The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-14

" many DlnulnS IuleS, pTeScTlDeu 1tOii
time to time by international law. Vic
lation of these rules on the part OF
either belligerent would invite the con-
tempt of dignifed nations. That ''ev-
erything is fair in love or war" is nc
| longer true, at least so far as war Il
! concerned. Although warfare has be-
! come cruel through the development
of weapons, the international laws gov
erning It have become more and more
/ humane.
| The object Of dignified warfare ir
! these days, of course. should be TO dis
able the enemy at the least cost OF
suffering and death. All weapons
| therefore, says a Washington core
| spondent of the st. Louis Globe-Demo-
| crat, which make warfare actually
/ cruel and barbarous are regarded as
illegal, unless they will, by one bold
| stroke, speedily terminate the war. AL
| though hundreds may lose their lives
! at once from such a weapon as subma-
rine rams, mines or torpedoes, these
are considered lawful. Red-hot shot
/ chain shot and hollow shot are consid-
! cred cruel instruments of war. on thC
other hand, and no self-respecting ma
ton would employ them. Red-h shot
| were used in the wars of Frederick
the Great. Cannon balls We're heated
! ~ itc--SSS anu HEeQ TO cOIlDlle the
fortunes of those of conclusion. Chair.
I shot was even more cruel in effect a
pair Of cannon were loaded with balls
connected by chains, the guns being
close together, but trained TO such an
angle as would spread the balls apart
when the two fuses were lighted stimuli
taneously. The chain was made as
long as might be desired, and by its
means large bodies of men could be
} rVr-fll 1a6 I,r- I-r
of giant scythe.
Hollow shot or hollow bullets were
considered cruel because they became
flattened and Irregular after coming in
contact with bone. thus making wounds
unnecessarily painful. Langrel, COM
posed of nails, knife blades, bits OF iron,
etc, which made horrible wounds. is
forbidden for the same reason. PToiec-
tiles of an explosive nature. or charged
with i-iammable substances are now
considered unlawful between nations.
if weighing less than II ounces. Like
wise. poison is strictly forbidden as an
element of war. In ancient wars it
was customary to use poisoned arrows,
or to poison the rivers flowing into an
enemy's country.
While it would be proper for either
Spain or the United States to lay
waste the standing crops of the other
trict to deprivation, it would be Illegal
to uproot vineyards, orchards. etc, so
as TO 6esolate the country for years
afterwards.
a flag of truce, a Red Cross hospital
flag or a signal of distress displayed by
Spain, for instance, would have to be
respected by our forces, and no one
protected by such a signal would be
harmed. Should a body of Spanish SOL
-hrv cfcr al
fraudulently, however. it would be con-
sidered a gross act of treachery, pun
ishable by death. A more treacherOuS
act would be the assassination of
statesman or officer Of a hostile coun
try. The killing of an officer of the
enemy, however, by a combatant in
uniform would not be considered as an
assassination, but as a legitimate act
of war, since by wearing the garb of a
soldier an enemy runs an honorable
risk. 1t is also considered as legiti-
mate warfare to distribute lies for the
misdirection OF an enemy or to sail
under false colors. Should Spanish
privateer, for example. come upon one
of our vessels while sailing under false
colors, she would be required b. the
laws of war to show her own colors
before firing. Before making an as
sault she would properly fire a gun
warning to "heave to-"
The employment of spies is still con-
sidered as legitimate warfare among
enlightened nations, but the spy. as an
individual, is generally looked upon as
rather a dishonorable character. 1t
would be improper, therefore, for one
of our generals to order man to act as
a spy. All spies must be strictly volun-
teers. 1t is an interesting fact that
s-ir fr11r n
army he would cease to be a spy in
technical sense, and unless captured in
the act of carrying fresh information
he could not be captured except as
prisoner of war. No soldier in uniform
could be executed as a spy serving the
enemy, since a spy is necessarily per-
son in disguise, acting under false pre-
lenses or secreted somewhere. Men
engaged in surveying Spanish fortt-
fcation or camp in balloon, for in
stance, could not be considered as spies,
although their balloon might be de-
stroyed as a vessel of war. If cap
: ured alive the banoonists could be
held only as prisoners of war
A man in uniform of the United
States caught in the act of carrying
To a Spanish commander
would be executed, if caught by US,
since he would be either a spy or
traitor. Traitors have always been re
garded as the lowest OF the low by SOL
diers. According to the common law
of England in the time of the Georges,
they were required to be dragged along
the ground or over a pavement to the
gallows, and there to be hanged by the
neck. but cut down before dead. While
still alive the entrails were taken
out ard burned. The head was then
cut of and the body cut into quar-
tiers.
Prisoners of war would be very care
fully handled by a well-bred nation
like ours. None but a barbarous gen.
eral would countenance cruelty to a
war prisoner, or a soldier who had sur
Late in the Middle Ages
death or slavery was the only prospect
Of a prisoner of war. Should a parcel
of our forces surrender to Spain, or be
captured, not only all combatants. but |
such on-combatantS as newspaper !
guides, messengers, |
telegraphers or contractors, |
either present with the army or assist |
ing it, might be taken as prisoners of |
war. Should the Spanish force their /
way to Washington, they might take
any of our statesmen prisoners of war, |
the president. The interna- !
tional laws demand that all prisoners |
Of war be subjected only to such re-
straint as would be found necessary to |
prevent their escape. They would be !
given as great liberty as possible, and |
could be punished only for breach of |
discipline or attempted escape. Some |
nations provide money allowances for |
prisoners of war. They must also be |
Ted and clothed by the country de- |
tanning them. Thus we would be re- |