that the pres ident would, in case any American companies shown to be engaged in this traffic, use his in fluence to prevent so far as possible sales of such ammunition to the powers engaged in the Euro pean war, without regard to whether It is the duty of this government upon legal or conven tional grounds to take such action. The substance pf both thtf ambassador's note tfnd the departments reply have appeared in the press. ! The department1", has recolvcd no other com plaints of alleged safes of dumdum bullots by American citizens to bolligerent governments. (11) Brlti-sh warships are pormlttcd to lie off American ports and intercept neutral venaelti Tho complaint Is unjustified from the fact that representations wore made to tho British gov ernment that tho presonco of war vessels In the vicinity of Now York Harbor was offensive to this government, and a similar complaint was made to the Japanese government as to one of its cruisers In the vicinity of tho port of Hono lulu. In both cases tho warships wero with drawn. It will be recalled that In 18G3 tho department took the position that captures made by its ves sels after hovorlng about neutral ports would not be regarded as valid. In tho Franco-Prussian war, President Grant issued a proclamation warning bolligerent warships against hovering In the vicinity of American ports for purposes of observation or hostilo acts. The samo policy has been maintained in the present war, and in all of tho recent proclamations of neutrality the president states that such practice by belligerent warships Is "unfriendly and offensive." (12) Great Britain and her allies are allow ed without protest to disregard American citl7Cn ship papers and passports. American citizenship papers have been disre garded in a comparatively few instances by Great Britain, but tho samo Is true of all the bel ligerents. Bearers of American passports have been arrested in all tho countries at war. In overy caso of apparent illegal arrest tho United States government has entered vigorous pro tests with requests for release. The department does not know of any cases, except one or two which are still under investigation, in which na turalized Germans have not been released upon representations by this government. There have, however, come to tho department's notice au thentic cases in which American passports haya been fraudulently qbtained and used by certain German subjects. The department of justice has recently appre hended at least four persons of German national ity who, it is alleged, obtained American pass ports under pretonso of being American citizens and for tho purpose of returning to Germany without molestation by her enemies during the voyage. There are indications that a systematic plan had beon devised, to obtain American pass ports through fraud for tho purpose of securing safe passage for German officers and reservists desiring to return to Germany. Such fraudulent use of passports by Germans themselves can have no other effect than to cast suspicion upon Amer ican passports in general. New regulations, however, requiring among other things the at taching of a photograph of tho bearer to his passport, under tho seal of tho department of state, and tho vigilance of the department of justice will doubtless prevent any further mfouse of American passports. (13) Change of policy in regard to loans to belligerents. War loans in this country were disapproved because Inconsistent with the spir.lt of neutral ity. Thero is a clearly defined difference be tween a war loan and the purchase of arms' and ammunition. Tho policy of disapproving of war loans affects all governments alike, so that the disapproval is not an unneutral act. The caso is entirely different in the matter of arms and am munition because prohibition of export npt only might not, but, in this case, would not operate equally upon the nations at war. Then, too, the reason given for tho disapproval of war loans in supported by other considerations which are ab sent in tho caso presented by the sale of arms and ammunition. The taking of money out of tho United States during such a war as thin might seriously embarrass tho government incase it needed to borrow money, and it might also seriously Impair this nation's ability to assist the neutral nations which, though not participant in the war, are compelled to bear a heavy bus-, den on account of the war, and, again, a war loan if offered for popular subscription In the United States, would be taken up chiefly by those who a're in sympathy with the belligerent seek ing tho loan. The result would bo that great numbers of the American people might become more earnest partisans, having material interest in the success of tho belligerent, whose bond they hold. These purchases would not be con fined to a few, but would spread generally throughout the country, so that the people would be dlvjded into groups of partisans, which would Or ' fl