Show international law editor deseret international law in practice or as a science was unknown to ancient nations they were little governed by principles principles of natural justice robbery by y land or on the high seas was deemed by the civilization of greece and rome as not only permissible but honor able and prisoners of war were either ruthlessly uth ly killed or sold into lifelong life long ong slavery the continual aggressions ions ensuing had bad a tendency to keep up a constant enmity and of course to utterly destroy commerce commerce between rival nations we look now with mingled pity and amaze ment mental at the treatment of Carthage carthage by rome it was deemed not 13 sufficient u ie t by the E empire in r e to vanquish 1 in n honorable battee battle her great commercial rival and then to assess a just indemnity for expenses incurred and injuries the pa punic ulc wars I 1 begun began in jealousy ea louy ended only with the reduction and the complete of carthagena Carth agea curse being formerly pronounced by the grave roman senators upon any one who should attempt to rebuild it no essential permanent improvement in the laws of nations seem to have been made until within the last tac or three centuries the teachings of science and the light of christianity have given aven to modern nations a better under understanding s banding of their duties and of their obligations to one another commerce too nas has taught the world that just and friendly relations conduce d ace the better to the prosperity and happiness hap of all nations T the law that binds men into a social compact draw together nations into mutual dependence and the principles of natural justice that govern individual persons are equally as applicable for international regulations international law then is founded upon principles les of natural justice as enunciated in an fn the creators revealed law this is the origin of the law of nations but as the revealed law is often given in general terms and nations may become involved in intricate disputes as to its interpretation and special application the law of nature is supplemented or defined by custom an and by conventional laws called treaties hence we flad find the Eu european roean and american nations recognizing the same rules of international law it is a universally acknowledged principle that all nations without regard to their relative strength or extent of territory are aie equa land equally independent when treating one with another and also that each nation is tand absolute is in its own international affairs and cannot oe be inte interfered with by bv any other power I 1 to chis general rule niile however two exceptions may occur the natural light of any nation to self preservation may in ID rare cases when its own safety demands it interfere luter tere in the affairs ot of another state this irin principle was taken advantage of by einz I 1 BJ I 1 laud land holland naples and tile I 1 german states when they endeavored to stay the progress of the french revolution fearing that the wholesale execution of the french nobility was a menace to the thrones of europe the same principle of apprehension for national safety ty induced the allies at a later date to combine a against ga dinst the unscrupulous and unbounded ambition of bonaparte t there are circumstances also when a nation may justly aid the citizens of another state in in breein freeing 11 themselves from the yoke of a tyrannical government me n t providing that the people give a reasonable evidence of their capability of governing themselves under this rule france was justified in the eyes of european nations in aiding america to secure her independence from great britain other instances in point ma may be cited occurring in the history of aal ml the independent american nations nation fl it is conceded in international law that a government may by excessive oppression 4 sill violate the social compact and thus thu afford a just cause for the severance of all allegiance on the part of its subject this irin principle ciple would nave warranted a general european alliance against the dismemberment and apportionment of poland between Kassia Russia Austria aBd Prussia the greatest steal and the most violent disregard of every principle of natural and conventional vent ional law in modern history the sovereigns concerting concerning conc erting together drew a few lines on a map and aid then proceeded to wipe out a nation there is in every nation at an authority to make laws for its subjects and in addition another authority is recognized to convict and vanish punish those who violate the laws between nations there is no such gaigher aicher trVa tribunal unal recognized before w which ich an aggressive gres sive nation may be summoned to answer to any complaint of injury what security then have nations for the fulfilment fulfillment of treaty stipulations 9 none only the national aati onal conscience and sense of honor of the governments concerned together with their fear of provoking war few nations however are so devoid of self respect as by any palpable violation of their treaties to incur the odium and the condemnation of the civilized world A striking example however may be added of such a disregard of treaty stipulations A conventional law of the european powers is that the suez canal as a highway for the commerce of all nations shall not be seized in time of war anict shall dot no be the scene of any conflict of belligerents out of respect to this stipulation during the franco prussian war a french ano a german man of war happening to meet in the canal court bously exchanged salutes and passed 0 on n an english fleet during the late egyptian campaign in deliberate disregard of internal onal law held the canal for three days preventing all passage of merchantman merchantmen merchant men of other nations this conduct in the self assertive e policy of britain is equalled equal led only by tier her precipitately dispatching a fleet into athe baack sea duding athe the war when a continental conlin law forbade any armed vessels from passing the strait without the express permission of the porte to say sav the least such examples from so influential a nation as britain is lamentable in summation we might s say that a general stimulation of c character fracter among the nations by more widely in cul cating a true practical christianity together with an added care la in the choice of rulers and representatives in the more popular governments would obtain more favorable results from internationals international law and would relieve the nations from the horrors of war and from the burdens of large standing armies which in time of peace are strong evidences of a general want of confidence ence RADIATOR |