Arizona republican., 1916-02-29
LUSITANIA PACT
 NOT MODIFIED BY
 PLAN TO ATTACK
Continued from Page One)

ference between defensive and offen- 1 sive armhment
 l A copy of the so-called British in | structions, which were handed to Am bassador Gerard in Berlin and which are construed by Secretary Lansing | to be the all important element in the situation as it stands at present. have not yet arrived. Pending their re- ceipt and a subsequent declaration
 regarding the attitude of the United | States, the state department is pre- pared to consider any overt act com | mitted by the commanders of German and Austrian submarines in the light | of the facts. It was authoritativeiy stated that the department probably | would not act upon the case of an l American who sustained injury ! aboard a vessel which it could be | definitely established was to be of | fesnively used.
 1 The state department makes a broad distinction between resistance and offensive It holds that a mer- | chant ship has a right to resist cap ture, but not to act offensively. Of | course, it is admitted, q vessel loses all immunity while in the act of re- 1 sisting.
 | Authoritative information obtained here tonight indicated that the Brit ish government probably would com bat the allegations of Germany that British ships ostensibly armed for de- 1 fense are in reality armed for Offen-
 sive purposes. It was said that Brit
 ish masters had not been instructed 1 to hunt for submarines, that on the l contrary they had been told to do
 everything possible to avoid the craft, | and that only in the event of a hos 1 tile submarine approaching without warning near enough to use bombs or l torpedoes were the shippers authoriz- ed to use their guns
 All things considered, the state de- | partment is understood to feel that the possibility is more or less remote | of difficulties arising in the near fu-
 ture as a result of the German and
 Austrian policy. In the first place officials believe that commanders of German and Austrian submarines will take particular care not to attack without warning armed merchant vessels upon which there may be Americans This belief is strength ened by the declaration in the Ger man note received today, which was acquiesced in by Austria through Baron Zwiedinek, charge of the em
 bassy here that the orders issued to the naval commanders were so form ulated as to prevent the destruction of enemy liners "on account of Brit
 ish armament unless such armament
 is proved
 In the note presented by Count von Bernstorff several references are
 made to declarations of the United
 States in previous correspondence in
 the Lusitania case. There were strong
 intimations today that administration officials are inclined to resent the
 repetition of certain expressions and
 references without the text in which they appeared, holding that in doing so the German government has given
 a false impression of the attitude of
 this government. It was even sug gested that should the United States
 reply to the communication presented today it may take occasion to point
 
 upon several of these expressions.
 | The communication from Germany
 probably will be considered by Presi- dent Wilson and his cabinet tomor-
 row and official indication, regarding | it is expected soon thereafter.
 In regard to the reference made 1T
 the note to permitting Italian ships to sail from American ports it was said at the state department that i should be clearly understood tha pledges were required to meet specia cases as they arose and that it wa. not intended to establish a preceden
 or lay down a rule. Officials als, declared emphatically that Germany
 Tad not been asked to postpone ol
 change the new orders to her maya ! commanders They expressed won der that such statement had beel
 included in the German note. It was explained in Teutonic guar
 ters that the information contained
 | in the note other than that applying
 directly to the reiteration of assnr Il ances given in the Lusitania cas' was given for the information of tn,
 state department, it being known tha there was some delay in receiving from Berlin the complete appendice to the German memorandum. From entente diplomatic source l' came the information that what ha, been described as Italy's reply to tn . suggestion of the United States fo a modus vivendi providing for tn
 disarmng of merchant ships in tn
 interest of humanity in reality was = report of Italys position as outline, s to Ambassador Page at Rome by tn Italian foreign office and forwarde n to the state department This wa . in the. form of an explanation of tn @ conditions which had prompted Ital l. to arm her merchant ships, especia
 Preference being made to the sinkin