Show TOE LAWS Of WAR A Game Governed By Strict Rules Which Must Be Observed Ob-served By Both Sides Although warfare is a relic of barbarism bar-barism it must be waged between enlightened en-lightened nations with strict adherence natons wih to many binding rules prescribed from time to time by international law Violation Vio-lation of these rules on the part of either belligerent would invite the contempt con-tempt of dignified nations That ev erything1 fair in love or war Is no longer true at least s far a war IE t concerned Although warfare has become be-come cruel through the development of weapons the international laws governing gov-erning it have become more and more humane The object of dignified warfare ir these days of course should be to disable dis-able the enemy at the least cOst ol suffering and death All weapons therefore says a Washington correspondent corre-spondent of the St Louis GlobeDemo crat which make warfare actually cruel and barbarous are regarded as illegal unless they will by one bold stroke speedily terminate the war Although Al-though hundreds may lose their lives at once from such a weapon as submarine subma-rine rams mines or torpedoss these are considered lawful Redhot shot chain shot and hollow shot arc considered consid-ered cruel instruments of war on the other haid and no selfrespecting nation na-tion would employ them Redhot shot were used in the wars of Frederck the Croat Carnon balls were heated to redness and fired to combine the tortures of those of concussion Chair shot was even more cruel in effect A pair of cannoT were loaded with balls connected by chains the guns being close together but trained to such an angle as would spread the balls l apart I llu I wiirn ina tWO luses were iigmeir simultaneously simul-taneously The chain was made as lOng as might be desired and by its I means large bodice of men could be horribly mangled as If by the stroke of a giant scythe Hollow shot or hollow bullets were I considered cruel because they became Ilattened and Irregular I after comms in I ccntact with bone thus making wounds unnecessarily painful Langrel composed I com-posed of nails knife blades bits of iron etc vhich made horrible wounds is forbidden for the same reason Projec i tier of an explosive nature or charged with Irflammabe 1 substances are now considered unlawful between nations if weighing less than 1 ounces Likewise Like-wise poison is strictly fl bidden as an element of war In ancient wars it was customary to use poisoned arrows or to poison the rivers ilov Ing into a enemys country While It would be proper for eIther Spain or the United States to lay I waste the standing crops of the other merely to temporarily reduce a dis j I trlct to deprivation it would be Illegal to uproot vineyards orchards etc to as to desolate the country for years I afterwards A flag of truce a Red Cross hospital j flag or a signal of distress displayed by Spain for instance would have to be I j respected by our forces and no one j f protected by such a signal would bs harmed Should a body of Spanish soldiers I sol-diers or sailors show such a signal fraudulently however It would be considered con-sidered a gross act of treachery punishable i pun-ishable by death A more treacherous act would be the assassination of a statesman or officer of a hostile country coun-try The killing of an officer of the enemy however by a combatant In uniform would not beconsidered as an assassination but as a legitimate act of war since by wearing the garb of a soldier An enemy runs an honorable risk If is also considered as legiti mate warfare to distribute lies for the misdirection of an enemy or to rail under false colors Should a Spanish privateer for example come upon one of our vessels while sailing under false colors she would be required fey the laws of war to show her own colors before firing Before making an assault as-sault she would properly fire a gun across the bow of the opposing ship asa as-a warning to heave to The employment of spies is still considered con-sidered as legitimate warfare among enlightened nations but the spy as an individual Is generally looked upon as rather a dishonorable character It j would be improper therefore for one of our generals to order a man to act asa as-a spy AH spies must be strictly volunteers 1 volun-teers It is an interesting fact that should a spy succeed in joining his army he would cease to be a spy in a technical sense and unless captured in the act of carrying fresh Information i I he could not be captured except as a prisoner of war No soldier in uniform could be executed as a spy serving the nnnml cirif O fl Crt 1 C Tl OOPRPn T 1V a nlV I pon In disguise acting under false pretenses pre-tenses or secreted somewhere Men I engaged in surveying a Spanish fortification I forti-fication or camp In a balloon for instance in-stance could not be considered as spIes althoughtheir balloon might be destroyed de-stroyed as a vessel of war If captured cap-tured alive the balloonists could beheld be-held only as prisoners of war A man tn uniform of the United States caught in the act of carrying Information to a Spanish commander would be executed it caught by us since he would be cither a spy or a traitor Traitors have always been regarded re-garded as the lowest of the low by soldiers sol-diers According to the common law of England in the time of the Georges they were required to be dragged along the ground or over a pavement to the gallows and there to he hanged by the j neck but cut down before dead Whilp still alive the entrails were taken out and burned The head was then cut oft and the body cut into quarters quar-ters Prisoners of war would be very carefully care-fully handled by a wellbred nation like purs None but a barbarous general gen-eral would countenance cruelty to a war prisoner or a soldier who had surrendered sur-rendered Late in the Middle Ages death or slavery was the only prospect of a prisoner of war Should a parcel of our forces surrender to Spain or be capturdd not only all combatants but such noncombatants as newspaper correspondents guides messengers balloonists telegraphers or contractors either present with the army or assisting assist-ing It might be taken as prisoners of war Should the Spanish force their way to Washington they might take any of our statesmen prisoners of war including the president The international interna-tional laws demand that all prisoners of war be subjected only to such restraint re-straint as would be found necessary to prevent their escape They would be given as great liberty as possible and could be punished only for breach of discipline or attempted escape Some nations provide money allowances for prisoners of war They must also be fed and clothed by the country detaining de-taining them Thus we would be re quired to sustain our Spanish prisoners comfortably although we would after the close of the war send in a iolite little billto Spain demanding that the expense be refunded Others besides spies forfeit their rights of protection as prisoners of war and can be executed exe-cuted when captured Thus one of our courtsmartial might sentence to death a body of Spanish guerrillas prisoners of war who have been released releas-ed under promise that they will not fight again or deserters from our own army It would of course be a violation of the accepted rules of war to Injure noncombatants non-combatants or take them prisoners of war except in such cass as sieges where every citizen must defend himself him-self as best he can Old men women and children are always considered noncombatants In some countries these privileges are extended to mtns tens of the gospel A declaration of war between Spain and this country would cause all foreign nations not engaged en-gaged in the struggle to regard us both with the utmost care As soon as the declaration should be made It would be the duty of President McKinley through our foreign ambassadors and ministers to Immediately notify the ruler of every neutral nation Unless such formal notification should be given a government could not ba held responsible for any breach of the neutrality neu-trality laws No neutral state such as Mexico for instance if so informed could permit an armed force belonging to either side to remain on its territory j while contemplating an attack Should j the force be a defeated army of fugi j lives taking refuge from pursuit of the i enemy Mexico would be simply ex iciiuui b iu > nuijmumy ay aiiowmu lucin ito i-to ccme over the line According to the j general practice they would be disarmed dis-armed and retained by Mexico until the j warshould close Likewise we could j not properly march a body of forces through Franco Into Spain although the waters of France in such a case would not be considered as neutral ter t ritory unless France should especially I stipulate that they should not be passed over by either belligerent Should we take the Philippines for example we could not sell them to any neutral government like Japan or China during a war with Spain or until our right to the conquest should become properly confirmed by treaty or otherwise A ncutuu country would get itself I entangled in a war between Spain and the United States should it furnish ta i with troops arms or wariiks material after war should be declared Thus it is essential that both governments i purcnase their necessary ships jn1 equipment abroad before the first gun is heard It would therefore be unsafe un-safe for us to place a large order for j arms or ammunition in the hands of a i foreign power lest It b unfilled at the outbreak ef hrstiUtlts Spam of cours would become muih more a pauper j than she is now in case of war No ncu i tral Kovernmert could allow Hsef or its citizens to make her sifts of money or to lend her money without interat Any one willing to run the great risl could lend her the mon y under the condition that interest bs paid Monpy j I of course is an article nf com iprce and both Spain and ths United States > if at war could buy It in a foreign market mar-ket just as they could potatoes It would be an unfriendly act for j any neutral government as one of Iho Central Amenicnn republic for instance in-stance to become a base of supplies top to-p either beKIgerent nation Som nations j t have been so cautious as to ccs > thrlr i ports to two nations at war Should no such rule be laid down a Spanish manofwar might run into a Central American pert merely to make such repairs re-pairs as aught save her from dsress or to take aboard sufficient coal to enable en-able her to call only to the nearest Cu j ban port It would be an act unfriend I ly to ths United States to give a Soan j Ish vessel sufficient coal to carry r her on a mission of war Should such i a vessej be followed into the neutral I port by one of our warships we would I be exuected to make no attack and she I would be given 24 hours start of ns In order to avoid conflict near by Some nations such as England highly versed > S in the etiquette of war would enforce i the rule that war vessels of either Spain or this country shrud not remainS i remain-S In port for more than 24 hours except in aces of bad weather or when disabled dis-abled War between two important govern meats necessarily causes neutral nations na-tions a deal of trouble since they mist > suffer numerous intsrferrnces with their commerce A Spanish or Unite11 States manofwar would have the right to search any private vessel of a neutral nation which it might suspoct S of carrying on contraband trade or committing a breach of blockade Mail steamers of a neutral government I could likewise bs searched but Lbs laws of war forbid the opening of a neutral governments mail bas except j in cases of very grave suspicion A S mail steamer unlike an ordinary private pri-vate vessel would however be alowed to proceed on its way after giving up only such articles as might be considered I consid-ered hostile by the searchers |