Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-03-03
STEAMER DACIA
HELD BY FRENCH
American Ship With Cargo of
Cotton Captured.
WAS ON WAY TO ROTTERDAM
Vessel Formerly Owned by German
Company Had Transferred to
U. S. Registry-Washingt
Interested in Case.

Paris, March IA French cruiser
has arrested the American steamer
Dacia in the channel and taken her to
Brest. This announcement is ofticial-
Ey made.
Washington Is Interested.
Washington, March 1.-Officials here
were tremendously interested to learn
that the American cotton steamer Da-
cia, formerly of the Hamburg Ameri-
can line, flying the German flag, had
been seized by a French cruiser and
taken to Brest. The capture of the
Dacia causes no surprise in Washing
ton, and even the fact that French
instead of an English warship would
take her into custody had been fore
seen. But this transfer of the ques-
Eion of the ships status combined with
me already intricate points in the Da-
cia trans er from German to American
registry bids fair to make an interna-
fional case of unusual interest.
Edward n. Breitung, an American
citizen and son of a former member
OF the house of representatives,
bought the Dacia from the Hamburg
American company, secured American
registry, replaced the German crew
and undertook to lay down a cargo of
cotton in the German port of Bremen.
Mr.. Breitung insisted that his pur-
chase was bona fide and complete, but
the British government at once raised
objection.
British Suspicion Aroused.
The German destination of the Dacia
on her first voyage under American
registry aroused British fears lest
American registry be used simply as a
shield to permit the ship to reach
German port, where she would resume
her discarded nationality To meet
this objection Mr.. Breitung changed
mis- routing to the Dutch port of Rot
terdam.
There remained, however, other
British imputations against the good
Faith Of the sale. 1t was alleged that
the Dacia was insured by a German
company and that certain reversiOn-
airy interests were still German. These
points were all unsettled, and when
the Dacia left Galveston it was ex-
pected that she would be taken in tow
by British warship and put before
a British prize court. The plan for a
French seizure was made after the
voyage began.
Shifting Causes Interest.
This shifting of the initiative from
Great Britain to one of her allies is
what gives the case its particular in
9eTest. Most of the discussion so far
had been between the United States
and Great Britain But the British,
like the American government, has
heretofore admitted the validity of
the transfer of an enemy's merchant
man to a neutral citizen in time of
war and the British position in the
present controversy was weakened by
O long line of decisions by British
prize courts.
But France, almost alone of the
great powers, has chung to what the
Austrian delegates to the London con-
ference called her ancient theory of
the immutability of an enemy ships
registry after the outbreak of hostili-
ties and indeed even during the period
Immediately preceding the declaration
of war.
In pushing her case against the
Dacia, therefore. France will be con-
SrOnted by no charge of her own in
consistency. Even without proof of
bad faith in the transfer of the ship
the case against the Dacia from a
French point Of view would be COM
Dlete.