The Washington times., 1915-02-13
THE FLAG THE SHIP

There is enough satisfaction with
the manner, and dissatisfaction with
the matter, of President Wilson's
notes to Germany and England, to
warrant Americans in feeling that
our neutrality has been we'll guarded.
The British would like the United
States to come squarely to the side
Of the allies, and they are mildly
disappointed that the American Gov
ernment does not waver from it's po-
sition of even-balanced consideration
for it's own citizens and interests as
affected by the actions Of either bel
ligerent. The Germans take the
view that the Washington note to
them points to possibilities of trou-
BILE that are not suggested nearly so
definitely in the note to England.
1t is unsafe, Of course, to judge
governmental purposes by journalis-
tic expression; but in Germany the
press probably comes nearer to rep
resenting the sentiments of the gov
ernment than in either England or
this country, because there is so
much less freedom of comment in
Germany; the thing that gets past
the censor is presumed not to be
very Objectionable to the censor's
chiefs in the background.
The comment of German news
papers, therefore, is to be regarded
as index of a German intent to find
out how far the United States would
go in the event that American lives
or ships should be sacrificed. The
President in his note indicated that
American lives and American
ships would both be re-
garded very gravely, in view Of
the German threat that lives might
have to be sacrificed under the new
method of submarine war. To this,
which seems an exceedingly reason
able observation, one important Ger
man newspaper retorts: "Beginning
the 18th Of February, everybody
must take the consequences. If
neutrals do not protect their flags
against England, they do not deserve
Germany's respect"
This, if a stray expression, would
not require to be regarded very
seriously; but it reflects the tone of
a good deal of the German comment.
1t suggests in rather a menacing
way that after February 1S there
may be a case of an American ship
in trouble, or of British ship sunk
while carrying the American flag.
and perhaps carrying down Ameri-
can lives. Such development would
arouse feeling in this country Of a
sort that, though German comment
seems to reflect contempt for any
measures this country could adopt,
might none the less lead to most un-
pleasant consequences. Count Won
Reventlow expresses this German
view in the remark that "The mill
tary, political, and economic results
of our action have all been weighed
We can imagine no threat, no meas
ure on the part of the United States
which is capable of intimidating
Germany or of inducing it to modify
its war against British trade"
So authoritative an assurance that
the military results" have been
weighed, and that no measure" of
this country could even induce Ger
many to modify" her methods, is
assuredly disconcerting. 1t is equal
ly difficult, on this side, to see how
our Government could modify" its
very moderate demands, or how, if
those demands be flouted, it could
refrain from measures"
But the diplomats have ways OF
talking exxpansively and at length
without necessity of appeal to bat.
tleships and battalions. The diplo'
mats are not yet talking in such
uncompromising terms as the unof,
fetal commentators in Germany
There is, moreover, good reason tC
believe that even if Germany were
quite willing to try the interesting
experiment of sinking an American
ship, or a British ship carrying
American lives under the American