n times, at the very beginning of the war, on England's
adoption of the Declaration of London entire in spite of the fact
that Parliament had distinctly declined to adopt it. Of course we
had to give in--after we had produced a distinctly unfriendly
atmosphere and much feeling.

(2) We denied the British right to put copper on the contraband
list--much to their annoyance. Of course we had at last to
acquiesce. They were within their rights.

(3) We protested against bringing ships into port to examine them.
Of course we had to give in--after producing irritation.

(4) We made a great fuss about stopped telegrams. We have no case
at all; but, even after acknowledging that we have no case, every
Pouch continues to bring telegrams with the request that I ask an
explanation why they were stopped. Such explanations are
practically refused. I have 500 telegrams. Periodically I wire the
state of the case and ask for more specific instructions. I never
get an answer to these requests. But the Department continues to
send the telegrams! We confessedly have no case here; and this
method can produce nothing but irritation.

I could extend this list to 100 examples--of mere lawyer-like
methods--mere useless technicalities and objections which it is
obvious in the beginning cannot be maintained. A similar method is
now going on about cotton. Now this is not the way Sir Edward Grey
takes up business. It's not the way I've done business all my life,
nor that you have, nor other frank men who mean what they say and
do not say things they do not mean. The constant continuation of
this method is throwing away the real regard and confidence of the
British Government and of the British public--very fast, too.

I sometimes wish there were not a lawyer in the world. I heard the
President say once that it took him twenty years to recover from
his legal habit of mind. Well, his Administration is suffering from
it to a degree that is pathetic and that will leave bad results for
100 years.

I suspect that in spite of all the fuss we have made we shall at
last come to acknowledge the British blockade; for it is pretty
nearly parallel to the United States blockade of the South during
our Civil War. The only difference is--they can't make the blockade
of the Ba