South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-09
FURTHER USE Of
OLD GLORY WILL
Be FROWNEO ON
England to Be Told That Amer
lean Flag Will Be Reserved
for American ShipS-WilI Be
in Friendly Spirit.

WASHINGTON, Feb. Q. = Great
Britain is TO be told that the United
States would view with disfavor fur
Their use by Great Britain of the
American flag" in the pending case
of the Lusitania.
The representation to England Is
understood TO be already in the hands
of Ambassador Walter Hines Page IT
London. although Sec'y Bryan ana
other state department officials said
Monday that the case Of the Luslldllld
lis still under consideration
The informant as to the action OF
the state department says that the
representations 10 Great Britain Will
be in a perfectly friendly spirit and
cannot be construed in the technical
sense Of protest
These things are pointed out as
contributing to the necessity OF I'M
mediate action by the government:
Germany May Protest.
First that the government has rea-
son to believe that if il does not act
promptly Germany would be obliged
TO protest to the state department
against Great Britain's misuse of the
American flag.
second lnat II the OlllItu states
did not express itself clearly and
promptly against such misuse of the
flag. Germany would be justified in
declaring to the United States that it
was tolerating an unneutral cOndi-
ton.
1t is pointed out that if Great Brit
ain is induced TO respect the Ameri-
can flag, Germany would have little
excuse for entertaining suspicion
against any vessel flying that flag.
Neither Sec'y Bryan nor any Of
fetal at the white house would admit
that there was sufficient material yet
in the hands of the administration on
which TO base a judgment, much less
a protest against Germany's creation
and proposed administration OF her
war zones.
Full Report Wanted.
The state department has asked a
full report from Ambassador Gerard
which is to include his opinions and
observations on how the German gov
eminent proposed To administer the
zones and what will be her method of
protecting American vessels. 1t is I'M
derstood that Holland is also making
similar inquiries of the German gov
eminent.
Chevalier Van Rappart, the Neither
lands minister, has been up at the
state department twice on this sub
ject. The governments of Norway,
Sweden and Denmark as yet have
made no inquiries. but it is assumed
here that these governments want to
know how their commerce will be
safeguarded and it is said that they
also want to know from England
whether she proposes to extend the
practice of the Lusitania flag incident
to all nations.
Several of the diplomats said Mon
day that it was unfortunate that there
was no International law on the sub
Ject on the use or misuse of a neu-
tral flag to escape capture and that
there was similarly no definite inter
national understanding as to how far
a government which had once de-
Eclared a war zone could go in assail-
ing neutral commerce.
Chairman Stone of the senate for
eign relations committee. called at the
white house today and Chairman
Flood of the house foreign affairs
committee, visited the state depart
ment where he had a conference with
Sec'y Bryan.
Mr.. Flood was accompanied by Rep
Cyrus Cline, a member of the house
foreign affairs committee. 1t is I'M
derstoOd that both at the white house
and at the state department there was
a discr,Gion of the Lusitania case and
of the German zone.