The news & observer., 1898-03-20
LATER INSTANCES.


There have been other and later in
stances of Intervention ON the part of the
great powers, such as that in 1860,
when they intervened to put stop to
the persecution and massacre of Chris
tians in the district of Mount Lebanon.
OI this act of intervention by the great
powers, Lawrence says: Their pro-
ceedings were worthy of commentator,
though they could not DE brought within
the strict letter of the law"
Lawrence lays down as corollary of
the rules of international law relating
TO Intervention, that interventions in
the internal affairs of states are greater
infringements of their independence
than interference with their external
action, which must, from the nature of
the case be concerned with other pow
ers. Such interventions, therefore.
should be watched with the utmost jeal-
ousy, and require the strongest reasons
in order to justify them"
Great Britain. by her Intervention iii
Egypt, d province of Turkey. which
has been carried on with armed force
ever since 1882, admits that the inter-
ests of a state and its people are good
grounds for interference by one state
in the internal concerns of another
state. The principal grounds of her in
tervention in and armed occupation OF
Egypt are found in her interests in the
Suez canal and in those of her people
in Egyptian bonds. The justification of
the policy of intervention because of the
interests of the intervening state and
| its people being thus found in Great
Britain's action as to Egypt, it only re-
mains to point out the fact that the in
terests of the United States and its peo-
pie require the cessation of the struggle
in Cuba which is devastating the island,
running its industries and destroying It's
population. Trade with the island is ar
a practical standstil, and American
| property is involved in the common ruin
the war has brought to dts people. This
covers the second ground on which the
| United States finds justification for the
character of interference in Cuban af-
fairs defined by Lawrence as interven-
| tion.
TO PREVENT AN EPIDEMIC.
The third groun4 is different from that
cited in the books. Cuba is the home Of
| yellow fever disease which has again
and again scourgea the people Of the
| United States. ur own experience has
taught us that this dread disease, which
is, TO use the experience of the celebrated
divine. Gods opinion of dirt" can be
prevented by proper sanitary precau-
tions. Sanitation is an unknown science
to the Spanish The conditions for a
| fearful outbreak of yellow fever, the
worst ever known to mankind, are ripe
| in Cuba. Once started, it will be beyond
our powers to prevent its carriage TO our
| shores, but six hours away, and its
spread to the interior. Standing alone
| this would perhaps not be sufficient,
even morally, certainly mot legally un-
! der international law, to justify inter-
vention yet undoubtedly it adds weight
TO the other two grounds, just as piracy
and anarchy added to the first two in
the intervention Of Great Britain.
France and Russia on behalf of the
| Greeks.
Concluding his remarks on the general
subject of intervention and non-intcr-
vention. Lawrence says:
Neither selfish isolation nor undignif-
ed remonstrance in the proper attitude
for honorable and self respecting states
| They should intervene very snaringlv
and only on the clearest ground of ms
tice and necessity: but when they do in
tervene they should make it clear to ALI
concerned that their voice must he .t-
tended TO and their wishes carried out .
In these words the United States finds
its course i'll the past approved and its
In