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Show JOHN BULL HOT WORRIED BYTHE GElipEIT . Newspapers Declare Inclusion Inclu-sion of Great Britain in War Zone Adds Noth-f Noth-f ing New. RETALIATION NOW BEING CONSIDERED ! Rather Serious View Taken in Washington; American Mariners Expected to Heed Warning. LONDON, Feb. 6, 3:03 a. m. While the German" threat of a blockade has created a great -wave of indignation among the newspapers and tho public, it is regarded by many high officials as a bluff. It is claimed that, with the ' small number of war vessels at tho disposal dis-posal of Germany, it "will be quite impossible im-possible to make the blockade effective and it is argued that, had Germany been able to interfere with British transports carrying troops to France, she already would have done so. So far as shippers are concerned, very little alarm appears to bo felt. At Lloyd's the underwriters viewed the threat calmly and made little change iu the war risk rates. Inquiries at Liverpool, Glasgow and other ports show that no change is contemplated con-templated in sailing schedules, most ol tho companies stating that it is their intention to carry on business as usual, . unless stopped by admiralty orders. Great interest is shown in the question ques-tion of how neutral countries wiji view the threat and extensive extracts from comments iu American and other vfor- cign newspapers are published here. GERMAN PAPERS ARE JOYFUL OVER ANNOUNCEMENT i BERLIN, via London, Feb. 5, 12:57 a. m. The entiro German press greets with satisfaction the admiralty 's declaration dec-laration that the waters surrounding England, Scotland and Ireland have-been have-been included in tho war zone. The i headlines of several papers speak of the announcement as a blockade. The Post declares it is a blockade and must be so considered. ' ' Neutral shipping, ' says the Post, ' "is given time to take refuge in safe harbors. Only after a measured pjeriod do all merchantmen going to and from Ihe British isles run into danger. Then, to be Biire, men and freight not only on British ships, but under a neutral flag, are doomed to pink." The Taglische Bunclschnu says: "We have accepted England's battle condition. We let England play its role and assumed ours with all its rights and obligations. Let him guard himself who feels like coming between us.' The Lokal Anzeiger declares England Eng-land 's own weapons are being turned against her, and when Germany de-strovs de-strovs the English yoke under which the world has Buffered for centuries, it will have accomplished a high historical min-sion min-sion and freed tho world from one of its most dangerous enemies. . The Tageblatt says England's con-f con-f duct, to which the new decree is an an- ewer, has been an admission it could . not defeat Germany with weapons i which Germany realizes are not incon-' incon-' tnderable. Tho paper expresses the opinion that neutral powers will suffer losses from tho new declaration, but declares de-clares theBC will be small compared with those which England imposes upon them. WILL ATTACK THE BRITISH TRANSPORTS BERLIN", Feb. 5, by wireless to Say-vjllt Say-vjllt The chief admiral of the staff ol the German navy has issued the follow-j follow-j official communication: England ia on the evo of shipping iniimerous troops and large quantities f war material to France. Against theso Enelish transports we will pro-f pro-f copd with all the means of warfare at our disposal. Neutral shipping Is earnestly cau tioned against approaching the northern north-ern or tlie western coasis of France, ae in these waters sucl) vcfscIs woukl run the serious djinger of bein?y con- founded with ships wliusu purposes are warlike. , The L.f.fjt route for tho North sea fa around .Scotland. SERIOUS VIEW IS TAKEN IN THE i UNITED STATES WASHINGTON". Feb. 5. President Wil-l Wil-l son and his cabinet dlscusmed today the possible effects on neutral shipping of the r German proclamation declaring' as mival f ,fir zones the water areas surround ins Great Britain and Ireland and bordering the north and wst coasts of Fmnee and a Portion of Hip Netherlands. Inasmuch an the fxt of the German admiralty's ad-miralty's proclamation -id not arrived. 'o conclusions were rpaoiiud and no coti-wnsiis coti-wnsiis of opinion developed us to wl-al diplomatic stepH should be taken by the (Continued on Page Three) JO! BULL REGARDS BLOCK LIGHTLY (Continued from Page One.) United Slates government. Should the communication fail to arrive by tomorrow, Ar-ting Secretary Lansing will direct Em--hassador Gerard at Berlin to make customary Inquiry at the German foreign office as to the authenticity of a published pub-lished report. If the Germ a n proclamation, when officially of-ficially transmitted, corresponds In phraseology lo the report which came by wireless yesterday, it was suggested In executive Quarters that the course of the American government probahly would be to inquire, first, of the German government govern-ment what measures of protection or convoy can be expected by American merchant mer-chant ships passing through the designated desig-nated war zones to neutral ports, and, second, of the Brit ish government as to whether or not it lias issued the alleged secret order permitting the use of neutral flags by her merchantmen. A denial by Great Rritain of the existence of the order or-der would be followed, it is understood, by an inquiry of the German authorities as to proof of their charge. The suggestion sugges-tion that ncutra 1 flags were being niif-used niif-used na u set 1 no little concern among high officials, who said they had heard no re-Ports re-Ports of it before. Limit to Inquiry. Beyond seeking to establish what measures meas-ures t he Genua n navy will tske to aid American ships in passing safelv through the war zons and what efforts will be made to verify the neutral character of vessels flying the American flag, it was staled on high authority that the United States government probably would not go. Tho richt of a btlbgerent to designate a wa : e" area as a wur zone within w h !ch it Is dan serous for neutral raft to venture ven-ture a laielv recognized principle of interna: i or.fi 1 law, though the extent of the zone, the degree of menace to neutral vessis and the right to interrupt lawful commerce in thf on'y existing water routes betwepn neutral countries have porcr be1!! defined. The declaration by Grer.t Britain of the North sea as a war zune because of the mines strewn there called forth protests from some of the European neutral countries, coun-tries, but the X, nlled States made no protest. pro-test. FUots were furnished for neutral ships. Similarly during the Russo-Japanese ar. It was recalled by officials tn-d:i tn-d:i y. th-M'p were desi ?ns ted by Ja pa n tw'civn "strategic areas." Certain rules v ie pro niu .ca tc;i for t::p tre. t nit" nt of ,o:i! vat ships in thusp 7. ns h nd some-'' some-'' hing of the !-tiine cha racio.r is expucted J to result In thti present situation. 1 n .-I i .fTi i-m : 1 'nr .1 i il n, it 1 if r f n k some German papers have intimated, that the German government intends to deliberated de-liberated destroy neutral vessels in the war zones. Rules of international law, ; it was pointed out. call for careful search of a neutral vessel to determine how much of its cargo is contraband, and even then the ship can be destroyed only in rare emergencies and on the confident assumption as-sumption that it would have been condemned con-demned as a prize. While in many charters the action of Germany was referred to as a "blockade" "block-ade" technically, the designation of war zones is an entirely different matter. Neutral vessels under a blockade are ab-solutelv ab-solutelv forbidden from entering the blockaded areas, but under Germany's proclamation there is no penalty or obstacle ob-stacle directly placed against the passage of a neutral ship through a war zone after giving warnings against the dangers that exist there. In effect, a neutral vessel enters the dangerous area at its own risk, a situation somewhat analogous to the mine-atrewn fields of the North sea, though destruction by a submarine whose nationality could be ascertained would differ in legal consequences from the explosion of n contact mine, responsibility responsi-bility for the laying of which might never be fixed. Germany's Contention. The German admiralty's notice, it was contended at the German embassy, is the natural result of the British attitude toward to-ward foodstuffs intended for Germany. While nothing further had been received at the embassy than the text of the order, or-der, find this not directly from the foreign for-eign office, but through war press reports re-ports sent by the Sayville wireless, it was made plain that the intention of the order, as understood here. Is to prevent the entrance of food into England. The German understanding of the si I nation seems to be. it was explained, that it is the purpose of Great Britain not only to stop the cargo of food on the steamer Wllhelmina, but to seize other cargoes While none of the neutral embassies and legations had Instructions from their home governments today, it was suggested by some of the diplomats whose countries had been active in following up shipping interference with representations that il was unlikely that, a change from the po!iey of protesting in specific cases only would bo made. The possibility of a joint protest by neulrnls was discussed informally in-formally at some length In diplomatic quarters, but without official sanction. It was stated at the legation of the Netherlands that a conference would be held tomorrow between the minister. Chevaher Va n Rappard. anil officia W of the slate department, in order to ascertain ascer-tain the probable action of this government. govern-ment. Officials at the legation characterized the pituation as extremely serious for nU neutrals whose ships ordinarily pass throngn the dnneer zone, and eapecaiiy for Holland, whose entire coast line Is affected. "Depth of Infamy." I ONDQN. Feb. 6. 1:59 a. m. The Daily Telegraph, in an editorial to-.;ay. considers consid-ers Germany's deeia ration of the waters around Grear Britain and r?la nd and the roast of Krmice and the Netherlands as naval war zones to be proof of th- economical pressure the British fleet exer.-i.-dng and that "the German ship of I state is on its beam end.-." ! "We rould. of course." says i he Da - y Telegraph, "ina ke reprisals, for we pc.--sess twire f.s main- underwater era f,t as Genua ny : hut e rnuid nui cleseeua t .e-i.-h n rliTirh of i t; fp m i The C if -ri.-t i proclamation consists of empty words, but ! it is self-revealing, and Germany must be ! punished for this threat of frig'htfulness. We are convinced that any action in this direction the British government, for and on behalf of (he allies, may take will receive re-ceive the support of the civilized world." |
