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Show of honor in all international dealings, but one Rteals your purse and the other stabs you in the back. THE ENGLISH NOTE. That the freedom of the seas would be maintained by the United States "at whatever coot," was the pledge which President Wilson gave to Germany Ger-many several months ago. Most Americans, Amer-icans, especially our German follow-citizens, follow-citizens, are beginning to think that it is time for the president to mako good. The latest English note shows the weakness of Great Britain's position, but it also rovoals the error of our own wnys. Our government originally took tho position that the sudden and Immense increase of American imports into the neutral countries of Europe was Immaterial to the controversy between the Ilnitod States and Great Britain. Wo should have clung to that position, hut apparently we have eonseuted to argue the question with the British govornment. In some respocts the English note is highly amusing, because of its abtuse-no.8. abtuse-no.8. In certain commodities the English Eng-lish trade with neutral countries of Eutope shows a larger gain than our own trade. Tn sunh cases, according to I he note, the cause is to be found in I he fact that trade has been deflected tioin German ports because of the war and that tho goods which Germany foj-morl.v foj-morl.v transshipped to the Scandinavian Scandina-vian countries anil Holland are now trans-shipped Irom English ports. In eases where the inrrease is American tho English do not ascribe it to the Shifting of trade, but assume that the goods are destined for Germany. The tremendous increase in tho shipments ship-ments of cocoa from English ports to Holland and the Scandinavian countries is attributed to the deflection of trade, and yet our memory servos us well when we say that the London papers, not so long ago, made the direct accusation that the cocoa was going to Germany. The same charge was made with reference refer-ence to other foodstuffs aud to cotton goods. Which is to say thai while England was seizing and confiscating American goods on suspicion that the ultimate destination was Germany the English dealers wero supplying Germany with cotton and foodstuffs. It is unfortunate that our state department de-partment consented to argue with Great Britain along these lines. Some of our goods were seized before the English government toad issued its orders in council or classified the goods as contraband. con-traband. The English, therefore, could not contend that the goods were liable to seizure and confiscation on the ground that they were contraband destined des-tined ultimately for the enemy's forces. Nevertheless they seized the goods and confiscated a great portion of them in sheer aud insolent defiance of international interna-tional law. The goods were seized merely upon suspicion that they were destined for the enemy's forces by an iudirect route through neutral countries. On mere suspicion tho English steal our goods just as the Germans, on mere suspicion, sus-picion, murder our citizens. The time has arrived when Germany, whatever the motive, has gTanted substantial concessions to bring their warfare practically prac-tically within the limits of international law. But Great Britain remains an outlaw. out-law. Undoubtedly these are harsh words to apply to great, civilized governments. Normally Great Britain and Germany could resent such charges with just in-diguation, in-diguation, but such are the circumstances circum-stances of this shameful war that the most civilized of nations have been compelled to resort to theft and murder. mur-der. A few days ago a French aviator interned in-terned in Switzerland broke his parole and fled back to France. For "the honor of France" the French government govern-ment returned him to imprisonment in Switzerland. Hew delicate is the sense of honor in small things. It recalls the days of the code duello, wheu drunken, licentious aud murderous reprobates ' were very careful to observe before the public all the commandments of the code duello. Today the great nations of Europe are in somewhat the same position. They pretend to a strict seuso |