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Show MUATlf-" LEGISLATION President and Department Heads Are Studying the New Law. Washington, Sept. 19 Three government gov-ernment departments and President Wilson are making a careful study of tho retaliatory legislaturo passed by congress preparatory legislation passed by congress . preparatory to putting it into effect. The views of theso departments will be transmitted transmit-ted to President Wilson, by whose proclamation the treasury department will apply the legislation. The department of justice will enforce en-force the acts and the state department depart-ment will conduct the negotiations arising from Its enforcement with foreign nations. It was stated authoritatively today that some defects already have been discovered in the legislation. The act authorizing the government, to dony clearance to any and all vessols which refuse to accept American goods for shipment for any reason other than lack of cargo space has been found to be too broad. Weakness Found. This measure, it was declared, failed to take into consideration either the rights of belligerents or the duties of neutrals. It authorizes a refusal of clearance to a vessel declining to accept contraband of war, although tho ship taking aboard such a cargo would be liable to capture by a belligerent. bel-ligerent. The government has also to consider, consid-er, it was said, the certain refusal of neutral European shipping lines to accept goods banned by Great Britain, as well as wholly innocent goods destined des-tined for consignees blacklisted nr otherwise prescribed by England. The position of such lines, it was said, Is that tho United States has the right to ship, and these lines the right to acept, such goods, but that British patrols on the high seas would intercept them, divert them to British ports, there remove their cargoes and detain their ships. Want U. S. Guarantee. They would accept such cargoes, they might say, if the United States guarantees them against loss, or If American convoys were furnished them so they would not be molested in the performance of their contracts and were guaranteed coal at British ports. It was pointed out that all the retaliatory re-taliatory legislation passed by congress con-gress was either prepared by or revised re-vised by the state department. Its incompleteness is now recognized in many quarters and the next session of congress is expected to perfect It'by amendments and by adoption of entirely new measures. Among theso new measures there is likely to be one similar to the Pholan amendment, which was abandoned in the last hour of the recent session under instructions instruc-tions from the state department. Great Britain, it is believed, can bo hardest hit by the measure authorizing authoriz-ing the president to prohibit the Importation Im-portation of any or all goods from countries which discriminate against American commerce. |