The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-18
UNIQUE COURT IN EcYpr.
Two Judges Represent Each OF the SIX
Grent Powers of Europe.

Dlspatches from Europe and Africa
often refer TO the Egyptian interna-
ilonai court. Remarkably few readers
have even the least idea of what this
court is. how 4 Is composed. or when
II was instituted. The court is a judi
cial bench which, IL Is said, has no coun-
terpart in the world. IT exists solely
for the purpose of deciding civil suits
between foreigners residing in Egypt
| and suits between foreigners and ma
tives.
Few foreigners who live In Egypt eyer
become citizens AID they therefore oata
allegiance to their native country and
are likewise protected by them IS
these people We're not amenable to the
courts Of the country in which they
We're living, II can readily he imag med
that prior to the establishment of the
international court there was no end
of disagreeable difficulties and compli-
cations. As the laws of different .oun
tries are often quite at variance IN
certain points II was not to be wonder
ed AT that trouble arose very frequent
~. Questions were sometimes brought
up In one form and another before two,
three or four consuls one after another
until a tangle would result which vas
almost beyond proper solution. Then
there was no other way to settle dis
putes and legal contentious than by
hearings before the consul of the maa
who was being prosecuted.
Egypt became DESTROYS of more salts
factory methods. Khedive Ishmael
Pasha was the first to take active steps
to remedy the deplorable state of af-
airs. Most of the foreign powers were
anxious that something should be done
to improve the system by which the
difficulties of foreigners had been ham
died in the past, and the readily sig
nified their willingness to cooperate
with the khedve. The result was the
creation of the international court.
Count Rozwadowski. the Italian con-
sui in Chicago, was in Egypt at the
time of the organization of this court,
and as he was then a diploma tic rep
rcsentative of his country, as he is now,
he is perfectly familiar with the cir
cumstances OF TIE establishment Of the
court. The count yesterday told the in
teresting story of the founding of the
institution.
The Egyptian International court"
said Count Rozwadowski, was organ
lied about 1875. by Khedive Ishmael
PaSha. 1t was made court of the
Egyptian government and all it's de-
crees are made in the name of the khe-
dive, and they are therefore enforced
by Egyptian authorities. When the
khedive began his efforts to establish
this court he received the hearty Coop
GRAFTON of an Italian, Joseph Giaccone,
a noted diplomat. Giaccone visited the
various powers of Europe az inter
ested them to such a degree that he
succeeded in enlisting their efforts TO
further the plans of the khedive.
In 1876 the plans matured and the
international court came into existence.
The court then and now consists of an
upper branch and a lower branch-the
court of appeal and the court Of first
instance. The court of appeal consists
of IS judges, I believe, two from each
of the six great powers of Europe, and
one from the United States. The court
of first instance is composed of not only
representatives of the great powers, but
the secondary powers as well. The
great powers of Europe are France,
Italy, Germany, Russia. Austria and
Great Britain. The secondary powers
represented on the bench of the court of
first instance are Spain, Holland. Por-
tugal. Greece, Belgium and perhaps
Denmark and Norway and Sweden.
There are three oe these lower courts,
one in Alexandria, one in Cairo and one
in Mansourah Each of the lower courts
is divided into various branches-com-
mercial, emergency, small affairs, etc.
Litigation is conducted in the French
and Italian languages, and of course,
the judges must be versed in these
two tongues. Cases are first heard in
one of these lower courts and if the
litgants are not content with its find
ings the case is appealed to the upper
cour;. where it is again tried and
final decision rendered. / do not think
a full bench Of the judges ever hears a
case. The upper court, ] believe, sits
in sections. which take turns on the
bench.
These courts hear only civil suits.
All criminal cases come before the con-
suls of the men who are accused, as has
always been the rule. Let me make
this distinction clear. If any civil
suit arises between two foreigners or
hot "a fnrpfoneFS and EQVntian
it comes up for trial in the information
al court. If n foreigner commits a
crime he is tried before the consul of
the country OF which the accused is
citizen. If an Egyptian commits a
crime against a foreigner he must be
tried by the Egyptian courts. If for
egner is found guilty of crime by
trial before his consul he is imprisoned
IL Imprisonment be the sentence in tho
prison of the country where the crime
was committed. If he is found guilty
cf murder In the first degree and the
sentence is death the guilty man is
transported 10 his own country or one
of it's colonies for execution. My coun-
try. as you know, abolished capital
punishment years ago. so our consuls
never have any executions TO attend
'tc.
naturally is the laws under which JUS
tice is dispensed. The code of laws
now in use. IL | remember correctly,
was drafted by a Frenchman. after
much study OF the laws of all nations
whose citizens drift to Egypt. The
laws were made so that they would
deal with questions as nearly as possi-
BILE in the same manner that the ques-
lions would be dealt with at the homes
Of the litigants. These laws have now
been in use for more than 20 years and
are in need Of revision. which. UNI
derstand, Is to be given them very
shortly.
ION the whole. the establishment of
this court was an excellent thing, but
it's workings have not been all that
could be wished for. But 1t has brought
about a system Of handling these civil
suits far superior TO that formerly in
vogue"
The court of appeal and the court
OF first instance Of Alexandria are in
the same building in that city. II Is
. large white structure at the end of
what was once the square of Alexander.