The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-27
EVEN HYPHENATED AMERICANS LOYAL
 SAYS JAMES BRYCE
Former British Ambassador Discusses American Neu- trality-Stars and Stripes
 Come First, He Says

London, February 26.-G D. m.)-vis l count James Bryce. in an article whicl
 will appear in the Daily Chronicle to
 morrow on "The Position of the United
 States in the War; says it is "a com plete error to assume that those whe
 bear a German name or who own tc
 German blood belong to the pro-Germar
 party"
 Children of Europeans born in Amer. l ica,'' yiscount Bryce continues. "grov
 up normal American citizens for all prac- tical purposes. Their loyalty to the Stars and Stripes and their feeling for the land of their parents is comparatively weak. What is called the German vote is. in some few cities, force to be reckoned with. But when those who lead it try to use it as a means for applying polit- ical pressure in such cases as this. the native Americans resent such an attempt for with them it is a fundamental prin- ciple that citizens must have no loyalty save to the United States. and the great bulk even of hyphenated German Amer jeans would refuse to respond''
 As to the neutrality of the American government, Mir. Bryce adds. both sides have blamed it and the government points to this as the best proof of it's impar- tiality. One party. he says, moved by the tragic fate of Belgium, censured the government for having failed to protest
 against the violation of Belgium terri tory and the fragrant breaches of the rules of warfare prescribed by The Hague convention."
 But says Viscount Bryce, ''it is right that neither side of the case should be put to the United States, the greatest of neutrals.
 Add to this ground for caution the fact that the United States has always, fol- lowing the advice of Washington, en- deavored to keep themselves clear of European entanglements.''
 Regarding questions of international law and usage which have arisen between the United States and belligerents Wis., count Bryce says:
 When a neutral is urged by it's citizens to remonstrate with belligerents on the exercise of any rights the belligerents claim, it cannot, unless convinced that there is no substance in the grievance decline to present the case of its sub jects''
 Continuing Viscount Bryce says:
 If it is suggested, as I think it has been somewhere, that in the matter of contraband and the right of search pow erful pecuniary interests have tried to influence the administration. those who have watched recent developments in America will agree that nothing is so unpopular there as what is called big business and that any administration sup posed to be yielding to its pressure would do so at it's peril. So far as l can judge, there is no foundation for any such mo- tion'
 Viscount Bryce pays high tribute to the American Red Cross the commission for relief in Belgium and other American organizations and to the people and the government and it's representatives for assistance rendered to noncombatants and to British subjects in belligerent coun- tries.
 The administration might conceive that many questions will arise in which the rights of all the neutrals will be involved, and it might think that the authority with which the United States can speak would be weakened if at the outset it's government takes up a posi- tion adverse to one or the other party to the struggle. However high the mo tive. it's impartiality would thereafter be questioned"
 Arguing that the attack on Belgium was clear breach not only of the con- vention of 1907 but of the fundamental principles of international law, vis- count Bryce says the breaches which rested at first on statements which needed confirmation and that "any government might feel that before protesting against the treatment of it needed further evil dence which would carry certainty to every fair mind.