The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-13
Speculate as to Reply

"dshiHStoIl, tbIudry lz.-ReauleS or the official texts of the two notes from the United States to Germany and Great Britain developed today an intense in terest among officials and diplomats in the question of what would be the nature of the replies from the two belligerent governments
 That Great Brtian would give assur- ances of no intention to sanction the gen. eral use of neutral flags by British mer- chant ships was the belief of many off cials. But the widest sort of speculation, based on variety of conceptions of Ger manys plans in waging a submarine war on merchant ships was heard as to the probable response of the Berlin foreign office.
 Count Won Bernstorff, the German ann bassador, declined to discuss the note to Germany, as he had received no ad- vices from Berlin concerning it and the British embassy was also silent.
 Serious Tone Attracts Attention
 What excited most attention in Con- gress and among diplomats, however, was the serious tone of the notes even though qualified by the polite terms of diplomatic usage The determination of the United States government to have the American flag used only by ships en- titled to fly it and the warning that Ger many would be held Ito strict &C., countability' if American lives or ves- sells were lost in the attacks on merchant vessels in the newly delimited sea zones of war, were practically the sole topics of discussion in executive congressional quarters as well as among the ambassa | dors and ministers of belligerent and neu- tral nations.
 While there were no authorized express sions, it was evident that the neutral deplimats in general gave both notes their approval because of the identity of inter- est of their governments and the United States in the circumstances. The opposi- tion of powerful neutral government to the practices suggested by the Lusitania incident or the threatened attacks on merchant vessels was considered as like ly to have a most beneficial effect and there were suggestions that the argument of the American government would be followed in a joint protest to both Ger many and Great Britain by the three Scandinavian countries, as well as sepa- rate representations from the other neu- trals of Europe
 Cases Not Parallel
 Discussing comments upon differences in the two notes, high officials of the govern ment said the cases were not parallel, as the United States had not parallel in international law for protest against the occasional use of a neutral flag by a bel1gerent when escaping capture, and even the objections voiced against the general misuse of the neutral ensign could be raised only on general moral prin- ciples or on the ground of unneighborli- ness and serious inconvenience rather than on any definite rule of international law. As for the communication to Ger many, administration officials who helped prepare the document emphasized the point that the American government pro- ceeded on the firm ground of interna- tional right as it has been a long estab- lished principle, they said, based on in- nunerable precedents, that a merchant vessel without means of protecting It. self must be visited first by an enemy warship and given an opportunity to sur render save it's passengers before vio- fence is applied. Again, it was declared that the necessity for a strong warning was most compelling, lest the sinking of an American vessel or loss of American lives give rise to a critical situation with alarming possibilities.
 Interest in the situation was heightened by the addition of another diplomatic diff fculty with Germany over the interfer- ence by German military authorities with mail communications of American Min ister Henry Van Dyke between The Hague and Luxemburg A formal inquiry was sent to Berlin concerning the in- cident and officials hoped it would be ] adjusted, relying on the uni | form courtesy hitherto manifested by the | German government in dealing with Min l ister. Whitlock at Brussels and other | American officials in the war zones.