Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, SEPTMBER 22, 1916.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3561, 22 September 1916, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, SEPTMBER 22, 1916.

. President Wilson's minatory protest against the "blackrlisting " of American trading firms not having had the effect of causing the cancellation of the list, Germany is taking other measures to force America'^ land. It is generally believed that the President's Note to Britain was prompted by a desire to secure the pro-German vote at the presidential election in November; but it was probably never expected, even by the President, that Great Britain would regard the threat seriously and be induced by it to withdraw the embargo against the firms named in the list. This attitude does not satisfy the Germans, who seem to consider that their only, hope of weakening Britain is to involve her in war with America.* They have made several attempts to bring this about, and President Wilson has so far humoured them us to shake an admonitory forefinger at the British Government. This having failed to cause a breach of the relations between the two Anglo-Saxon Powers, Germany is now taking a hand herself, and has threatened that if certain contracts entered into by American firms with German traders are not carried out,, legal action will be taken to, compel their fulfilment. Now, a condition precedent to the completion of these contracts is the " freedom of the seas," and in spite of the German claim that they won the battle of Jutland, Admiral Jelhcoe is still in supreme command of ' the North Sea; and before American'goods can be landed in German ports the permission of the British Admiral of the Fleet must he obtained. Both America and Germany recognise the hopelessness of attempting to break the blockade, and so Germany's demands regarding the contracts cannot be complied with. America's answer to the German threat of legal proceedings is a threat to retaliate in kind—to encourage suits in American courts against 'German firms who have failed to complete contracts with American firms. This has brought about a position of stalemate, and meanwhile the "blacklist" is being rigidly enforced. The terms of the American Note to Britain with regard to the "black-list" reveal an obliqueness of vision quite in keeping with previous Notes penned by the President. They are based on entirely arbitrary premises, the weakness of which neutralise any vestige of 'logic that otherwise might have made the- protest reasonable. In effect, the Note denies Britain's right to prevent her citizens trading with foreign firms, and claims that " citizens of*the United States are entirely within their rights in attempting to. trade with the people or the Governments of any the nations now at war. The "black-list" does not impose any restrictions upon the traders .of "the United States. It merely stipulates that British firms shall not have trade relations with-cer-tain specified firms in America. It ought to be apparent to President Wilson that this is a right which all nations can reasonably claim, but he states that "it is manifestly out of the question that the Government of the United States should acquiesce in such methods or application; of punishment to its citizens." It was in accordance with this policy—which the authorities declaro to have been a flagrant breach of American neutrality — that tho United States permitted the Deutfichland to land contraband goods at Baltimore and to i take n cargo of similar goods '■

hack to Germany. Britain does not object to America's interpretation of the laws of neutrality ; she has her own methods of ' frustrating the effect of that interpretation, and President Wilson's Notes are merely so much beating of the air.