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Show UNITED STATES If INSIST ON NEDTRALDIBDTS President Will Inquire of Great Britain and Germany Ger-many How They Will Act on Supplies CAUSES OF WAR Or 1812 RECALLED Diplomats Point Out That "Paper" Blockade Was Not Tolerated Under Napoleonic Na-poleonic Regime WASIIINQTOV March S 'While President Wilson indicated today that the United states would send a note of inquiry to Great Britain and Jraoce to learn how they proposed to corry out in practice their announced deter mination to prohibit commercial inter coarse by sea with Germany, such ac tion it was later stated probably would be deferred until replies ire re celved from Great Br tain and der manv to the Aoerican proposals look ing to an abandonment of the subma nne warfare on merchant ships and unrestricted passage of foodstuffs to the e vilian population of bell gerents German) s reply as described n press d spatches created a favorable impression among officials but until the text is officially received no com ment will bo made The attitude of Germany Rae rise to the belief in some official quarters that a basis for a solution of tho maritime situation m ght ret be reached through the new note What Great Britain s reply will be is dependent to some extent on the attitude of her allies whom she is con suiting There have been official mti mations however that England would flatly reject the pro) osal for the ship ment of foodstuffs and conditional con traband to Germany Policy Defined The nglo-reneh notes outlining the intent on of the allies to stop all com merea between Germany and neutral countries occupied the attention of of ficial Washington toda) President Wilson told inquirers just before the cabinet met that he could not define the attitude of tho Vmoncan govern ment because he had not thoroughly d gested tho contents of the communi cations although apparently they ftemed to establish a blockade Be Sointed out that the notes had merely eflned in general terms a policy to be pursued by the allies without etat ng tbo means of enforcing that pol cy To make this "lear for the United states the president added might ne ceesitate further correapondenco with Great Br ta n and France The president made clear 1 Is belief that while the cond Hons of war might ha e changed no nation has a right to change the rules of war From this t nas generally Inferred that the Amerl can government uould Insist on the po s t on frequently expressed by its o(n als, that whatever might be the vlo at ons of the customs of war as between e 1 gerents, this could not affect the s atui of nternatlonal law as between the Un ted States and countries with whlcl she was at peace Notes Discussed The general pressur of business lncl dent to the clos ng of congress occupied the cab net meet ng for the most part but the no es from Great Britain and Prance and the r effect on American ex ports were d scussed to some extent Some hlsh offlc als said that If Eng and proclaimed a blockade and would make It effectt e there could be no legal object on f om tl e United States no matter how much Its com merce suffered Inasmuch as the pres ent steo fa s shor of sucl a move In that a 1 ommerce Is to be Interrupted wit out specifying the zone of opera ions or radius of ac on the general be 1 ef vas t at the 1 nited States would be ob ged to enter vigorous protest Offl als at the sta e department are stud ng the Ang o Frencl dec a at on w th a lew to ad is ng the president of he r ght of neutrals which it seems to ran9ares The poss bil ty that the reply of the allies to the lnforn al p oposals of the "Lnited States may introduce a basis for furt er negot at on along 1 nes that wou d make unnecessary the embargo on neutra com me ce p oclalmed by Eng and and Fran e Is recognized by offlc a s genera y as an mportant factor n the f u e co rse of the American govern men Protest Expected If the ep y from Fngland is to be long de ayed bv consu tat ons w th the all es however there s a bel ef n nany quarte s that acting on informal lntl mat ons of Great Br tain s d sappro al of the plans suggested for send ng food stuffs to Germany the tn ted States m ght send Its protest to Great Bri aln In a few days The d fflcu t es of the present s tua t on sugges ed to offic als s ml ar cond tions whlc ex sted a entury ago Un der what was known as the cont nental system Napoleon s p an for shu t ng Eng and out f om al connection v th the cont nent of Europe a ser es of retal a ory measures wee pract ced which sub fequent y nvolved i the war countr es prev ous y neut al First Napoleon Is sued s famous Berl n decree declar Ing the British islands in a state of blockade and prohib t ng all commerce end corresponde ce w th Eng and Great Br ta n was not lonar mak ng repr sals proh bit ng a I neutral vesBe a from enter Ing an po t con ro ed by Fiance or er aes New Pre ch measures fo owed an en b the M an dec ee of Decern her 130 ani essel of w atever na tion t at a bee searched by an E g sh sh p had been sent on a vojage to Erg and or paid any duty to the Fnt; sh gove nment was to be decared denat ona zed and t eated as Eng si Caused War of 1812 Most of the count es of Europe were ompel ed by Napo eon to jo n t e con nenta sys em Rusa a refused to ad ere o t and went to war Altho Qh a s a of b o kade vas p oc a n ed tee as o effo n de in ma cases to n a nta. u one It was aga nst such a pol cy as th s that the United States pro tested before go ng to war vit Eng and In 1812 Constantin Brun Danish min ster ca ed at the tate department dur ng the day for information on the s tuation He said 1 e thought t at s lipp ngr to and f om 3 Is co ntrj wou d not be inter fered w th by t e latest decree and that the con merce of neutral co ntries would go on pract cal v as it has s nee the out b eak of the war He po nted out that Denmar already has embargoed reex portatlon of al the art cles declared as contraband b the a es and that 1 tt e or no commerce con g out of Denmark or g nates Ce many S ved h M ster lkengnn also Fought format on at the depart nent co ccn ing the allies decree |