Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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STATES BLOCKADING METHODS. NEUTRALS HAVE RIGHTS Hop« la Expressed That There Will be no Trouble—Repju-stlon Expect* l «d If Neutral Commerce Buffi .Attitude of Neutrality Explained— Blockading Methods Discussed. ‘r The United States government has made public Us note to Great Britain announcing that it “could not ad mit’’ either the right of the allies or their claims for justification In plac ing an embargo on all commercial Intercourse between Germany and neutral countries. “To admit it,” says the communi cation, “would be to assume an atti tude of unneutrality toward the pres ent enemies of Great Britain, which obviously would be inconsistent with the solemn obligation of this govern ment in the present circumstances and for Great Britain to make such a claim would be for her to abandon and oet at naught the principles for which sho constantly and earnestly has contended in other times and cir cumstances.” The note r views at length the legal phases of a blockade of bellig erent territory and virtual blockade of neutral coasts. In conclusion the United States states its expectation that Great Britain, after having con sidered “tho possibilities of serious interruption of American trade,” un der the order in council, “will take the steps necessary to avoid them, and in the event that they should un happily occur w'll be prepared to make full reparation for every act which under the rules of Internation al law constitutes a violation of neu tral rights.” t'nde Ham’s Interpretation. The American communication in terprets the circumstances under which Great Britain claims to bo Jus tified in adopting retaliatory meas ures towards hor enemies “as merely a reason for certain extraordinary ac tivities” by her naval forces "and not an excuse for a prelude to any lawful action." "If the course of the present ene mies of Groat Britain," the note adds, “should prove in fact to be tainted by illegality and disregard of the principles of war sanctioned by enlightened nations, it can not be supposed, and this government does oot for a moment suppose, that his Majesty’c government would wish the same taint to attach to their own ac tions. ” Ambassador Sharp at Paris wss In ■traded to present a copy of the American note to Greet Britain to the French foreign offleo with the state ment that, although the Kronch ad miralty decree had not been received oBclally In Washington, It -was un derstood to be identical with the Brit ish order in council and the Ameri can government, therefore, made similar reply Text of American Note. “You are Instructed to deliver the following to his Mojerty’s govern ment In reply to your Numbers 1,795 and 1,798, of March: The govern ment of the United States has given careful conciderr.Uon to the subjects treated In the British notes of March 13 and March 15. and to the Brit ish order In council of the Utter dato. “Theco communications contain matters of grave Importance to neu tral nations They appear to menace their rights of trade and Intercourse, not only with belligerents, but also with one another. They call for frank comment In order that misunder standings may bo avoided. Tho gov ernment of the United States dooms it Us duty, therefore, sprcaklng In the slncorect spirit of fricndrhlp, to mako Its own views and position with regard to them unmistakably clear. “The order^p council of the tlith of March would constitute, weri its provisions to be actually carried into effect, as they stand, a practlc:.! as sertion of unlimited belligerent rights over neutral commerce within the whole European area, and an almost unqualified denial of the covereign rights of the nations now at peace. Nation’s Sovereignty. “This government takes It for granted that there can be no question what these rights are. A nation’s sovereignty over its ow r n ships and citizens under its own< flag on the high seas in time of peace is, of course, unlimited; and that sover eignty suffers no diminution in time of war, except insofar as the practice and consent of civilized nations has limited It by tho recognition of cer tain now clearly determined rights, which it is conceded may he exercis ed by nations which are at war. “A belligerent nation has been con ceded tho right of visit and search, and the right of capture and.xondem- nation, if upon examination a neutral vessel is found to be engaged in un neutral service or to be carrying con traband of war intended for the ene my’s government or armed forces. It has been conceded the right to estab lish and maintain a blockade of an enemy's ports and coasts and to cap ture and condemn any vessel taken In trying to break tho blockade. Suspected Vessels. “It Is even conceded the right to detain and take to Us own ports tor Judicial examination all vessels which it suspects for substantial reason to he engaged in unneutral or contra band service and to condemn them If the suspicion la sustained. But ,such rights, long clearly defined both in doctrine and practice, have hitherto bees held to be only permissible ex- eeptiens to the principle of untvorsa! •quality of sovereignty. «n the high as between belligerents and na- ■ not engaged In war. It la confidently assumed that his will net to s rule, snaettoned by ed territory be rigidly enforced, Inno cent shipments may be fraely trans ported to and from the United States through neutral countries to bellig erent territory without being subject to the penaltiee of contraband traffle or breach of blockade much lees to detention, requisition or confiscation. Declaration of Paris. "Moreover, the rules of the Decla ration of I^aiia of 186&—among them that free ships make free goods— will hardly at this day be disputed by the signatories of that solemn agree ment. “His Majesty's government, like the government of the United States, has often and explicitly hold that these rights represent tho best ussge of warf. re in tho dealings cf bellig erent with neutrals at s a. In this connection I doslro to direct atten tion to the opinion of the Chief Jus tice of the United States in the case of the Peterhof, which arose out of the civil war, and to the fact that that opinion was unanimously gus talned in award of tho arbitration commission of 1871, to which the case wao presented at the request of Great Britain. From that tlmo to the Declaration of London of 1909, adopted with modifications of tho or der In council of the 23rd of October last, these rights have not been sari ously questioned by the British gov- eminent. And no claim on the part of Great Britain of any Justification for Interfering with theee clear rights of the United States and its citizens as neutrals could be admitted. Attitude of Unneutrality. “To admit It would bo to aasume an attitude of unneutrality toward the present enemies of Great Britain, which would be obviously inconsist ent with the solemn obligations of this government In the present cir cumstances; and for Great Britain to make such a claim would be for her to abandon and set at naught the principles for which she has consist ently and earnestly contended In oth er times and circumstances. “The note of his Majesty's prlnci pal secretary of state for foreign af fairs, which accompanies the ordor in council, and which bears tho same date, notifies the government of the United States of the establishment of a blockade which Is, if defined by the terms of the order In council, to In elude all the coasts and ports of Ger many and every port of possible ac cess to enemy territory. But the novel and quite unprecedented fea ture of that blockade, U we are to assume It to be properly so defined. Is that It embraces many neutral ports and coasts, bars access to them and subjects all neutral ships seeking to approach them to the same suapl rlon that would attach to them were they bound for the ports of the ene mies of Great Britain, and to unusual risks and penalties. Invaeloti of Hlghts. “It Is manifest that such limita tions. risks and liabilities placed upon the ships of a neutral power on the high seas, beyond the right of visit and search and the right to prevent the shipment of eontrabaad already referred to, are a distinct Invasion of the sovereign rights of the nation whoso ships, trade or commerce Is in terfered with. “Tho government of tho United States, is. of course, not oblivious to the groat changes which have occur red In the conditions and means of naval warfare since the rules hither to governing legal blockade were for mulated. It might be ready to admit that tho old form of ‘close’ blockade with Its cordon of ships In the Imme diate offing of tho blockaded ports. Is no longer practicable In face of an enemy possessing the moans and op portunity to make an effective de fence by tho use of submarines, mines and air craft, but lt*tan hardly bo maintained that, whatever form of ef fective blockade may be made use of It is Impossible to conform at least to the spirit and principles of the estab lished rules of war. Extending Uie Cordon. “If the necessities of the case should seem to render It Imperative that tho cordon of blockading ves sels be extended across the ap proaches to any neighboring neutral port or country, it would seem clear that It would still be easily practi cable to comply with the well recog nized and responsible prohibition of international law against the block ading of neutral ports by according free admission and exit to all lawful trade with neutral ports through the blockading cordon. This traffle would, of course, include all outward bound traffle from the neutral country and all inward bound traffle to the neu tral country, except contraband in transit to tha enemy. Such procedure need not conflict in any respect with the rights of the belligerent main taining the blockade, since the right would remain with the blockading vessels to visit and search all ships either entering or leaving the neu tral territory which they were in fact, but not of right, investing. England's Reason. "The government of the United States notes that in tho order in council his Majesty’s government give as their reason for entering upon a course of action, which they are aware is without precedent in modern warfare. the necessity they conserve themselves to have been pladed un der to retaliate upon their enemies for measures of a similar nature, •which the latter have announced it their intention to adopt, and which they have to some extent adopted, but the government of the United States, recalling tha principles upon which his Majesty’s government have hith erto been ssruphlous to act, inter prets this as merely a reason for cer tain extraordinary activities on the part of his Majesty’s naval forces, and not as an excuse for or prelude to any unlawful action. If the course pursued by tho present enemies of Great Britain should prove to be In fact tainted by illegality and disre gard of the principles of war sanc tioned by enlightened nations, it cm not be supposed, and thla govern ment does not for a moment auppoee Chat his Majesty's government would wteh the enme taint te attach in their owa actions, or would cite such U- tocal acts as in any sense or degre* a Justification tor similar practices on their part insofar as Aey affect new trai rigkto the United States Interprets the lan guage of tko note of hie Majesty's principal secretary of state for for eign affaire which accompanies the copy of the order in council, which was handed to the ambassador of the United States by the government In London, and by him transmitted to Washington. “This government notes with grat Ideation that ‘wide discretion Is af forded tb the prize court In dealing with the trade of neutrals In such manner as may In the circumstances be deemed just, and that full provi sion is made to facilitate claims by persons interested in any goods plac ed In the custody of the marshal of the prize court under the order’; and 'the effect of the order In council is to confer certain powers npon the ex ecutlve officers of his Majesty’s gov ernment’; and that ‘the extent to which the powers will be actually ex ercised and the degree of severity with which the measures of blockade authorized will be put into operation are matters which will depend on the administrative orders Issued by the government and the decisions of the authorities especially charged with the duty of dealing with Individual ships and cargoes according to the merits of each case.’ This govern ment further notes with equal satis faction the declaration of the British government that ‘the Instructions to be issued by his Majesty’s govern ment to the fleet and to the customs officials and executive committees concerned will Impress upon them the duty of acting with the utmost dis patch consistent with the object in view, and of showing In every case such consideration for neutrals as may be compatible with that object, which Is, succinctly stated, to estab lish a blockade to prevent vessels from carrying goods for or coming from Germany.’ Discretionary Powers. “In view of the assurances, formal ly given to this government, It is con fidently expected that the extensive powers conferred by the order In council on the executive officers of the crown will be restricted by ‘or ders issued by the government’ di recting the exercise of their discre tionary powers In such a manner as to modify in practical application those provisions of the order In coun cil. which. If strictly enforced, would violate neutral rights and Interrupt legitimate trade. Relying on the faithful performance of these valun- tary assurances by hla Majesty's gov ernment the United States takes It for granted that the approach of Ameri can merchantmen to neutral ports situated upon the long line of coast affected by the order In council will not be Interfered with when It la known that they do not carry goods which are contraband of war or goods destined to or proceeding from ports within the belligerent territory affected.* To Recognise Rale*. “The government of the United States assumes with the greater con fidence that hla Majesty’s government will thus adjust their practice to the recognised rules of International law, because It Is manlfes* that the Brit ish government have adopted an ex traordinary method of stopping car goes destined for or coming from the enemy's territory, which, owing to the existence of unusual conditions In modern warfare at sea. It #111 be dif ficult to restrict to the limits which have been heretofore required by the law of nations. Though the area of operations is confined to 'European water Including the Mediterranean’ so great an area of the high seas Is covered and the cordon of ships Is so distant from the territory affected that neutral vesels must necessarily pass through the blockading force In order to reach Important neutral ports, which Great Britain as a bel ligerent has not the legal right to blockade and which, therefore. It Is presumed she has no intention of claiming to blockade. The Scandi navian and Danlah ports, for example, are open to American trade. They are also free, so far as the actual en forcement of the order in council Is concerned, to carry on trade with German Baltic ports, although it is an essential clement of blockade that it bear with equal severity upon all' neutrals. Instructions to Commanders. This government, therefore, in fers that the commanders of his Ma jesty’s ships of war engaged in main taining the so-called blockade will be Instructed to avoid an enforcement of the proposed measures of non-inter course in such a way as to impose re strictions upon neutral trade more burdensome than those which have been regarded as inevitable when the ports of a belligerent are actually blockaded by the ships of its enemy. “The possibilities of serious inter ruption of American trade under the order in council are so many, and the methods proposed are so unusual and seem liable to constitute so great an impediment and embarrassment to neutral commerce that the govern ment of the United States, if the or der in council is strictly enforced, ap prehends many Interferences with its legitimate trade which will Impose upon his Majesty’s government heavy responsibility for-aets eUAh© British PLOT TO AID« BRITISH SHIPS ARB SUPPLIED FROM, NEW TORE. HARBOR IS SEARCHED government reserve* to itself the right to enter e protect or demand In eeeh ease In which those rights and dollea so defined ere violated or their free exercise Interfered with by the authorities of the British gotern- L* v • ~ “Is coeclwtooe yoa win reiterate le hie Majesty's jerarwi that this Fast Sailing Torpedo Boat Destroyers Skip Over Dark Waters Seeking Those Who Are Violating Neutral ity Proclamations*—Activity of Of- ciajs Kept Secret. Evidence of a widespread conspira cy to violate the neutrality proclama tion of President Wilson by the es tabllshment in New York of an exten sive organization and central agency to supply the British warships lying outside the three-mile zone with food and fuel is to be presented to the fed eral grand jury by Collector of the Port Malone. The facts on which he is prepared to base such an allegation were col lected by Mr. Malone in a series of spectacular midnight tours of the waters surrounding New York, which he made aboard the torpedo boat de stroyer iPerker, one of the fastest ships of this type in the service. With a powerful searchlight to guide him, Mr. Malone has scoured the docks along the Hoboken and New York waterfronts, and has dash ed out to sea in search of carriers which he had reason to believe were violating the laws. The Collector made his tours on board the MacDougal, following a long conference with United States District Attorney Marshall. He said, just before starting, that he expected to ask the grand jury to act without further delay. Coincident with these develop ments It became known that Mr. Ma lone had called upon the government for additional ships and was planning effectually to seal the port of New York to the British vessels. He now has under hts direction for that pur pose the torpedo boat destroyers Mac Dougal and Parker, each capable of a speed of 33 knots; * the destroyer Drayton, which Is of an older type; the Dolphin. Secretary Daniels' ship which carries four six-inch guns, and a naval tug. Two more torpedo boat destroyers are expected to arrive within a few days for scout duty In connection with Mr Malone's plans All of these ships are equipped with wireless, and Mr Malone ex plained that he was in touch by tela- phone also with the naval stations at Tompklnsvlli*. Kill von Kull, and Whltestone. Co-operating with Mr. Malone In the work of breaking up ths alleged conspiracy are the members of th* Neutrality Squad, beaded by George F. Lamb and a score or more of sec ret service agents who were sent from Washington at the Collector's request. They have been working day and night for more than a month, scouring the waterfront and accom panylng Mr. Malons on tbs mystsri- ous and exciting scouting trips shout the harbor and In the open sea. In this way they havs covered every wharf and pier In the port of New York from Newark Bay to Whltestone, the territory under the jurisdiction of the Collector, and have south to detect sea-going tugs and other vessels upon which suspi cion rested. A secret service agent has been stationed at the Hlghtland Light at Naveslnk, N. J., every morning, and It has been his duty to scan the hori zon with a powerful telescope for vessels carrying supplies to the Brit ish warships. Whether any vessels actually had been caught in ths act of violating the neutrality proclama tion by transhipping supplies Mr. Ma lone would not say, inferring that such Information would come out only when the case was placed before the faderal grand jury. The Investigations of Mr. Malone's agents on land and sea have disclos ed, It is understood, that part of a downtown hotel was engaged as a headquarters by the alleged conspira tors, and that there the plans were formulated and orders issued. An organization of great power and Influence was formed, It Is asserted, and negotiations were opened* by Its agents with dozens of captains and owners of vessels who live In New York, Philadelphia and the New Eng land states. The services of many captains were engaged, It is said, and a fleet of big tugboats was put into service to move supplies from various points to the British warships. Ex perienced crews were engaged quietly to operate the tugs, and were im pressed with the necessity of silence. It is understood evidence, has been presented Jo the collector that the principal operatives of a private de tective agency, which is known all over the country, have been working with the agents of the organization. So much information has been ob tained that MJ. Malone has been able authorities clearly subversive of the fights of neutral nation© on the high seas. It is therefore, expected that his Majesty’s—gevernment, having considered these possibilities, will take the steps necessary to avoid them, and. In the event tliat they should unhappily occur, will be pre pared to make full reparation for every act which, under the‘'rules of fntemtional law, constitutes a viola tion of neutral rights. In Friendly Spirit. “As stated in its communication of October 22, 1914, ‘this government will insist that the rights and duties of the United States and its citizens in the present war be defined by the existing rules of International law and the treaties of the United States, irrespective ofTRiTfrroTiaions of the statement of the views of the fpvqrn- DeslaraM— of Ijemton.'CTff That ttra ttBhfBmni United States'is made In to outline his case and his last tour was made to obtain a few details which, he believes, will insure action by the grand jury that will break up the conspiracy and make it Impossible for the British ships to use New York as a base of supplies. A sensation is promised after the facts hav* been placed before the grand jury. While Mr. Malone would not discuss the case in detail he ad mitted making the trips in the tor pedo boats and did not attempt to deny that ,ie had obtained evidence which had astounded him. Mr. Malone has beared the Parker four nights of each week and his tours have continued from just after midnight until 5 o’clock In the morn ing, when the torpedo boat has allp- the most friendly spirit, and t» cordance with ' the uniform candor which haa characterized the relatione of the twet, governments in the past, aid which haa been la large measure the fouadatloa of the peace and ami ty existing between tha two aaMooe without la terra pttoa for n c salary («SM4) . “Bryan.” f ‘ *'. ‘ r- * . vK , ,r. DENIES RESPONSIBILITY GERMANS SAT THRESHER HAD AMfIe TIME TO ESCAPE. Merchant Ship Armed and Submarine Had to Act Quickly—Neutral Pas sengers Warned of Dangers. Government officials took under consideration Tuesday a statement from the German embassy quoting on official message from the Berlin for eign office In which reoponsibility was disclaimed tar the loss of any neutral lives on board the British steamer Falabft, recently sank by a German submarine. The claim is set up by Germany that the Falaba, as well as other British merchantmen, was arriied and that military necessity made it im possible for tho submarine to -give any longer time than was allowed for the passengers to escape. State department officials say the death of Leon C. Thresher, an Ameri can lost with the Falaba, constitutes a complicated case. If the German view that all merchantmen being armed are in the category of war ships is accepted, the rights of neu trals to travel aboard belligerent craft of any kind would be circum scribed. Furthermore, Germany contends that sufficient time was permitted for the escape of the pacsengers and the Intimation is given that if he was not included among those saved there was an act of negligence for which the Germans were not responsible. President Wilson told callers that no steps bad been taken diplomati cally by the United States In tho Thresher case beyond efforts to ob tain the facts and circumstances un der which Thresher was drowned. The statement issued by tho Ger man embassy was: “The Gorman ambassador has received the follow ing official message from Berlin: ‘A report from the submarine has not yet been received. However, accord ing to trustworthy reports, the sub marine requested the steamer Falaba to put passengers and crew Into life boats when other ships came up. Lately English merchant ships have been provided with guns by the Brit ish government and advised to ram or otherwise attack Oermrn subma rines. This advice has repeatedly been followed In order to win prom ised rewards. Military necessity con sequently forced the submarine to act quickly, which made granting of longer space of time and the saving of live* impossible. ” ‘The German government regrets the sacrifice of human lives, but both British ships and neutral passengers on board ships were warned urgently and In time not to cross the war zone. Responsibility rests, therefor*, with the British government, which, con trary to International law. Inaugu rated commercial war against Ger many and. contrary to International law. has caused merchant ships to offer armed resistance.' " DKSt’KlltKH BOMBARDMENT. - ■» Zeppelins I>rop launinons Bomb* on dtp of Paris. The Zeppelin bombardment of Parts during the early morning of March 21. wss described by eye-wit nesses who returned to New York Wednesday aboard ths Transylvania. “It was a clear, starry night," said Joseph Harrlman. "A bugle call awakened us. The Zeppelin seemed to be almost directly above us. We could make it out clearly, like a great grey cigar. "The searchlight on Eiffel tower and other searchlights shot their long beams on the airship and the city’s guns let loose. They fired luminous shells—projectiles that lighted the sky. The glare when they exploded was almost blinding. “I counted six bombs that the air ship dropped.- A tiny red light glow ed from the Zeppelin each time. This was the only light the airship show ed. As the bomb fell we could trace its course by a trail of sparks. “Several second elapsed from the time the bombs reached the earth till we heard the explosion. In one case, however, a bomb fell within a few blocks. The roar of the explosion was terrible. The airsTilp remained above the city for some time—it seemed to me like half an hour—and then sailed away apparently undam aged.” ped back quietly to her pier. The col lector assumed personal charge of these trips. On other nights he has inspected the docks along the water front and conducted secret investiga tions of the cargoes which were being placed aboard the vessels he had un der suspicion. No boat which could have been us ed surreptitiously to violate the neu trality proclamation has escaped the scrutiny of Mr. Malone and his as- Shops Hoboken South Brooklyn from which supplies might be transferred also have been inspected. All of this work was car ried, on so secretly and successfully that the tiews of the investigation did not become known until Tuesday night. The searchlight on the torpedo boat Parker was noted "by some along the water front, but It was'believed the vessel was on an entirely differ ent mission. As a rule she started from Ninety-Sixth street and passed down around the battery, searching the docks, and then to the Hoboken docks. Thlk trip would be followed by a dash to sea which carried the In spector within sight of the British vessels. # ♦ ♦ » lull— Shi up Stopped. , Italian steamers In American ports have been ordered to postpone all ■ailt-igs until April 20, according to a Rome dispatch to the Exchange Tel egraph company. TELL DFJIICO IKIICAH DECLAIE IIIIUF IffillS HE CIWTIC n LOOKS FOR PROTECTION Colony in Mexico Olty Writ© State ment Alleging it is Their Desire to Assist Washington in Solving Per- v plexing Problem—Country to Drift ing Toward Destruction. A statement from the American colony at Mexico City declaring the situation there “more chaotic and helpless than ever” was brought to the border near El Paso, Texas, Sat urday by Arthur Bullard Johnson, representing jointly the two thou sand Americans and the international committee of the capital district, composed of more than ten thousand persons. Mr. Johnson is on his way to take up the matter with United States officials. The statement was drawn March 10 at a meeting attended by about 200 memberrof the American colony in answer to a communication from Washington again suggesting that the Americans leave Mexico. “The last request that Americans leave was sent by Mr. Bryan at a time when he must have known there was no railway exit,” said Mr. John son, who is an American attorney of the Mexican capital. “My arrival here was after a *rlp of the utmost uncertainty and only accomplished by the greatest luck. There . remain about fifty American women at the£ capital.” The message of March 10 request ed Mr. i>ryan to make Its text public, to which the secretary replied that he did not consider this wtfie. On March 12 the American colony sent the following and final reply: "The Americans resident in Mexi co City do. In mass meeting, express their appreciation of the secretary of state’s message of March 12. ss com municated to them by the Brazilian minister. However, they must re spectfully submit that it Is their fixed opinion, deduced from the past four years’ experience, that the time haa come to accept the Mexican altuatlon for what It is and not for what It might be hoped that It may become, or what Intereated leaden or warring factlona may try to represent It to be. “The record Is clearly written in facta which ahow the true value of the pretentious of contending group* They note the opinion of tho presi dent that be does not think it would contribut« to their welfare to grant their request to make public their communication of March 9. They ask that it be made known to th* president that It is their firm convic tion that their duty requires them to take the people of the United States and of the civilized world into their fullest confidence, and tn the Inter ests of humanity to lay before then* the whole train of the Mezlean altua tlon, and In th* performance of this duty they earnestly Invite and ardent ly hope for the aid and co-operation of the administration "They desire, insofar as they can. to controvert the systematic misrep resentation of the Mexican situation, to put an end to evasion and repres sion of the truth In regard thereto, especially ss to their own situation and attitude. They are not surpris ed that Gen. Carranza should renew his promise “to exert himself to ths utmost to protect lives and property of foreigners,' but they submit that the true value of a promise should be estimated by what Gen. Carranza baa done and decreed since his triumphal entry Into the City of Mexico on August 15 last. "The arbitrary taking from Mexi cans and foreigners of property. In cluding houses here, automobiles, garages, furniture, money and crops; the Issuing of decrees so in contra vention of right, fairness and Justice as to be almost incredible, the delib erate, persistent and ill concealed at tempt to starve a city of 500,000 In habitants, depriving them of water, fuel and transportation; the shipping of defenceless women in locked cat tle cars to Vera Gruz, the carrying away of the controllers of electric street cars, thus paralyzing transit; the closing of the courts and schools; the holding of priests for ransom; the arrest and detention of 300 busi ness men who had assembled at the request of the general in charge of the . city; the persecution of Span iards, suppression of mails and vio lation of sealed correspondence, both foreign and domestic; the removal of public archives and the stripping of public buildings; the open invitation to riot and loot; the sacking of churches and desecration of images; the killing of men and the outraging of women—are events too recent and well known to permit their being overlooked in forming judgment. The wantonness of such acts renders it impossible to accept the professions of the factionists or their counsels as to the course to he pursued by for eigners.” “It is the earnest desire of the Americans In Mexico,” the statement concludes, "to assist the Washington administration to find a solution for the perplexing International situa tion that exists, and to his end they request that their efforts be regarded as made in good faltluajid. that their knowledge of experience 6f the Mexi can situation be accorded full weight. They are willing to make sacrifices If through them any ultimate good may accrue to the Mexican people or American prestifle, but they feel that thus far the very opposite has the re sult. They consider that American .drill sat Ion-' The German steamer Orate Hsm- sotb. 1,554 tone, vee struck by a, min* aa4 taetroyad te the Baltic 8aaj a duty to perform to humanity which n© longer sbeuM -be peetpenefi. “Mexico le drifting toward total de struction, from thick a mistaken al truism is powerless to save it. Tha present struggle does not rep reseat the efforts of a people to seeara lib erty and sqaal righto so mmak as a a of