ally extended the list
of contraband until it included everything now required by human
beings for the maintenance of life. Great Britain then placed all the
coasts of the North Sea--an important transit-way also for the
maritime trade of Austria-Hungary--under the obstruction of a
so-called "blockade," in order to prevent the entry into Germany of
all goods not yet inscribed on the contraband list, as also to bar all
neutral traffic with those coasts, and prevent any export from the
same. That this method of proceeding stands in the most lurid
contradiction to the standards of blockade law arrived at and
established by international congress has already been admitted by the
President of the United States in words which will live in the history
of the law of nations. By this illegally preventing export of goods
from the Central Powers Great Britain thought to be able to shut down
the innumerable factories and industries which had been set up by
industrious and highly-developed peoples in the heart of Europe; and
to bring the workers to idleness and thence to want and revolt. And
when Austria-Hungary's southern neighbour joined the ranks of the
enemies of the Central Powers her first step was to declare a
blockade of all the coasts of her opponent--following the example, of
course, of her Allies--in disregard of the legal precepts which Italy
had shortly before helped to lay down. Austria-Hungary did not fail to
point out to the neutral Powers at once that this blockade was void of
all legal validity.

For two years the Central Powers have hesitated. Not until then, and
after long and mature consideration for and against, did they proceed
to answer in like measure and close with their adversaries at sea. As
the only belligerents who had done everything to secure the observance
of the agreement which should provide for freedom of the seas to
neutrals, it was sorely against their wishes to bow to the need of the
moment and attack that freedom; but they took that step in order to
fulfil their urgent duty to their peoples and with the conviction that
the step in question must lead towards the freedom of the seas in the
end. The declarations made by the Central Powers on the last day of
January of this year are only apparently directed against the rights
of neutrals; as a matter of fact, they are working toward the
restitution of those rights which the enemy has constantly infringed
and would, if victorious, annihilate for e