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Show UNITED STATES iT Lie TO RUKEPROTEST- Use of American Flag by the Lusstania Apparently Not a Violation of In-ternetional In-ternetional Law. GERMANS MAKING USE OF INCIDENT Claim That Decree Creating a War Zone Is Justified; Much Comment Upon the Situation. LONDON, Feb. 8, 12:58 a. m. The Press Association has issued the following, under a Birmingham date: "Passengers from the Lusitania who arrived here Sunday state that, when off the coast of Ireland, the Lusitania received a wireless message mes-sage from the admiralty that i was to hoist the American flag. It did so and sailed under that flag V Liverpool. ' ' By International News Service. WASHINGTON, Feb. 7. "Nothing will be done today." Secretary Bryan in this way summed up the proceedings and discussioos at the state department in reference to the use o the American flafr by tho British liner Lusitania and the decree of Germany establishing a war zone, with its suggestion that American vessels ves-sels might be blown up without intention inten-tion by German submarines or cruisers. Both questions, however, were considered con-sidered as of very large importance at various offices in the state department and at the embassies of Great Britain and Germany at Washington. Early in the day the minor officials became uibued with the idea that no protest would be lodged at the British office because of the Lusitania flag incident. There was much comment that Colonol Ilouse, an intimate friend of the president, and his spocial emissary, emis-sary, Miss Nona McAdoo, daughter of the secretary of the treasury, and 300 less distinguished Ameiicans were on board. May Have Saved Lives. The suggestion was made that tho use of the American ilag by Great Britain actually may have saved tho Lusitania from destruction. If s'icu should prove to be the case, officials thought it would be an ungracious un-gracious thing for the United States to protest the use of the flag. Tho International News Service, is informed that at ono of tho embassies in Washington the view is entertained that the suggestion of the change of flags of tho Lusitania was probably made by influential American members of the passenger list, although it is not known whether possible danger to the Lusitania was communicated from tho United States or from the British embassador. em-bassador. The satisfaction, of German officials over the Incident Is unconcealed. They arjiue the "misuse" of the American flag as proving the Gorman contention that some kind of orders went out to ship masters of the United Kingdom with reference to a change of flag "under stress of circumstances." Claim Decree Justified. Therefore, they say, too decren creatine creat-ine a war zone because of the illegal uso of neutral flaRS has been Jus-titled. At the British embassy the fact that, the Lusitania hoisted tile American flag was not regarded as extraordinary or indefensible in-defensible under the common law of nov-iKation nov-iKation In times of war. These ofliclals were not willing to say Unit there was any specific International law which could be applied, but they declared that "such actions were of frequent occurrence" and similar incidents were reported in English Eng-lish books on maritime. The embassy says that It does not know anything officially of-ficially on the subject. One of the high American officials who talked on. the Lusitania incident Indicated very strongly, p.ivtng hie reasons for his view: that no cause nf quarrel would be made with lireat Britain be au?;e of the Lupitanlfi's change of flag. Jin. said sulv stantially that there would snarcelv tie much justification for 8 protest tn lireat Britain as to this incident when no protest pro-test bad yet been tiled against tbe decree de-cree of Germany creating the. war zone and lis Implied threat against even American Amer-ican vessels. No Protest Made. Most oftlcials at tbe department, hr.w-eve.r, hr.w-eve.r, have taken their cue from tbe altitude alti-tude of Secretary of State Hiyan. v!:ich was In plain terms, tb;it certainly notbiiig would be done today. This statement of Mr. Bryan disposed of the printed reports re-ports thai the (inlted SiaU-s :arl already protested "the misuse of the American fla g." The International lawyers were busy looking up preee.dentF. One reference hhh found to such cases In a statement by Secretary of Slate FJ-arts in 1K7'. Lfiwusj; the use oi the flag abroad without authorltv. be said: "There is no prohibition of the use of the American bag by foreign vessel le vnnd tbe Jurisdiction of tbe I'mted State:-nur State:-nur any penally provided therefor." Opinions Vary. On the other band. .Tolni Basset Moore, in his "Idgest of Internal ion.-. I Un'," onotes the high authority of Calvo, the (Continued on Pace Two.) UNITED STATES IT LIKELY TO PROTEST .(Continued from Page One.) Spanish-American expert, In bin book on "Droit International," as follows: "The assumption, of a flap of a foreign state without Its authorization Is considered consid-ered as a violation Of International law. as a device both fraudulent and injurious to the honor of such states. Both the state whose flag Is fully used and in regard re-gard to which the use of the false flag is made have the right to demand the punishment of the guilty, and according to circumstances, to punish them themselves." them-selves." These are the extreme variations of the law as quoted here: There is no person who happens to have any knowledge as to "whether authorization" au-thorization" was given by tills government govern-ment for the u&e of the American flag bj the Ijusitania. It is not expected that the United States will take up the Lusltania case, if at all. until after the conference between be-tween the British embassador and tlu secretary of state. |