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Show NAVAL WAR ZONES. The mutual recriminations between Great Britain and Germany over the proposed war zones on the French and English coast will not excite much interest in-terest in this country. Each side makes the charge that the other is violating international law. The Declaration of London and the Declaration of Paris are constantly cited by one or the other belligerents and each seeks to justify his own case, while condemning the enemy's action. Early in the war it became evident that it was to be conducted more or less according to the exigencies that might arise, rather than in conformity with specific agreements, such as the Declaration of London, the Declaration of Paris, or The Hague compacts. The departure from well-recognized modern principles of international relations has been due to the ' nature of the war. Owing to the number of nations engaged en-gaged in the conflict, almost any specified speci-fied agreement which has been adopted by various nations does not apply to one or more of the belligerents. This or that nation is not among the signers of the agreement. The consequence is that all rhe belligerents are thereby released. re-leased. Xo contract exists. France, England, Germany and Russia may have signed a certain declaration, but Russia and Austria have not, or Russia, Austria, Germany and 1 France have signed a certain other declaration aud England has not. For example, there was the question of aerial warfare. At the last Hague conference in 1907, practically all the nations of Europe agreed that bombs should not be hurled from airships upon undefended places. A few of the nations now engaged iu the war did not sign this provision of The Hague agreement. Moreover, the aeroplane was unknown at tho time the agreement was made and does not come under the designation of airship. It is unfortunate for all concerned that the war canuot be conducted more humanely and that the belligerents are compelled to revert to methods of warfare war-fare which civilization now bans as inhuman. in-human. The blame cannot be fixed upon any one or more of the belligerents. In the main, the older rules of civilized warfare are being followed. There have been few violations of the Geneva regulations governing field hospital work and prisoners of war. The charges of atrocities which marked the outbreak out-break of the war arc heard very infrequently in-frequently at this time. All of the civilized powers are seeking to conduct the war as humanely as po-siblo under the peculiar circumstances which condition condi-tion the conflict. When the Germans planted mines in the North sea and thus endangered neutral Jives and commerce there was a general feeling that tho action violated vio-lated at least the spirit of international law. As a result England considered herself compelled to follow tho German example and also plant floating mine. The German threat to establish war zones in which even neutral vessels urc threatened with destruction is contrary to international law, but the German pl"a is that the in?e of neutral flags by England- will make it difficult for the commanders of German submarines to distinguish neutral ships from enemy ships, and that such commanders may be forced to nVstroy suspected ships eveu though they should provo to be neutrals. This is a most dangerous doctrine- and one to which neutral powers will not accede. Certainly it will lead to protect, and probably will hasten an understanding between the United States and the South American nations on certai u problems of ucut ra I it v. It may be necessary for tho United States to employ its navy for tho protection of strictly neutral commerce, but mn'li action will be taken only when it becomes be-comes apparent that the belligerents are absolutely ignoring the plainest rights of neutral,-. |