The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-06
Care of the Wounded.

The near approach of very active and
possibly very bloody hostilities lends
special interest to the provisions mace IN
! the international conventions OF 1864 and
1865 ''for the amelioration OF the conoi-
| ton of the wounded in war" The original
! signatories were Switzerland, Baden, Bel
| GUM, Spain, France, Italy, the Netner-
lands, and Portugal, and some OF the then
separate German states. The principal
remaining German states, Sweden and
Norway, Greece, Great Britain, Turkey,
Austria, Russia. Roumania- Persia, Sal
vador, Montenegro, Servia, Bolivia, Chill.
the Argentine Republic. Peru. Japan. and
the United States afterwards acceded to
! it.
The chief provisions of the two conven-
tons are that ambuIances and military
| hospitals shall be neutral, and as such
shall be protected and respected by bel
! ligerents as long as any sick or wounded
may be therein, but this neutrality is TO
cease if they should be held by mil
| itary force Persons employed in hospi-
! tails and ambulances, comprising the stan
| for superintendent, medical service ad-
ministration, transport Of wounded, as
we'll as chaplains, are TO participate IN
| the benefit of neutrality while so employ
ed, and as long as there remain any
wounded to bring in or to succor. These
| persons may. moreover. continue to ful-
Ill their duties in the hospital or am
bulance which they serve, or may with
| draw in order to rejoin the corps to which
they belong, and when they cease from
their functions of mercy they are 10 be
delivered by the occupying army to the
outposts of the enemy. For the purposes
of this provision II is understood that the
| term ''ambulance' shall apply to field
| hospitals and other temporary establish
ments which follow the troops on the
| field of battle to receive the sick and
wounded. As the equipment Of military
hospitals remains subject to the laws OF
war, persons attached to such hospitals
can not, in Withdrawing, carry away any
articles but such as are their private
property; but under the same circum-
stances an ambulance shall. on the con-
trary, retain its equipment.
Inhabitants of the country who help to
bring in the wounded will be respected.
and remain free. The generals of the bel
| ligerent powers must make it their care to
inform the inhabitants of the appeal which
| is addressed to their humanity. and Of
the privileges of neutrality which they
will enjoy in consequence Of it. These
privileges may be important. Any wound
! in a house shall be considered as pro-
! lection thereto. Any inhabitant who shall
| have entertained wounded men in his
house shall be exempted from the quar-
| tering of troops as well as from a part
OF the contributions of war which may
be imposed; in such cases, account only
shall be taken in an equitable manner of
the charitable zeal displayed by the inhab-
| itants."
| Commanders-in-chiefa are empowered TO
deliver Immediately to the outposts of
the enemy the hostile soldiers who have
been wounded in an engagement, when
circumstances permit this to be done, and
with the consent of both parties. Those
who, after their wounds are healed are
recognized as incapable of further mill
| tary service, must be sent back to their
own country. Others may be sent back
on condition of their not again bearing
arms during the continuance Of the war.
| For the navy, like rules of mercy are
made. The boats which, at their own
risk and peril during and after an engage
ment pick up the shipwrecked or wound
ed, or which convey them when picked up.
on board neutral or hospital ship, are
to enjoy neutral character until their
mission is accomplished. as least as far
!
The appreciation Of these conditions is
intrusted to all the conbatants; but the
wrecked and wounded must not serve
again during the continuance of the war
Any merchant ship, to whatever nation
she may belong, if charged exclusively
with the removal of the sick and wound
| ed, is privileged as a neutral; but the mere
! fact, noted on the ships books, Of her
| having been visited by an enemy's cruis-
er, renders the sick and wounded aboard
| of her incapable of serving during the
continuance of the war, their status in
| this respect being like that of paroled
| prisoners. The cruisers shall even have
right to put aboard an officer to accom-
! pany the convoy and thus verify the good
/ faith of the operate If the merchant
man carries also a cargo, her neutrality
Will protect that, unless it contain arti-
Giles contraband of war.
| Belligerents retain the right to interd!ct
neutralized vessel from all communi-
cation, and from any course which they
may deem pretudicid to the secrecy OF
their operations. In urgent cases, the
commanders-in-chief may enter into con-
ventions for the temporary and special
naturalization of vessels inteded for the
removal of the sick and wounded The
sick and wounded, when embarked. shall
be protected and cared for by their cap
| tors, no matter to what nation they may
| belong.
| Military hospital ships must be paint
ed white, with green strake. They remain
under martial law in all that concerns
their stores. They become the property
| Of their captors, who, however. must not
| divert them from their special purpose
during the continuance Of the war. Hos
pital ships which are equipped at the ex-
pense of aid societies recognized by the
! governments signing the conventions, and
which are furnished with commissions.
! signed by the sovereign. expressly author
| izing their fitting-out as well as with
| proper certificate from the chief naval au-
| thority showing that they have been IN
der his control during their ftting-out
| and their departure. and that they are
| set apart exclusively for their mission of
mercy. shall be considered neutral, to-
ge:her with ali their STAFF. and be recog-
| niZed and protected by the belligerents.
| They shah be painted white with red
strake- They must take care not to in
/ terfere In any way with the movements
| of the combatants. and must do their
/ duty at their ewn risk and peril.
! These provisions are modified By one
which says that '',n naval wars any
/ strong presumption that either oeIligevent
i takes advantage of the BENEFITS o< neutral
/ ity with any other view than the interest
| OF the sick and wounded. gives 10 the
/ other beIigereIt until proof 70 the con-
/ trSry. the right Of suspeading the con-
veatior" as regards the suspected enemy
/ This explains The sieadfast refusal Of
! Secretary Long TO allow newspaper cor