The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-08-30
COLUMBIA, S. c..
Saturday Morning, August 80. 1873.
Tn. Red Cross.

At the Geneva Conference, held in
1864, q treaty was proposed, that in all
future wars, all military hospitals and
ambulanoes containing eick or wounded
patients should be considered to be neu-
trail. and protection guaranteed to all
persons engaged in attendance on them;
and that such protection should also be
extended to private houses in which
wounded men should be received. The
red GROSS was adopted as the symbol of
all places and persons engaged in this
enlightened effort. of. humanity. The
admirable use of this treaty vas exem-
plit1ed in the late war between France
and GeznsnS. AL tho great European
nations have adopted it; and now we
see that the Shah Of Persia has also
agreed to it. There is one great nation,
however, which will not adopt it. It
affects to be foremost in humanity;
foremost in the interests OF the people,
who are always the greatest sufferers in
all wars-that milton is the United
States. It not only will not agree that
military hospitals and ambulances shall
be neutral in war, but during the late
war between the Confederate and the
United States, a law was passed by the
United States, making oil medicines and
surgical instruments ''contraband of
war" and, therefore, liable to forfeiture
and seizure. Now, why is the United
States an exception to oil civilized ma
-tions, and moro relentless in its war
epolicy than even half.civilized nations
. OF Asia?
That the United State has an intense
ianterest and regard for neutrals, is
certainly true. At the late conference
.at' Geneva, they entered into q treaty
with Great Britain, SO elaborate in it's
provisions on the subject of neutrality
OF nations. that although both of the
contracting parties engaged to press
upon other nations the rules they
Wgreed on, neither of them has yet laid
them before other nations; and the Co.
vernment OF Great Britain has virtually
declared that it will not do so on &C.
count OF the unwise and impracticable
restrictions on neutrals. S3it is clear
Chat our Radical rulers have had in full
view all the relations Of neutrality, and
what should be, or should not be, "con-
traband Of war" And with all these
subjects and relations before them,
there still stand the precedent and the
practice OF the late war. declaring all
medicines and surgical instruments to
be ''contraband of war;" and they will
not embrace the treaty amongst other
nations. guaranteeing neutrality to
hospitals and ambulances. What are
the reasons governing this course?
Without going very far. two present
themselves.
In the first place. to adopt this treaty.
would lie condemnation OF the whole
war policy of the United States pursued
towards the Confederate States. That
policy, in refnajng to exchange prison
ers, is enough for their condemnation,
independent of their effort to starve the
whole population by destroying oil the
grain in the fields and in barns-burn-
ing down the barns and mills, cutting
down the orchards and destroying the
cattle. Short of the indiscriminate
slaughter of prisoners in cold blood,
every rule Of civilized warfare was VIC.
lated by the United States. Now. here
is treaty, which proposes not only to
leave medicine and surgical instruments
free for importation for the use of
armies-not only to exchange prisoners
but to make neutral and protected all
hospitals and ambnlauces, with all their
attendants. To embrace such treaty
would be to condemn themselves. But
there is another stronger reason which
may govern the policy OF the Radical
Government in the United States. They
have been regularly waging q war by
legislation against tho Southern States,
not loss cruel than their war by the
sword, ever since tho termination of the
late war. They know what they have
done, and are now doing If they have