OCR Text |
Show NOTICE IS SERVED ON GREA1JRITAIN ORDER IN COUNCIL WILL NOT GOVERN IN AMERICAN PRIZE COURT CASES. Statement From United States Advises Ad-vises That if There is a Denial of Justice, Diplomatic Protests Will be Entered. Washington. Formal notice that the United States holds that the rights of Americans who have cases before British prize courts rest upon international . law and not upon various va-rious British orders in council, or municipal mu-nicipal law, is given in a brief statement state-ment cabled to Ambassador Page and presented by him on Friday to the London foreign office. Secretary Lansing explained that this communication was not to be confused with the general note now in preparation relating to contraband and interference with American commerce com-merce on the high seas. He said it was more in the nature of a legal caveat, generally conserving thfj rights of citizens of the United States VYllQse cases a-re about to be tried by English prize courts. ... Inasmuch as the prize courts have not yet ruled on any American cases and are believed to be about to do so, the statement from the United States signifies, in effect, that if there Is a denial of justice diplomatic protests will be entered, based on the general gen-eral principles of international law existing ex-isting before the outbreak of the war. The United States has, in its formal notes, given Great Britain, as well as Germany, general notices to this effect, ef-fect, and the statement now sent draws particular attention to the prize court cases pending. It will be made public here Saturday. |