I refer only to the continuous series of nagging incidents--always criticism, criticism, criticism of small points--points that we have to yield at last, and never anything constructive.

I'll illustrate what I mean by a few incidents that I can recall from memory.

If I looked up the record, I should find a very, very much larger list.
(1) We insisted and insisted and insisted, not once but half a dozen 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.