The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-04-20
LAW GOVERNING WAR.
AN INTERNATIONAL GAME On
WHICH STRICT RULES
Must BE Observed by Both sides. spies and
Lies Are Legitimate Weapons, But
Hot Shot and Poisons Are No
Longer Allowable. An Inter-
eating Resume.


esting Resume
Although warfare is a relic of barbar
ism. it must be waged between enlight-
ened nations with strict adherence to
many binding rules, prescribed from
time to time by international law. The
president and those who would be infu-
entail factors in war must be CONVEX
SAINT with this code, which is fully as
binding between two nations respecting
their honor as is the code duello between
two men. Violation of these rules on
the part of either belligerent would in
vite the contempt of dignified nations,
That everything is fair in love and
war is no longer true, at least SO far as
war is concerned. Although warfare
has become more cruel through the de-
velopment of weapons, the international
laws governing it have become more and
more humane. The object of dIgnihed
warfare in these days of course should
be to disable the enemy at the least pos
sible cos. OF suffering and death. All
weapons, therefore, which makes war
fare actually cruel and barbarous are re-
garded as illegal unless they will, by one
bold stroke, speedily terminate the war.
Although hundreds may lose their lives
at once from such weapons as submarine
rams, mines or torFedoes, these are con-
sidered lawful Red-hot shot, chain
shot and hollow shot are consider
ed cruel instruments of war on the other
hand, and no self-respectipg nation
would employ them Rsd-hot shot were
used in the wars of Frederick the Great.
Cannon balls were heated to redness aud
fired to combine the tortures of fire to
those of congussion. Chain shot was
even more cruel in effect. A pair of
cannons were loaded with balls connect
ed by chains, the guns being close 20
gether, but trained to such angle as
would spread the balls apart when the
two fuses were lighted simultaneously.
The chain was made as long as might be
desired, and by it's means large bodies
of men could be horribly mangled as if
by the stroke of giant scythe.
LIES ARE HONORABLE WEAPONS.
Hollow shot or hollow bullets were
considered cruel because they became
tiattened and irregular after coming in
contact with bone, thus making wounds
unu ecessarily painful Langrel, com
posed of nails, knife blades, bits of iron.
etc, which made horri BILE wounds, is
forbidden for the same reason. Pro-
Jectlles Of an explosive nature or charged
with infammable substances are now
considered unlawful between nations, if
weighing less than IA ounces. Likewise,
poison is strictly forbidden as an ee-
me 1T of war. Ia ancient wars it was
customary to use poisoned arrows or to
poison the rivers flowing iutn the enc,
mv's country. While it would be prop
er for either Spain or the United States
to lay waste the standing crops of the
other merely to temporarily reduce dis
trict to deprivation, it would be illegal
to uproot vineyards, orchards, etc, so
as to deSolate the country for years al
terward. A flag Of truce, a Red Cross
hospital flag or signal of distress dis
played by Spain, for instance, would
have to be respected by our forces, and
no one protected by such signal would
be harmed. Should body of Spanish
soldiers or sailors show such a signal
fraudulently, however, it would be con
sidered gross act of treachery, punish
able by death. A more treacherous act
would be the assassination a 10 states
man or officer of hostile country. The
killing of the enemy, however, by a com
blatant in uniform would not be cOnsid-
cred as an act of assassination, but as
Legitimate act of war, since by wearing
the garb of soldier an enemy runs an
honorable risk. l. is also considered as
Legitimate warfare to distribute lies for
the miSdirectiOn of an enemy or to sail
under false cOlOrs. Should a Spanish
prlvateer, for example, come upon one
OF our vessels while sailing under false
colors she would be required by the laws
of war TO show her own colors before fir
ing. Before making an assault she
would properly fire gun across the bow
of the opposing ship as a warning to
''heave to-"
SPIES ARE LEGITIMATE.
The employment of spies is still con-
sidered as legitimate warfare among en-
nations, but the spy, as an in
dividual, is generally looked upon as
rather 4ishonorable character. 1t
would be improper, therefore, for one of
our generals to order man to act as
spy. All spies must be strictly volun-
teers. 1t is. an interesting fact that
should spy succeed III joining his army
he would cease TO be a spy in a technical
sense, and unless captured in the act of
carrying fresh information he could not
be captured except as a prisoner of war.
No soldier inf uniform could be executed
as a spy serving the enemy. since spy