The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-22
PRECEDENTs FOR INTERVENTION.

FOR lNIERN EN1lON.
Besides the four precedents of Greece, Bel
GUM, Poland and Hungary, where new ma
tionaliSts were in question, a much larger
number of interventions occurred in Europe
in the process of disruption or consolidation,
which has, on one hand disintegrated the
ancient empires of the sultan, of Spain, of
the church; and on the other hand, concen-
trated the new systems of Germany, Russia
and Italy.
Interventions have occurred most conspicu-
Dusty in Spain, by France in 1923; in Portugal,
by England, in 1927 again in Spain and
Portugal in 1886, by England and France,
under what called the quadruple treaty
in Piedmont and Naples; by the holy alliance,
1921, and in so many instances since 1848 that
enumeration would be long and difficult but
none of the disturbed countries claimed per-
manent independence under form of revolu-
ton, unless it were perhaps the states Of
the church, or Rome, which, on Feb. s, 1S49
declared the pope to be deposed and set up a
provisional government under a revolutionary
triumvirate.
Not only Greece, Montenegro, Roumania
Bulgaria, Roumalia, Seryia and Egypt have
been the creations of such intervention or
the objects of its restraints, but also Samos
Crete and even Lebanon owe their legal status
to the same source.
An authority so great must assume some
foundation in law, seeing that the entire
world acquiesced not only in the practical
exercise Of the force, but also in the prin-
ciple on which it rested whatever that prin-
ciple was.
The treaty of Berlin in 1878, was broad
assertion of the right of the European powers
to regulate the affairs Of the Ottoman en-
pire, but the treaty contains no statement of
the principle Of jurisprudence on which the
right rests.
The preamble merely declares that the
powers being DESTROYS to regulate with a
view to European order, the questions gained
in the East Of the events of late years. and
by the war terminated by the preliminary
treaty of San Stefano, have been unanimously
of opinion that the meeting of a congress
would offer the best means of facilitating an
understanding"
So liberal a use of the right of interven-
ton has seldom been made, but the principle
of Jurisprudence on which it rested has
never been officially declared.
From this body of precedent, 1t is clear
that Europe has invariably asserted and
practised the right to interfere, both col
lectively and separately, amicable and forci-
bly,, in every instance, except that of Poland,
where European people has reSorted to
instruction to obtain independence.
The right itself has been based on various
grounds:
''Impediments to commerce" ''Burdensome
measures of protection and repression" Gre
quests of one or both parties ''to inter
pose, "Efusion of blood and Evils of all
kinds Humanity" and 1.-THE repose Of Eu-
rope" Greek treaty of 1920 "A warm de-
sire to arrest, with the shortest possible de-
lay the disorder and the effusion of blood
protocol of Nov. 4, $780, in the case of
Belgium) His own safety or the political
equilibrium on the frontiers of his empire
Russian circular of April 81, 1S49 in the case
OF Hungary.) To safeguard the interest and
honor, and to maintain the political iffiu-
ence OF the intervening power Freneh dec
larations of 1880, in regard to the states of
the church, Finally, in the latest and most
considerable, because absolutely unanimous
act of all Europe, simply the t'desire to
regulate" preamble to the treaty of Berlin
in 1873, covering the recognition of Servia,
Roumania, Montenegro and Bulgaria)
AMERICAN EXAMPLES.
The American precedents are handled ex-
haustively. 1t says that America, both North
and South, has always aimed to moderate
European intervention and to restrict its ex-
erclse. On this point we have the evidence
OF George Canning in a celebrated speech on
the foreign enlistment act 1929
We have spent much time, said Canning
In teaching other powers the nature of a
strict neutrality; and generally speaking we
found them most reluctant scholars If I
wished for guide in system of neutrality,
l should take that laid down by America in