The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-27

SION OF our tnanKIulnGSS, ana assure you tnat
your names will never be erased from the
hearts of all those who love this unfortunate
country. Please accept these our sentiments
as small offering in confirmation of your
just title and our admiration for you ALL
Havana, March 25 1898
IL. 81 Signed by twenty-one physicians
and bearing the seal of United States Con-
sulate General in Havana.
In the interest of the movement to-
ward Minnesota Red Cross federation
the following sketch of the national
and international structure of the Red
Cross is printed:
In October, 1863, a conference was
he'd at Geneva, Switzerland, to which
all nations of the world had been in
vited by the SWISS government 1t
was attended by duly authorized re-
preseEtatives of sixteen nations
The object of the conference was to
formulate AMI adept a general plan
fer tie ame.ioration of the suffering of
the sick and wounded in war.
The following is a summary of the
most important of the articles ad opted
by the confer nce and their subs -quent
amendments:
In every country which has signed
the Red Cross treaty there is a civil
Red Cross organization known as the
National Red Cross, whose duty it is
in time Of war to cooperate by all the
means in it's power with the sanitary
service of the army, when called upon
AuXiiiaries unlimited in. number may
be formed In order to second and as
sist the National organization under
whose auspices tn y may carry on their
Uo rin
ton belongs to the National organiza-
ton, which is the only one recognized
by its own and the other treaty gov.
ernmentS.
Auxiliaries may organize in such
manner as may be most desirable, but
they must not engage in any work of
relief, either in time of peace or war,
except by request and under the direc-
ton Of the National committee -
In the time of peace the National
Red Cross orgari atoms and their aux
iliar.es are occupied with the means to
make themselves useful in time of war
or calamity, especially in preparing aid
of every kind and instructing a volun-
teer service of physicians, nurses and
other attendants for the event of war
The Civil National Red Cross Of the
belligerent nations shall furnish relief
TO THEIR RESPECTIVE ARMIES
in proportion to their re sources; in par
tieular they shall organize and place
|, the volunteer service on an active foot
ing, and in conjunction with the mill
tary authority they shall arrange
places for the reception of the wound
ed; they shall solicit the assistance Of
National Red Cross organizations be-
longing to neutral nations.
On demand or with the concurrence
of the mil tary authorities, the national
OrganiZat tons shall send their volunteer
corps to the field of battle and shall
place them under the direction of the
military chief. The volunteer service
employed with such armies shall BE-
provided with everything necessary for
their maintenance by their respective
by the auXiliaries.
They shall in all countries wear
around the arm a white band with a
red cross upon it as a distinctive and
uniform badge. The badge or brass
ard must bear the Vice Of the duly
authorized military officer as a guar
anty of it's right to recognition.
The exchange of communications be-
tween the national orga nizations Of the
various nations shall be made provis-
ionally through the medium Of the in
ternational committee Of the Red
Cross which sits at Geneva, Switzer-
land.
The United States gave it's adhesion
to the Red Cross treaty by act Of con-
gress in March, 1882.
An amendment proposed by Clara
Barton, who was delegated by the
United States to attend the quadren-
NAL conferences, was accepted under
the title of ''The American Amend
ment." 1t provides for the extension
of Red Cross work to the relief of
suffering by war, pestilence, famine,
flood, fire and other calamities of suf-
f1cient magnitude to be deemed nation
al in extent.
1t will thus be understood that the
Geneva conference of 1863 provided for
the existence and government of civil
Red Cross organizations to aid and
supplement the medical service of the
armies, while the convention of 1864
formally acknowledged the neutrality
of hospital work and non-combatants
in time of war, and adopted the Red
Cross upon the white field as the dis
tinctive badge of such neutrality, the
Red Cross flag thereby becoming the
hospital flag of every Red Cross treaty
nation.
One Of the basic principles underly-
ing the plan Of neutral work, now
known as the RED Cross" was the
concentration Of civil assistance in one
national organization which should
give direction to the
WORK OF AUXILIARIES
UNLIMITED in number) and which should
be the one medium of communication
with, and responsibility to, the army
and navy of it's country.
| In order that those who are con-
tinually and actively engaged In the
various departments of the civil Red
Cross may well be prepared and fitted
for every emergency, perfect mill
tary system has been adopted. Thus,
| every person actively engaged in Red
Cross service preparatory to and In
the field Of calamity, shall receive his
rank from the proper authorities and
serve in that capacity under similar
| rules and terms as the military service
of that nation.