Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-20
SAFETY TO NEUTRAIS
BRITISH DEFENSE FOB
USING AMERICANHAr
Reply to U. S. Note 3.
cedes, in Measure. cO,' c0'''
tention of Danger in en- eS'''
eral Practice, But HoIa. 1tl''
to Legal Right. NJ

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2o.-e,,.e
IN measure, acuuiesees in An.,,,1 ''A''.
titude on the use OF neu,rs, ~ - y Y
declares 1t has no intcntion ~
use of the American flag, bot 81. Ism,
lorp'o the practice, 1t points out ,b., m ~
stars and stripes have been ns.a ~ ~
teet neutrals aboard British sh,.. IVY
hurt or capture. Such cours. 4. q ''Va
gencies, is conceded by the A,n.-, W.T.
Government Precedent is cited Il ,,.,,. M.
the use Of neutral flags. ''
AS yet the Administration bss -.
action on the reply. It is exror,.. Y
the statement that Great Brita,r
a measure responsible for harm Il u.
lean citizens or property, suffered 4,
misuse of the American flag. vm
lowed TO stand.
The text of the note reTardl,u
the American flag, which was bapa.s Y Y.
Ambassador Page, says;
ut was understood that the a,,s
Government announced As in,.,rs
sinking British merchant vessels 'ts, ~ .,.,. Y
by torpedoes. without glvlnA nnS antlN isn't
tunlty OF making any provision fo,,sa. fr'v'.
saving OF lives OF n-combatant ,..ll. ",
and passengers. 1t was in conseo,...'
of this threat that the LusitanIa ~I., r",.,,
the United States flag on her inward -,,,s vs,.
age. '"su Nog'
"On her subsequent outward y.v,..
request was made by the tjnitsd e.. sss
passengers who were embarE;,o '"'H y
board her that tho United States A.. y
should be hoisted, presumably 10 in',,,. NJ.
their safety. s''li'
Meanwhile, the memorandum ~
your EXcellency had been receivsd N. ,r,.
MaJosty's Government did not elvA q,
advice to the company as TO how toi,sss,
this request, and 1t is understood that 4,
Lusitania left Liverpool under the nh.
ish flag. q
ut seems unnecessary to say rrsra 1,
regards the Lusitania in particular,
In regard TO the use of foreiGn nss,
" merchant vessels, the British mai.
chant shipping act makes II clear ihsl
the use of the British flag by foreign rb,r.
chant vessels is permitted in time OF IA,
Tor the purpose of escaping capture,
ut is believed that in the case Of Fam,
other nations there is similar recognltloa
of the same practice with regard 10 .thelr
flag, and that none of them has forbiddsn
it, .r ssS tk
ut would, therefore, be -unreasonabls d
expect his Majesty's Government to PAS
legislation forbidding the use OF foreign
flags by British merchant vessels ID atod
capture by the enemy, now that the Ger.
man Government has announced Ia
intention to sink merchant vessels at sight
with their non-combatant crews, catGoa
and papers, proceeding hitherto IL.
garded by the opinion Of the world NOT q
war, but piracy. y
1T is felt that the United States Coy.
ernment could not fairly ask the British
Government to order British mercbari
vessels TO forego means always hitherto
permitted of escaping not only capture
but the much worse fate of sinking and
destruction, a
Tf6 note cites the fact, that ID ths
Civil War United States vessels Aala
themselves OF The privilege Of using The
British flag as ruse, and continues
THE British Government has no in
tention of advising its merchant shr
ping TO use foreign flags as a genera
practice OF to resort to them othsfFil
than for escaping capture or destrucllon