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VOL. XXXVIII.. PITTSBORO, CHATHAM CO UNTY, N. C, AUGUST 11, 1915.
NO. 1.
Contracts will be made.
AY
IMPORTANT NEWS
THE WORLD OVER
Happenings of This and Other Natisss
For Seven Days Art
Given.
THE NEWS 0FTHE SOUTH
What Is Taking Place in the South,
land Will Be Found in
Brief Paragraph.
Foreign
Steps are being taken by Russia,
England and France to bring about a
Balkan agreement whereby Bulgaria,
Koumania and Greece may be mus
tered on the side of the triple alli
ance. The miners of the Mons. district,
Belgium, have struck. Groups of min
ers collided with German soldiers and
two Germans and seven miners were
killed.
Stores are being pillaged in Charle
roi, Belgium as a result of the high
cost of living. The German garrison
las been reinforced by two battalions.
Italy is negotiating a $50,000,000
loan. The loan, it is assumed, is to
be utilized to pay Italy's bills for
American munitions and other exports.
The British people at public meet
ings held in every city, town and ham
let in the United Kingdom, the do
minions and colonies, declared their
determination to carry on the war to
victory.
The seizure of the United States
schooner Laura C. Anderson by a Brit
ish cruiser is announced. The schoon
er was taken to Gibraltar. The
schooner cleared from Newport News,
Ya., June 28, for Mellilla, Morocco,
with a cargo of bituminous coal.
'Changed conditions of warfare,
England contends, require a new ap
plication of the principles of interna
tional law. The advent of the sub
marine, the airship, alleged German
atrocities in Belgium are cited as jus
tification for extreme measures.
Three thousand buildings,- Including
the German hospital filled with wound
ed soldiers, were destroyed by fire in
Constantinople.
A general denial that foreign mer
chants were expelled by General Villa;
that there were any executions of Mex
ican merchants at Chihuahua City or
that General Villa used any "insolent
language toward the United States
government was made by General Or
nelas, commander of Villa forces at
Juarez, Mexico.
Announcement of the reoccupation
of Mxico City by General Gonzales'
army was followed by a statement
from General Carranza's headquarters
at Vera Cruz that immediate efforts
would be made to send foodstuffs to
the starving population. Heavily
guarded trains, it was asserted, were
being prepared to leave Vera Cruz
with provisions to supplement food
being taken into the city by the army
of occupation.
French marines have been landed
at Port-au-Prince, Haiti where a rev
olution that overturned the govern
ment necessitated the landing of an
expeditionary force from the United
States cruiser- Washington to restore
order. The landing of the French
was without the consent of the United
States.
Domestic
The Southern Cattlemen's associa
tion will hold a convention in Bir
mingham, Ala., August 18 and 19. It
is expected that two thousand dele
gates will be in attendance.
Belated returns of the Mississippi
Democratic primary show that Theo
dore G. Bilbo was nominated for av
ernor and Lee M. Russell for lieuten
ant governor.
Three negroes were hanged for mur
der at Starkville, Miss., while the
crowd, composed largely of 'negroes,
sang "There 13 a Land of Pure De
light" .
Seventy-five Georgia chiefs were
present at the opening session of the
nrst annual convention in Macon. Ga,
The police of New York City have
sent out a general alarm for Edward
Kindred, assistant cashier of Booth
Flynn, a contracting firm construct
lng the new subway, who disappeared
22,000, the weekly navroll.
She Rockmart, Ga., bank was looted
07. an unidentified bandit, and the as
istant cashier, Howard T. Fambrough,
locked in the vault, from which he was
rescued when his cries attracted Dass
rs-by. The sum stolen is estimated
RoCO.
The prediction that Russia. Ger-
Biany, Japan and China would some
"me be arrayed in arms against the
United States, and that this countrv
could not look for aid from England
". under conditions like those at
Present, from South American powers,
as made in Asheville, N. C, fa an
address by Senator James Hamilton
Wls of Illinois before the state bar
bOCiatlOn Of NnrtTl Pamllno
Twenty-five 1ivp3 lrct an milli'Tio
01 dollars' property damage is the
nmated toll of a cloudburst which
it ne, pa., shortly after six o'clock
1 i"ght. A flood inundated a large
part of the city. T)aTT1s smith of tho
"y hurst, letting out a flood of water
"u imed the main business streets
l" ueptn of 5 ifit
Railway tracks were wneVmrt ,nr
growing crops inundated and a great
.jortwn cf the Pinellas peninsular
"-- tne Hillsborough Bay from
IJd m Florida, were flooded, fol
'Ming unprecedented rains which fell
James L. Beavers. susDended chief
of
police of Atlanta, was demoted to
the office of captain by the police
commission. Capt. W. M. Mayo, who
has been .acting chief " since Beav
ers was suspended, was elected chief
by a vote of nine to three.
George H. Jones, 48 years old. a
garage owner of Chicago, 111., entered
the home of his brother-in-law . and
shot to death his wife, her sister,
Catherine Cosgrove, and her brother,
John, and tried to slay his own son.
The police of New York City, it was
announced, had had removed from the
coffin of Charles Becker a silver plate
placed there by his widow on which
was inscribed the charge that the for
mer police lieutenant electrocuted,
was "murdered by Governor Whit
man." Mrs. Becker was informed that
the inscription was a criminal libel
on the governor and was prevailed on
permit its removal from the
casket. v
At Temple, Texas, Will Stanley, a
negro, arrested in connection with the
killing of three children of W. R.
Grimes, a farmer, near Temple, was
burned to death by a mob in the pub
lic square there.
Washington
Redeemed paper money with a nom
inal value of $1,541,131,110 m 377,364,
188 pieces, about 590 tons, was de
stroyed during the fiscal year ended
June 30.
The state department has assembled
statistilcs to refute the British as
sumption that increased exportation
from the United States to Holland and
Scandinavian countries indicates that
these goods are finding their way into
Germany and Austria.
Conditions that confront the South
in handling the 1915 cotton crop and
the conditions a year ago are contrast
ed in an analysis by W. P. G. Harding
of the federal reserve board, which
shows they are better than last year.
Germany is unyielding in her refus
al to concede that the sinking of the
American ship William P. Frye by the
auxiliary cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrch
in the South Atlantic was a violation
of United States rights under the
Prussian-American treaty. She reiter
ates a previous justifflcation of her
course, and her willnessness to pay
for the ship and accepts a proposal
first advanced by the United States
that the amount of damages be fixed
by two experts, one to be selected
by each country.
Great Britain's reply to the latest
American representations against in
terferences with neutral commerce,
made public,' rejects entirely the con
tention that the orders, in council are
illegal and justifies the British course
as wholly within international law.
Preliminary plans designed to make
available the resources of the federal
reserve system in the annual fall
movement of the cotton and other
crops have been worked out by the
federal reserve board.
The United States has decided to
ask the co-operation of South and Cen
tral America in the next step "to re
store peace in Mexico. The ambassa
dors from Argentina, Brazil and Chile
and the ministers from Bolivia, Uru
guay and Guatemala were asked to
confer .with Secretary Lansing in re
gard to the situation.
Plans for six big cruiser destroyers,
authorized by the last congress, have
been approved. They will be the first
vesssels whose design has been influ
enced by the European war. Naval
information from abroad was scruti
nized closely by constructors before
the plans were drawn, says a depart
ment statement. The vessels will
have a maximum sustained speed of
30 knots, and will displace 1,125 tons
The occupation of Ivangorod by Aus-trp-German
forces is announced. Ivan
gorod is located at the confluence of
the Vistula and Vieprz rivers.
Tho fiprmans hold Warsaw, capital
of Poland, the third largest city in
the Russian empire.
The investment of the Russian fort
ress of Ivangorod i3 progressing. Eight
of the outer forts nave Deen siormeu
After trying for three weeks to force
tno Russians to evacuate Warsaw by
encircling movements from the north
and pressure from the west, the Aus-tro-Germans
commenced attacks on
the fortresses of the capital.
AnatT-ruTTimerarian troops and the
army of General von Woyrsch are in
nnceoecinn of the western part of the
UtJkJVWU"-
fortress of Ivangorod on the Vistula
river.
The British steamship Clintonia of
3,858 tons was shelled and sunK Dy a
German submarine. Eleven men lost
their lives and fifteen were injured, in
the North sea.
The capture of Lublin cost General
Woyrsch 70,000 men In killed, wound
ed and prisoners. Four miles north
of Lublin 'the Russians are fighting
fiercely, disputing every foot of ground
while covering their reireai, saj u
Innsbruck dispatch.
The Russians who attacked south
in Poland, killed 5,000.
wounded 8,000 and took prisoners 1,300
of the eighth German army uuiy.
t,q r.omi!iii armv massed from Lo
wicz to Ostrowiec has now begun an
advance upon Ivangorod and Novo Al
exandria, the evacuation of which has
commenced by the Kussians, auwuxu-
T -, ronnrtpd that one of the Brit
ish submarines operating in the Sea
of Marmora has torpedoed a large
steamer of 3,000 tons off the Maudama
pier, which had several vessel a
The Germans have dispatched more
than one hundred train loads of am
munition from Radom and Lodz toward
FOUR DROWNED
III
E
DR. J. M. CALDWELL, CLELL CALD
WELL, DR. J. H. BORNEMAN
AND GERMAN.
ALL WERE PROMINENT MEN
Motor Boat Capsizes as Party Goes on
Visit to Interned Vessels at
Wilmington.
Wilmington. The treacherous Cape
Fear River added another tragedy to
its long list shortly after midnight
when Dr. Morris M. Caldwell, his
brother, Clell Caldwell of New York,
who was visiting him, Dr. J. H. Borne-
mann and Chief Engineer Harwell of
the German steamer Nicaria, interned
here, were drowned. The small motor
boat in which they were crossing the
river to visit the two interned Ger
man steamers, the Nicaria and the
Kiel, capsized in - midstream opposite
the foot of Grace street.
Chief Engineer Reimers of the
steamer Kiel, the fifth member of the
party, was the only one to be saved.
He is a good swimmer and reached
some piling which he clung to until
Captain Hollasch of the Nicaria in re
sponse to calls for help, went to his
assistance in a small boat.
Although the river has been thor
oughly dragged for several blocks and
searching parties have been out all
day none of the bodies has yet been
recovered.
Doctors Caldwell and Bornemann
and Mr. Caldwell were seated in stern
of the boat. The boat was low down
in the water and the slightest tilt
would have caused It to take in water.
It is thought that one of the men
raised up causing the boat to dip.
Owing to the weight of engine and
small size of the craft a little water
caused it to go to the bottom Instant
ly. The tragedy has cast a gloom over
the entire community. Thousands of
people lined the river front all day
witching the large number of boats
engaged in dragging the river for the
bodies.
CUSTOMS OFFICES SEIZED.
Caperton Reports Business Conditions
in Haiti Improving.
Washington. Rear Admiral Caper
ton, commanding the American naval
forces in Haiti, reported that he had
taken over the admisistration of the
customs office at Cape Haitien and
had placed Paymaster Charles Morris
of the cruiser Wilmington temporarily
in charge. No mention was made of
the reported seizure of the customs
office at Port au Prince.
Business conditions In Cape Haitien,
the dispatch said, were improving and
there was an apparent disposition
among the natives to support the city
government being reorganized by Ad
miral Caperton.
The Admiral's dispatch reported the
arrival of the Haitien gunboat Nord
Alexis at Port au Prince with 800 dis
armed Haitien soldiers, who were
escorted to their homes by American
marines after pledging themselves to
keep the peace.
Our Navy Advisory Board.
New York. The American Society
of Aeronautic Engineers announced
the appointment of Henry A. Wise
Wood, its president, and Elmer A.
Sperry, its vice president, as members
of the navy advisory board of inven
tors. A special committee sub-divided in
to three groups, was appointed by th
society to co-operate with Mr. Wood
and Mr. Sperry. The groups and
members are:
Theory and Construction of Aero
planes and Aeronautical Motors, Or
ville Wright, Glenn H. Curtis, W.
Starling Burgess, and Charles M.
Manly.
Application of Aircraft for Warfare,
Peter Cooper Hewitt, John Hays Ham
mond, Jr., and Joseph A. Steinmetz.
Dirigible Baloons and Parachutes,
Thomas H. Baldwin, A. Leo Stevens,
Ralph H. Upson and Raymond B
Price. Protect Atlantic Seaboard.
Newport, R. I. The Atlantic fleet is
again to he put to the test of protect
ing the Eastern seaboard, from inva
sion by a supposed foreign fleet. Ad
miral Frank H. Fletcher, its com
mand, announced that officers of the
naval war college were at work map
ping' out the problems of another war
game, to take place after the target
practice in Narranganset Bay next
fall. According to Admiral Fletcher
the maneuvers will be based on les
sons derived from the mimic war of
lastJune.
Cotton Crop Off.
New Orleans. In a final report on
the cotton crop of 1914-15, H. G. Hes
ter, secretary of the New Orleans Cot
ton Exchange, shows that while
17,004,000 bales Vere grown the com
mercial crop was only 15,108,111 bales
and that the value of the crop, includ-,-nr
sfid was $749,384,978 as against
$1,134,444,1114 for the proceeding
crop. The crop is spoKen or as run
ning remarkably even in grade, aver
aging middling without a super-abundance
of either the higher or the lower
zrades.
RIVER
MORE INTEREST
NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION
MAPS OUT PLANS FOR DEFIN
ITE WORK Vl THIS LINE.
DISPATCHES 'ROM RALEIGH
t
Doings' and: Happenings That Mark
the Progress of North Carolina Peo
ple . Gathered Around the State
Capitol.
Raleish.
To develop more interest in swine
breeding in the state and establish
better marketing facilities is the ob
ject of the North Carolina Swine
Breeders' Association of which Mr.
Edgar B. Moore of Charlotte is presi
dent and Mr. Dan T. Gray is secretary
and treasurer. As a platform the
association has just to be issued a
statement of three definite projects to
be undertaken this year.
The statement reads:
"The majority of the members feel
that the swine business would develop
very rapidly if satisfactory market
conditions were developed. On this
account it was decided to pick out
two or three counties in the state
where marketing conditions are not
now satisfactory, and induce three or
four or five or any number of farmers
to form an organization and agree to
fatten their hogs and get them ready
for shipping at the same time in car
load lots. The' county demonstration
agents will help in carrying this pro
ject through. The secretary is au
thorized to locate the counties for
this work as soon as posible and it
is hoped that this demonstration can
be made in two or three counties this
fall and winter. The majority of the
officers of the association feel that if
two or three demonstrations of this
kind were made in various parts of
the state that the farmers would take
to this system of marketing readily,
"The officers decided to hold a sale
of pure bred hogs at the meeting of
the Live Stock Association at Salis
bury, January 25-27- 1916. As many
breeds as possible are to be entered
in this sale, but the number of animals
offered is to be kept down to a rea
sonable point. The officers present
seem to think that not over 25 ani
mals should be offered for sale.
"The officers also authorized the
president, Mr. Edgar B. Moore, to ac
company Mr. T. E. Browne and Mr.
Dan T. Gray to visit the presidents
of the railroads of the state and try
to gain concessions from them rela
tive to shipping the pigs of the boys
who belong to the Pig Clubs of the
state to the various fairs in the state.
So far, the railroads have refused to
grant concessions of any kind other
than those usually granted to exhibit
ors. This is a great handicap for the
Pig Club work of the state as the
boys who are in the Corn Clubs and
the boys and girls who are in the
Poultry Clubs have their products car
ried free by the express company."
Autos Worth Five Million Dollars.
The number of automobiles licensed
in this state for the fiscal year that
began July 1, the registration being
really for only 35 days, has already
reached 17,500 compared with 16,305
licenses issued during the whole pre
vious fiscal year. This Includes old
machines relicensed and licenses for
new machines as sold. There are
about 20 licenses per day being issued
now to new machines, showing a spe
cial activity in the automobile busi
ness at this time.
The revenue to the state for auto
mobile licenses since July 1 has been,
more than $105,000. The estimated
value of automobiles in North Caro
lina during the last fiscal year was
$4,000,000 and it is believed that the
value of the machines that will be
licensed during the present year will
round out $5,000,000.
Three Hundred Will Attend-
Latest indications points to three
hundred attendance here for the short
course in agriculture at A. and M.
College on August 17 at which time
there will be a large attendance of
demonstration agents.
Organize Grain Growers' Association..
The Hyde County Grain Growers'
Association was organized with home
office at Swan Quarter. The purposes
specified In the charter are to arrange
for additional markets for grain and
any and all other farm products, ob
tain the best possible prices for the
growers, strive for better facilities,
safety and expedition of delivery, pro
cide ratings of buyers, assure speedy
collections, arrange for warehousing
facilities, bring about better grading
of products and most attractive prepa
ration for shipment. .
Canfield President A. A N. C. "
Governor Craig has, just announced
the appointment of G. D. Canfield of
Morehead City as president of the
Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad.
The chief executive has named R. A.
Dunn of Newbern, as a director to suc
ceed Thomas D. Warren, who recently
submitted his resignation. The office
of president heretofore fcs been held
by Mr. Warren, whose terra recently
expired. Mr. Canfield is one of tho
leading business .men , of the eastern
part of the state. -
Halifax Breaks Every rtecord.
The new anti-typhoid campaign has
started off in record breaking fash
ion. In Halifax county t3e two dispen
sary physicians, Drs. C. F. Parker and
W. H. Sloan gave the Initial treat
ment to 2,146 people at Weldon the
first day the dispensary was open.
This sets a high-water mark for num
ber of persons treated in any county
in a single day. Tte best record
made during the previous six weeks'
campaign was made in Cumberland
county by Drs. B. D. Moore and P. C.
Carter at Fayetteville, " when 1,563
people were treated in a day.
To say these results are exceeding
the fondest expectations of the health
authorities is putting it mildly. The
second set of counties to undertake
the anti-typhoid campaigns are Hall
fax, Wilson, Edgecombe, Iredell and
Wayne. While good results were ex
pected from these counties it was
scarcely expected that they could
break the records established in
Northampton, Wake or Cumberland.
The only other new. counties heard
from were Wilson and Wayne where
278 and 224, respectively, . took the
initial treatment the first day. ,While
this does not begin to compare with
Halifax it is in striking contrast to
the first day's work in Buncombe and
Cumberland . during the first cam
paign where only 73 and 92 respect
ively, took the treatment the opening
day of the campaign.
Health Exhibits' For Fairs.
Final arrangements have just been
made whereby the entire public
health exhibit of the state board of
health will make the rounds of the
various fairs in the Central Carolina
Fair Circuit. The exhibit will be in
charge of a competent demonstrator
who will be assisted at the various
towns by local health officers, nurses,
physicians and representatives of wo
man's clubs.
The exhibit will start with the Dur
ham fair the week of September 21,
then to Salisbury the week of Septem
ber 28, to Winston-Salem the week of
October 5, to Greenshoro the week
of October 12, to the State ' Fair at
Raleigh the week of October 18 and
finish the circuit at Charlotte October
26.
It is possible that the exhibit will
then go to two or three fairs in the
eastern part of the state after the
Charlotte fair. By this means thou
sands of people will be reached and
benefited by public health ideas who
could not otherwise be reached.
One Applicant to Practice Law.
While the new rule of the Supreme
Court does not require the registration
of applicants for licenses to practice
law until Friday before the court cor
venes on the last Monday in August,
there has already been filed one name
for registration with Clerk J. L. Sea
well of the supreme court. Hereto
fore registrations have been allowed
right up to the very hour of the open
ing of the court. The new rule gives
two days to scrutinize the registered
applicants after they have fully com
plied with the rule, including the pay
ment of the $23.50 registration fee.
The indications are that there, will be
the usual 80 to 100 applicants for the
licenses to undertake the examina
tions, with the great bulk of them
coming from the University, Wake
Forest and Trinity law schools.
Revenue Collections at Raleigh.
During the month of July the inter
nal revenue collections by the Ral
eigh office were over one-half million
dollars, $528,453.20, to be exact This
was a gain of over $35,000.00 over
July, 1914, when the collections to
talled $493,318.95. The tax collections
from taxable sources in this district
are as follows: Lists,- $2,306.13; in
come taxes, $12,654.89; special taxes,
$6,620.41; tobacco, cigars and cigar
ettes, $498,251.05; emergency (war)
stamps, $7,426-99; opium license and
blanks, $1,154 34.
Moonlight School Begins.
One of the very first local moon
light school movements to materialize
in connection with the. state-wide
movement for this method of elimi
nating adult illiteracy in this state,
is just launched for New Light Town
ship,, Wake county, where W. N.
O'Neill of the New Light School com
mittee, has worked up a movement for
such a school to be in operation within
a few days. It is to be "a moonlight
school at Sunrise schoolhouse in New
Light township.
Corporation Commission Busy.
The corporation commission had a
busy session with hearings on tax as
sessments for the officials of a num
ber of the railroad and other corpora
tions on the question of the reduction
of the Increased tax valuations. Presi
dent Henry E. Fries was here for the
Winston-Salem Southbound Railroad;
5 J. W. Pless of Marion, for the Caro
lina, Clinchfield & Ohio; Auditor Var
den, for the Norfolk & Western ; A. W.
McLean, of Lumberton, for the Vir
ginia Carolina & Southern .
Suggestions On Court Reform.
Legislative Reference Librarian W.
S. Wilson, who is also secretary to the
commission on court procedure aad
judicial reform is not greatly encour
arged at the number of replies receiv
ed from men over the state to whom
inquiry was made for opinions as to
desired changes in the conduct of
courts and for expressions or sugges
tions' looking to uniform practice in
recorders courts. While a number of
siTggestions have been made, the com
mission desires a fuller expression el
sentiment on the part of the people.
ENGLAND Will CONTINUE
TO ENFORCE HER BLOCKADE
DESPITE AMERICAN PROTESTS
COMMERCIAL BLOCKADES TO
BE ENFORCED.
NOTES ARE MADE PUBLIC
Great Britain Makes it Plain That
She Will Not Let Protests Stand
in Case of Detailed Goods.
Washington Great Britain's replies
to the latest American representations
against interferences with neutral
commerce reject entirely the conten
tion that the orders-in-council are il
legal and justify the British course as
being wholly within international law.
"Unsustainable either in point of
law or upon principles of internation
al equity," is the British reply to the
irmerican protest against the block
ade of neutral ports, with an invitation
to submit to international arbitration
any cause in which the United States
is dissatified with the action of the
British prize courts.
Changed conditions of warfare, the
British note contends require a new
aplication of the principles of inter
national law. The advent of the sub
marine, the airship and the alleged
r atrocities by German troops in Bel
gium are cited as justification for the
exercise of extreme measures. The
blockade is jutsifled on the contention
that the universally recognized funda
mental principle of a blockade is that
a belligerent is entitled to cut off "by
effective means the sea-borne com
merce of his enemy." "
The note reiterates that Great Brit
ain will continue to apply the orders-ia-council
complained of, although not
without every effort to avaid embar
rassment to neutrals, and observes
that the American statistics show that
any loss in trade with Germany and
Austria has been more than over-balanced
by the increase of other Indus
trial activities due to the war.
In the general reply to the Ameri
can representations against the or-ders-in-council.
Sir Edward Grey, the
foreign minister, addressing Ambassa
dor, Page, begins by expressing the
"hope that he may be able to convince
the administration in Washington
"that the measures we have announc
ed are not only reasonable and neces
sary in themselves, but constitute no
more than an adaptation of the old
principles of blockade to the peculiar
circumstances with which we are con
fronted. Sir Edward refers to atrocities In
Belgium, poisoning of wells in Ger
man Southwest Africa, use of poison
ous gases against the Allied troops in
Flanders and the sinxing of the Lusi
tania to show "how indispensable it is
that we should leave unused no Justi
fiable method of defending ourselves."
Taking up the question of the Al
lied blockade of neutral ports the note
continues:
"In the various notes which T have
received from Your Excellency, the
right of a belligerent to establish a
blockade of the enemy ports Is admit
ted, a right which has . obviously no
value save in so far as it gives power
to a belligerent to cut off the sea-borne
exports and imports of his enemy.
The contention which I understand
the United States government now
puts forward is that If a belligerent is
so circumstanced, that his commerce
can pass through adjacent neutral
ports as easily as through ports in his
own territory, his opponent has no
right to interfere and must restrict
his measures of blockade in . such a
manner as to leave such avenues of
commerce still open to his adversary.
This is a contention which His Maj-es-ty's
government feels unable to accept
and which seems to them unsustain
able either in point of law or upon
principles of international equity-
"They are unable to admit that a
belligerent violates any fundamental
principle of International law by ap
plying a blockade in such a way as
to cut off the enemy's commerce with
foreign countries through neutral
ports, if the. circumstances render
such an application of the principles
of blockade the only means of making
it effective. The government of the
United States, indeed, Intimates its
readiness to take into account the
'great changes which have occurred
In the conditions .and means of naval
warfare since the rules hitherto gov
erning legal blockade were formula
ted and recognizes that 'the form of
close blockade with its cordon of
ships in the immediate offing of the
blockaded ports is no longer practica
ble in the face of an enemy possessing
the means nad opportunity to make an
effective defense by the use of subma
rines, mines and air-craft.
"The only question then, which
can arise, in regard to the measures
resorted to for the purpose of carry
ing out a blockade upon these extend
ed lines is, whether, to use Your Ex
cellency's words, "they conform to the
spirit and principles of the' essence of
the rules of war and we shall be con
tent to apply this test to the action
which we have taken in so far as it
has necessitated Interference with,
neutral commerce.'
Sir Edward then refers to the Am-1
erican Civil War blockade of 3,0001
miles of coast with a small number
of vessels and recalls how the United'
States finally took recourse to block
ading "neighboring neutral territory t
which afforded coveneient centers'
from which contraband could be In
troduced 'into Confederate territory'
and from which blockade running
could be facilitated."
The note then refers to the case of
the British ships Springbok, seized by
United States cruisers -during the
Civil War while bound for the British.
West Indies, because, her cargo, it
was charged, was to be trans-shipped
to the Confederate States. The Su
preme Court of the United States sus
tained the eeizure against the con
demnation of a group of prominent
international lawyers, although the
United States and British Govern
ments took the broader view and rec
ognized the development of the older
method of blockade. No protest was
made by Great Britain. "What Is
really important, in the general in
terest?" says the note, "is that adapt
ations of the old rule should not be
made unless they are consistent with
the general principles upon which an
admitted belligerent right is based.
It is also essential that all unneces
sary injury to neutrals should be
avoided. With these conditions it may
be safely affirmed that the steps we
are taking to intercept commodities
on their way to and from Germany
fully comply. We are interfering with
no goods with which . we should not
be entitled to Interfere by blcokade
if the geographical position and the
conditions of Germany at present
were such that her commerce passed
through her own pons. We rae tak
ing the utmost possible care not to
Interfere with commerce genuinely
destined for or preceding from neu
tral countries: y Furthermore, we have
tempered the severity with which our
measures might press upon neutrals
by not applying the rule which was
invariable in the old form of block
ade, that ships and goods on their
way to or from the blockaded area
are liable to condemnation."
The note then reviews at some
length the various forms in which
blockades have been maintained to
show there has been no uniformity of
practive In very essential points, and
declares:
"The one principle which Is funda
mental and has obtained universal
recognition; is that by means of block
ade a belligerent is entitled to cut off
by effective means the seaborne com
merce of his enemy."
Consequently, Sir Edward argues,
it is impossible to maintain that the
right of a belligerent to Intercept the
commerce of his enemy can be lim
ited in the way suggested in the
American notes on the subject.
Sir Edward's note closes with the
observation that "figures of recent
months show that the Increased op
portunities afforded by the war for
American commerce have more than
compensated for. the loss of the German-Austrian
markets, x x x x We
shall continue to apply these measures
with every desire to occasion the
least possible amount of inconveni
ence to persons engaged In legitimate
commerce."
In the supplemental note, which is
a reply to the American caveat giv
ing notice that the United States
would not recognize the 'orders-in-council
in lieu of international law.
Sir Edward Grey writes he does "not
understand to what divergence of
views as to the principles of law ap
plicable in cases before the prize
court, the government of the United
States' refers, for I am not aware of
any differences existing between the
two countries as to the principles cf
law applicable In cases before such
courts."
If the United States should be dis
satisfied, with decisions of British
prize courts as sustained by the privy
council, that the British government
is prepared to concert with the United
States "in order to" decide upon the
best way of applying the . prin
ciple to the situation .which would
then have arisen."
To the American note in the case
of the steamer Nechos, which sum
marily demanded the expeditious re
lease of the American owned goods
detained under the orders-in-council
"the international invalidity of whfch
the government of the United States
regards as plainly Illustrated by the
present instance" Great Britain re
plies that "while these acts of the
German government continue ('sink
ing neutral as well as British mer
chant ships Irrespective of destination
or origin of cargo and without proper
regard for safety of passengers or
crews') it seems neither reasonable
nor just that His Majesty's govern
ment should be pressed to abandon ,
the rights claimed in the British note'
and to allow goods from Ger
many, to pass, freely through waters
effectively patrolled by .British ships.
of war.
The British note, in short, Is a dec
lination to allow free passages to
goods originating in Germany or In aj
territory under German control.
" L"irLee.n hours
Warsaw since Juiy to.