The Bismarck Tribune

The Flag Incident

One is at a loss to fully understand the great
wave of feeling in Germany against Baron von
Maltzan, German ambassador to the United States,
for his act in displaying the German flag on the
embassy in Washington on Armistice day and thus
concurring in the general observance of that day.
Criticism forced Foreign Minister Stresemann to a
spirited defense of Baron von Maltzan in which he
pointed out that America did not celebrate Nov. 11
as a day of victory, but as a day of mourning and
thanksgiving for the cessation of a great conflict,
and thus the Baron did only what was right and
proper when he concurred in observance of the day.
The Germans cry about their "honor," and yet
how well Minister Stresemann has put the matter.
We do not, in America, celebrate a victory. We
celebrate the end of a great war, dearly bought with
the lives of American soldiers and the heartaches
of American women. The advent of peace, the
birth of a new era on earth, are the things we celebrate when we observe this day. We think not of
a triumph over Germany, but of the heroism of the
American boys who fought for their country and a
great moral principle.
England hoists her flag at the Washington em-
bassy on July 4, our independence day, when we
celebrate our freedom from English domination and
certainly if England can be magnanimous Germany
can do likewise.