The herald., 1898-12-31
CALLFOR ACONFfRFNCE
OF MARITIME NATIONS OF THE
WORLD
UN0FFENDING PRIVATE GOODS
To Be Made Safe in Time of War on
Land or on the High
Seas

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-(Special Cor
respondence to The Herald.) At the sug-
gestion of the president, Representative
Dingley has introduced a resolution author
izing that parsonage to open negotiations
with MARTINEZ powers for the protection OF
unoffending private property on the high
seas in time of war. The practical operation
Of this will be in the direction of extending
the declaration of Paris SO as to make invio-
liable property rights on the sea as they now
are on land in time of war. The word "un-
offending" is inserted to permit the capture
of enemy's property which is contraband
of war, or whioh is trying to run block
Jade, or in some other way injurng the bel
ligerent rights of the parties.
The declaration of Paris was first adopted
in 1856 soon after the Crimean war, by
nearly all the civilized powers of the world
except the United States and Spain and
one or two South American countries. 1t
consisted of four clauses:
"Privateering is and remains abolished
''The neutral flag covers enemy's goods,
except contraband of war.
Neutral goods, except contraband Of war,
are not liable to capture under an enemy
flag.
"Blockades, to be binding, must be effect
ive."
Before this time Lord Clarendon had pro-
posed to the United States that it should
join with Great Britain and France in pun
ishing as pirates the captains and crews Of
privateers who should prey upon the com.
merce of either of the others. President
Buchanan objected to this chiefly on ac-
count of the disproportion between the ma
vii 81 hn Nj ho l-nnec NJ
the United States being somewhat balanced
by her privateers. Secretary Marcy, in a
letter to France, remarked that in war the
United States relied on volunteer soldiers
and on volunteer ships.
President Pierce, in his second message
to congress, said: Should the leading pow
ers of Europe concur in proposing to exempt
private property on the high seas from seiz-
ure by public armed cruisers, as well as by
privateers, the United States will readily
meet them on that broad 1ound."
The United States declined to join in this
declaration at the time without the adop-
ton of an amendment, called after Secre-
tary Marcy, prohibiting HE capture of all
private property not contraband, at sea.
The European powers would not agree to
this and the United States remained out
side the pact until the civil war, when it
offered to join it with or without the Marcy
amendment, But the other governments
refused to join us in such declaration un-
less we should recognize the Confederate
cruisers as belligerent vessels, "a thing to
which President Lincoln would not agree
When the Spanish war began and Spain
threatened to resort to privateering, the
president issued his proclamation adopting
the last three planks of the declaration. 1t
was also asserted that the United States
would not commission privateers unless
compelled to do so. Inhuenceswere brought
to bear on Spain by Europe which led her to
accede to these principles.
At present the United States, Italy, Aus
tria and Germany are with us in our desire
to protect private property at sea, but it is
shrewdly suspected that these wish it only
because they are weak maritime powers and
would benefit more than they would lose by
it. Of course, such an agreement would be
binding only on those who were parties to
it, unless a majority of the powers having
agreed to it, should enforce it upon ALL 1t
is also true that there is no weapon that en-
tails so little misery and is so effective in
warfare as the capture of private vessels.
These are for the most part protected by
insurance and .nave been submitted to the
risk of capture by their owners for the
chance of gain. Such risks also tend to
make war most unpopular and to tie "the
sympathies of trading nations to the wheels
of peace"
Italy already has general law providing
that her war vessels shall not capture trad.
ing ships of any nation that will agree
to reciprocate. So far as is known the only
country to take advantage of this offer il
the United States, which in 1871 concluded
a treaty with Italy making all private prop
erty at sea inviolate, except contraband and
blockade runners.
CRITTENDEN MARRIOTT