OCR Text |
Show DUTCH FIJI TO OPPOSE SEIZURE B? H Taking Over Merchantmen in U. S. Ports Rouses Resentment Re-sentment as an Act of Violence. BLAME PLACED ON PRESIDENT WILSON Netherlands Takes Issue With His Proclamation as Containing Matter Opposed to Fact. THE HAGUE, Saturday, March 30. The seizure of the Dutch merchantmen in American ports is characterized by the Dutch government, in a statement in the Official Gazette, as an act of violence which it will "oppose with all the energy of its conviction and its wounded national na-tional feeling." The government takes issue with the proclamation of President Wilson regarding the decision of the United States, saying it contains assertions asser-tions which are contrary to the facts. The statement says the Dutch nation, "with p.iinful surprise." has taken notice, of President Wilson's proclamation and that the seizure of a neutral mercantile fleet la unjustifiable. It continues: , According to President Wilson's proclamation, the Netherlands, owing entirely to German pressure, failed to observe the -preliminary arrangement which . was proposed for the purpose of leaving no longer idle' the Dutch . tonnage in American ports and furnishing fur-nishing an opportunity for making t voyages within a period of ninety 1 days, pending a definite agreement on Dutch tonnage and rationing. This iri distinctly Incorrect. It is equally as incorrect as the allegation that Germany had threatened threat-ened to sink two ships which were to sail from Holland with America's approval and chat Germany had made Increasing threats to prevent both j the observance of such a preliminary arrangement and the conclusion of a permanent one. The real facts of the case are: Relief Is Proposed. After the (American) war trade board had insisted that Dutch ships In American ports make trips pending pend-ing a definite arrangement, the Netherlands Neth-erlands government proposed that some of the ships should make voyages voy-ages for the commission for relief In Belgium, which Holland has always fostered ' sedulously for the benefit of distressed Belgium and northern Fiance. When Information was received that Germany objected to America's demand de-mand that a Dutch ship sail from Holland each time in exchange for a relief ship sailing from America, the Netherlands government deemed it a duty imposed by good faith to inform the American authorities thereof immediately, im-mediately, so that a ship which was then on the way toward Argentina could be given a different destination. destina-tion. The direct consequence was that those ships were kept moving, which was exactly in consonance with the provisional agreement. Respecting sailings to Cette (Prance), a Swiss interest with which Holland sympathized warmly, i the shipowners agreed thereto, completely com-pletely as soon as France gave assurances as-surances that the ships would not be detained at Cctte. Accordingly, several sev-eral ships were chartered for this service. The charterings and sailings of all these ships were not sensibly delayed by the aforementioned ob-I ob-I jections, neither did Germany, at- tempt to influence the execution of the provisional agreement, which af- footed traffic between transatlantic I ports. What did seriously Interfere I with its execution was the fact that cable messages to and from shipowners ship-owners were extremely slow in transmission trans-mission and sometimes never were delivered. The cause of this remains unexplained. Ships Are Stopped. The fact is that a majority of the ships had been chartered undur the provisional agreement through the war tra.de hoard and part were already al-ready .--ailing to Fouth An' erica, hut were ;op;,fM on route by the Amerl-m Amerl-m author-tie?, whiie in the Pacific (Continued on Page Four.) DUTCH TO OPPOSE PLAil OF SEIZURE (Continued from Pae One.) shiri-t i'limr bfMvten the western eoat of th- Tnit.-d S'atej n nd the iMif.-h K,ist Irvi:e- riad'- r-i;ular v-y-;u''-h witiiout anv I m; I i m en t , dirfct oi indirert, l,v the V-t !..rl.in.ls overtimi-iit. Tii shij'i now In I'.rlt-ivh I'.rlt-ivh j,ort In .n'l outhii! K'irop and In 'i ; mu. port of St. I Vincent v.-r- pr-"-eTit..- from H iilintC bv tut) Jliitish aiaJ l'ortui;ueso t h-in-ft-lves. A nbfiwn by t!,o fnr'i.oin, the n!U't::ition that tho N'-t luulandM. nw-ii.i? nw-ii.i? to G'-rman prc'un-. power-' I mm u oliHervo tiie prolMUmil m:rrc. ( rie fit in eoittrarv to facts. That th ! pre-o. jt-nf wa pa'oi t c '.y ad ' i 1 ed l j jrod oTiepr-M e- on u point rf j t r.Mli : i r:!.o'l ,o: - e ; nateelv.. uPerf ti.e -t ,i t em r.t l;ent,o;iH file lifV fle- ! ma 111 that ImiPIi yii'H wo-;M bai to j e:: t or t ': v.a r Z"H.- and I i ' no r.u i: ! widch folued lloU.'iii I'm r.-ply. 'After l:ir m' oi c e alb- :'i!ii 11 -if H-.b.-nd was in, iM" to o,w.,m th., pr. inl'irial a i:r'" m-n f . " the s t a f -me n I (ontlnneM, "av.it lirl'atn. nti .Mar h 7, mad- Holland n tin.'.l propoxi!. u liert-o ion I (oil i nd a me foru a rd with a oil liter - proposal which wn:i acceptable." SOME SURPRISE OVER TONE OF THE DUTCH PROTEST WASHINGTON-, .Mnr. li HI. In 111" view "f tli'- A merir.in c'lVri nrticnt. rciilal-tlonltiK rciilal-tlonltiK "f t lie 1 . . I 1 1 Hhlps In A iii.-ri' n n p'.ltf WJfl fl'PtH' III f'lll JlCTOIil Willi r-"l.-- rnz'-'l iiiiii' iI'-M "f liitrrnai ioiinl l.iw .'.ml tiif.Hl (i''in r"un L'n:i i :i nl wi ro ..'U .-ti for thr: J.' fit c.'l ion of lliilliui'rH rfimUK't cc mill thi; rii:lilM nf tin- nlill'iiwm'1 It iwiil'l )..tv.' li.'i'ti within thn rirlil" f,f thi. ( nitcl Sl it. tn tiil.r tiie m-m'iIii .'tiii:i ii'iil ;..'iiii: f"r t ti.-rn ;i .IumI r.rl'.-. Iiul, I 1 ' f ' ; ' 1 1 i ' 1 1 1 r lint lli.l'Htxl W.Mll.l I, .. i:h,....h-. : r li,.. iv:i r l.v kii.Ii d'ti'.,. it '.;,,i ;i iiii',miii',',I nnl- til'' uyi' .,r Mi" 1 1 1 1 . u'.iiM I." r."inli-,',l. Afi"i- t h" l;ir tli"' U'lll I." ("Iiunr'l In ni kiiiiiI r oii.l 1 1 i',,1 li 'I w!l"ii t li I' " II. (i,iu:Mt l."tW".-n :l." n , 1 1. 1'.'ii' milMrii-riii" milMrii-riii" v.nif.ir" ,f ' ;.m in. 1 1, v unit t!i" ri"'"l 'it tli" nllli'H rnr k.'II - " "'"'"'"' 1 i"n msilnnt l i," III. i:mI .r...'i I.-. m of 1 1 ... I mi li"". I l"l-ln l"l-ln ii. I In r.,ii". .I",l I" liiiv,. liml a in. .1 dif-fM-'ill llni" In f.ilipfvini: th,. 'Inniinilt, nr II. TIIIIIIIV Willi" lll.HllllllIK f"l r,,f ll"f own I" ,i;.l". 'I'll" iilli'". I'l'i.ini.'i.'.l tn nl-low nl-low i "in t ln'lr r .ml "I "i " I'-'ifl l.'l'iit tr.iln tiii'l oiher f oiiiiii'i.hl l - in i.liifn tor ,l,l.il,.- Itoll.iii.l :im llllln:. tint Itiiiii T . - lo-ti;...l lo-ti;...l to i"rniit 111" :ii:l"''lil"Ilt. Ihlt'llt"!!- Ii,,. t.i t,,i.....i chlii.'. li-.ivliK Initi'li lu.r. ,,,i in i.-loiii for i:,ii"l Mlilp', mmt fioni i , ;,. I 'ii'l'-r th" .'Ir.'iioi'iliiii' , I, li'l :,ft.r uiiillin; t " o I IIifi. tin. full". I St nl I h" lllli."i tool, i.vr III" I nit .it v. I'll" In I h. If ii.i tn in oril.'l' to l. In. in In II.. 0 M..; i , , l 1 iirllvlll.".. I',,, I, I i, il.i, ,llv u;,', ' M.", l...l flon, I 1 1 1 1 I l II. I , I'll ..' I I' ': h: I I II lillt v "I " Mill - i, . , ..lij. 'i. I Ml III" I it III" nl I l.llll . . 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 l ,i .. I j" i, l J I 1 1 I Wi'lll Mt II loill IO ". Phi. M h. |