Show WHY BRITAIN SEIZED THE FLOUR It Was a Necessity for Food for Army and Navy REPLY TO UNITED SPATES Inability III ii S d nt at hoer Boer c thom ronard New York Jan special to the Journal and Advertiser says The rhe essential points In the tentative answer ot of Lord Salisbury to the de demand demand mand made on him bY Ambassador Choate for Cor a dt declaration ot of policy and a concession of liability In tho ho matter ot of the seizures seizure of oC American dour In car cor cargoes goes on the Mashona the Beatrice and the Maria are First Great BritaIn offers to pa pay on an Ind indemnity to the AmerIcan citizens whose corn meal and flour or ere seized b by the British cruiser near bay th the extent ot of the claims to be de determined b by a commission Britain will not declare corn meal and flour to be contraband when proof Is not positive that the foodstuffs are arc Intended for the tho camp ot of the enemy Britain contends that she lia hl not Ml violated the rIghts ot of 1 a neutral Jower by the seizure ot of this corn m meal ll and flour but on the lie con contrary under her old common la law she has a right to seize food supplies absolute absolutely lute necessary fur for the maintenance of oC her and sailors in III time lime ot of war var her right being subject t to the equities ot of indemnity The attitude of this government nt on time the three propositions submitted In JUs justification by Lord ls Is as fol foh follows lows The United States accepts Great Grent offer olter to pay American citi citizens zens In Interest the taco tace value alue of oC the cargoes with a reasonable profit Great ilen In Justification Is regarded as Inadequate and evasive In that thal It avoids n a gen general ral declaration as to whether corn Inca meal I or flour are ot of war but the answer anser Is reasonably sufficient because It declares specifically that the articles on the yes es eels named were not contraband or of orwar war as the they were not destined for the camp ot of the enemy enem and that thal was one Olle Important contention ot of the state de dePar Par A As to the third proposition the United States accepts In good faith the he plea plen that the goods were seized as a military n for the supply ot of the British army anti nn navy and that such necessity the tho Justice ot of such seizure without prejudice to any other International I question involved A high state department official said that there was Vos no doubt that Great inability to supply her army and navy actually engaged In the Boor var could be demon demonstrated trat d That con condition lie he said Is fairly inferable from the tho fact of oC the Immense army In the fIeld the consequent emergency drain drainon on the home base or of supplies the dis distarce of oC the local South African bases of supplies from the armies In the field the danger In the transportation of oC them great distances Inland and the practically Isolated posItion ot of her crul cruisers ers oft off Delagoa boy bay beyond leond the In International limit from froin shore The United States he said had agreed to this contention of Great Brit Bit am because It was defensible b by Int inter international r national low law b by British local law and by br the facts ns as submitted The state department lag Ing this tentative reply whIch pro pre eludes any chanec of oC serious friction Is still anxIous to obtain n a specific alien as to whether Great Britain will maintain the ge general ne rill proposItion that flour corn and men meal are contraband of oC w war r It Is probable In view Iw or of the pres present present ent amicable adjustment that the Unit United ed cd States will not Insist on an ate reply to her for a compre declaration of policy It Is thought however that Inasmuch as Germany Holland and France FranC have hac asked Great Britain for a definition ot of contraband as applied to foodstuffs the scope of the answer to the United States mil may be enlarged In the near future A special to the Tribune from Wash Washington ington sa says s The state department has no lion indicating that lint Consul hauls at Pretoria Is receiving from the Boor Boer government nn any more recognition for tor Interests than was vouchsafed to Consul Mauchan before he aban abandoned abandoned his post No word has been ye rc from him nor tins hIlS the British government made formal complaint that It Is not receiving the Intelligence It desired from Mr It Hollis regarding the names and condition o of prisoners confined at Pretoria but In the absence ot of definite knowledge the state depart meat ment ore are disposed to believe bellee that President I Kruger ruger does not Intend to permit time the United States Slates consul to represent an any other interests than those ot of a strictly AmerIcan char character actor acter Whether there will be an any modification ion tion of oC this attitude when Consul nil hay reaches his vest at Pretoria about the thelast thelast last ot of this month Is problematical but butIn butin In the meantime no question ot of the conduct of oC the affair Is likelY to come to an Issue That the treatment accorded to the efforts of the United Stat States S representative jive tive who Is presumed to maintain lila strict neutrality causes chagrin to this government Is undeniable The good exercised In behalf ot of the Prussians tit at Paris by Minister Washburne and for the French nt at Berlin b by Minis Minister ter Bancroft were above the suspIcion ot of either belligerent and what the they no ac was wall ot of Inestimable value to the civilized world When China rind and Japan fought each welcomed the assumption of oC responsIbility responsibility In the others other territory by Anton Amerl can diplomats and consular and andIn andin In the recent Spain the devotion shown 11 by British on both sides mitigated man many or of the tho horrors ot of conflict especially It at Santi Santiago Santiago ago the de Cuba It is 18 that the thelong long Ions residence ot of Consul In Brit British ish hh AfrIca may be at the bottom of at the tho Doer Boer attitude He lived for tor some time In where his father was con consul sul suI and In the last ten years has hns held consular positions at Durban Durbon Mozambique bique and Lourenzo Lourenso Marques |