Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-08-04
NOTHING BUT IOMNYROT.
Sagasta's Alleged Intimation of Bad
Faith on the Part of the United
States Government.
OUR STEADY ADVANCE ON PORTO RICO.
There is No Principle of International Law
that Calls Upon Us to Stay Our Hand
Until an Armistice L. Actually Agreed
Upon, Reduced to Writing aud Signed
by the Proper Authorities.

WAsHINsTos, July $s.--It can be
stated on the authority Of the state de-
partment and the foreign embassies
here that there were no overtures in
behalf of Spain for peace or cessa-
tion of hostilities until the French am
bassador, last Tuesday afternoon, pre-
sented his note to the president. This
statement is made with
Full knowledge OF European D.nIsIs,
and must be accepted as that of the
government of the United State. There
fore all the talk about bad faith shown
by our government in pressing the
Porto Rican caEgaign during the last
few days 10 absolutely without foun-
dation, and our government has done
nothing that can subject il to criticism
on this score. In addition to the rep.
resentatives of the United States gov
ernment, the persons qualified =
To Speak for the Government of Spain
in this country make an exactly sim
liar statement, and the alleged charges
of bad faith against the United States
attributed to Premier Sagasta, are dis
credited as inventions designed to pref
udice the successful progress of the
present peace movement. 1t could not
be contemplated for a moment that
any mere personal exchange of views
between persons in Europe could
he Construed AZ an Overture for Peace,
and, although there may have been
some of this "backdoor gossip" as it
is denominated at the state depart
ment, it can be again affirmed that the
United States government has not been
party to it. Moreover, SO far as Am
bassador Cambon is concernsd, it can
be stated positively that he made no
overtures, direct or indirect. official or
unofficial, relating to peace, or to any
phase of peace, prior to three o'clock
last Tuesday afternoon.
Little Short of Amazing.
Even supposing there had been peace
overtures, which there had not been,
military authorities regard Premier
Sagasta's alleged; statement that peace
overtures operate to stay the course OF
military operations as little short of
amazing, and as directly contrary not
only to the military law of the United
States, but to the whole recognized
principles of international law. In
general, the international law writers
agree that military operations stop
Only When q Truce or an Armis tice Is Act
ually Concluded,
and that this truce or armistice must
be in writing. Until then the mere
preliminary overtures toward a sus-
pension of hostilities is not regarded
as any warrant for stopping the war.
This is expressed in the United States
instructions for the government OF
armies in the field, as follows:
Governing Articles.
Article IN-Belligerents sometimes include
an armistice while their plenipoteutiaries are
met ITO discuss the conditions of o treaty of
peace but plenipotentiaries may meet without
preliminary srmistice; In the latter case the
war is carried on without any abatement
Another section of the equations is
as follows:
Article 142-An armistice is not partial or a
temporary peace: it is only the suspension OF
military operations to the extent agreed upon
by the parties.
Rights Of Military Commanders.
The military authorities, as well as
the specific regulations of the United
States, hold that there is no suspension
of hostilities prior to the agreement to
suspend military operations. Even,
then, the agreement is binding on
military commanders only from the
time they receive actual notice of it.
In the meantime military commanders
have the right to push forward and
Hold Such Territory as they Occupy.
The need for limiting this cessation
of hostilities is obvious, for until a
signed agreement is made there is no
knowledge of the extent of the armis-
tice. In the present case an armis&ice
might include or exclude the Philip
pines or Porto Rico, as the two parties
might agree, but until they agree there
will be
No Obligation to Abate Military Opera
in any of the field operations. After
the signing of the armistice prelimi-
nary to peace, a status quo is estab-
lished, and all military operations
come to a halt at the points designated,
and at points not designated the mill
tary operations proceed. In the pres
ent case, if the truce is general, Gen.
Shafter, Gen. Miles and Admiral
Dewey
Would Simply Rest In the Positions They
Now Occupy,
and a moral obligation would be i'm
posed not to strengthen these positions
or to make secret preparations for a
more effective continuance Of the war
hereafter. The military authorities
agree that the only qualification for
this rule is that endorsements may be
sent forward, and that defense, but not
offense, operations may be concluded.
Under such rule
Spain Could Continue Her Preparations
for defending the coast of Spain even
after a suspension of hostilities, and at
the same time the United States could
send forward reinforeements to Gen.
Miles and Admiral Dewey, but all Of
fensiye operations would cease.
With these well-de6ued rules OF
military procedure. accepted by all ma
tions, the assertion attributed to Pre-
mier Sagasta that the
Mere Overtures for . Cessation OF Hostili-
ties
should in itself stop these hostilities, is
regarded as unaccountable. Moreover
A TEXAS WONDER.
Halps Great Discovery.