The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1915-02-09
AN AMERICAN
FLAG HO|STEO
ON !! yS|TAN|A
between
Levied
No Officlder and 3Ort, However,
~ N. d. II
liaS and Counci eiyed From
for taxes er Page.
Council foR
J. $3.50 and cd
MAY DR. REPORT
Also at
THAI certa
Few ing and } Are Recalled
but known f s Stated Warships
May Fflle Foreign EmbIems on
Certain Occasions.
pr REPORT

WASHINGTON. Feb. S.-A report
from Ambassador Page on the hoist
ing of the American flag on the Gu
harder Lusitania while crossing the
Irish Sea was expected here today and
pending its arrival there was no Of
ficial statement of how the American
government regarded the incident
1t was stated however, that while
no report had been called for. one
would be asked If the ambassador did
not send one today on his own ini-
tiative While the incident was dis
cussed with interest ia official and
diplomatic quarters. there was no in
dicatiOn of what development might
eventuate.
Naval officers recalled that navy
regulations permit warship to fly
foreign flag, but specifically pro-
vide 1t must be hauled down and the
ships own flag hoisted before a shot
is fired. There have been many Incl
dents iii naval history when that has
been done. the latest case being the
German sea rover Emden, which hoist
ed the Japanese flag just before a
daring raid. Experts in naval pro-
cedure recall no case. however, where
merchantmen was involved.
When Captain Glass, commanding
the American cruiser Charleston, on
his way TO the Philippines with a con
voy of troops stopped and captured
Guam, he ordered the Japanese flag
TO be flown on his flagship and on
the ships of his flotilla. He signalled
THIS message to the steamers Aus
tralia, Pekin and Sydney, merchant
ships under the charter of the gov
ernment, and in use as troop ships:
Passing signal station at Guam,
Charleston will hoist Japanese col
ors; other vessels same or none"
The deception was aiGed by the fact
that the Charleston was similar in
appearance to the Japanese cruiser
NaniWa
All authorities of international law
and the manual in use at the naval
war college justify use of foreign
flags on warshlps The naval war
NOiiN5C says.
"The regulations of the United
States navy state that the use of a
foreign flag to deceive an enemy is
permissible, but that il must be
hauled down before a gun is fired.
and under no circumstances is an ac-
ton to be commenced or a battle
fought without the display of the ma
tional ensign"
The records of international law
however, contain few instances in
which the use of a foreign flag on
merchantmen has come into question.
One instance, though not in time of
war came up during the term of
Secretary Sherman in the state de-
partment, in which the London board
OF trade intervened to stop improper
display of a United States flag These
are Secretary Sherman's words:
"a line of steamers plying between
England and the United States under
the British flag for some years has
used the United States union jack as
its house flag. Upon inquiry being
made by the ambassador in London.
the British board of trade intervened
In virtue of It's authority and | am
just Informed that the line in aues-
tion has been constrained to adopt
another distinctive house flag"