The record-union., 1898-05-24
THE MAKING OF INTERNATIONAL
LAW.

A leading authority on International
law says the United States before the
close Of this war is to make a good
deal Of international law, and create
any number of new rules which will
serve as precedents for the guidance of
the nations of the world hereafter"
Just so. International law is not a
liked science. It is a developing, grow
ing and ever progressing one. 1t must
keep abreast with the age and the
march Of civilization and enIighten-
ment.
A Washington correspondent of intel
1igence and who is not in employ by
any yellow agency, referring to the case
of the Harvard in the harbor of Mar
Unique and to the transmission of dis
patches by French cable, says:
The officials of the State and Navy
Departments strongly deprecate, as
mischievous and dangerous, the efforts
10 create the impression that France
is not acting up to the rule in the OBJ
servance of strict neutrality between
the United States and Spain. They say
that even were there some slight found
alton for the statements, the time is
very inOppOrtune for newspaper attacks
that might even involve France in the
present hOstilities. AS matter of fact
They say that there is no evidence of
any disposition on the part of the
French colonial officials in the West
Indies to discriminate against the
United States and favor Spain. If
there has been any delay in the trans
mission of cable dispatches from Mar
Unique to the United States Govern
ment or in the reverse direction, our
Government is not in possession of any
evidence tending to show that obstacles
were purposely interposed. AS far as
the matter of coaling is concerned,
fThere is also an entire absence, as yet,
sat least, of any evidence that the Span
s1sh fleet was accorded any undue ad-
vantage in this respect.
But what cares the yellow press, if it
sE1oes, by injudicious expression and in
with France. It would if it could, and
Thought it could sell nickel sheets from
tits press in consequence, provoke a war
SIN the heart Of heaven itself. The fact
1is the Washington officials are very
grateful to France for allowing the
Harvard to remain in a French port
TO have her machinery repaired, instead
rsof turning her out to be gobbled UP by
+ Spanish gunboats lying outside for that
purpose.
One rule is that where belligerent
ships meet in neutral port the weaker
shall be allowed to depart first, and
that the other must remain in port
twenty-four hours thereafter. Another
rule and one long observed, is that the
neutral shall be content with the pledge
of the stronger not to assault the weak
er until twenty -four hours after depar-
ture Of both. But this rule permits the
stronger to stay by it's prey until the
limitation OFF time expires and then
proceed to capture her
Both of these rules obtained in the
days of sailing craft. Now new condi-
tiOns arise, and new rules are necessary
to meet them. So, too, the matter Of
furnishing coal supply by a neutral
raises new questions and is obscured
by old.rules. Thus it is that neutrality
laws, as do others, must undergo
changes and must be made to meet
modern conditions. They cannot re-
main hard and fast, and unchanged
All in all France has behaved very
handsomely in the matter of the Har-
ward, and those papers which have
opened their cavernous mouths to score
the European republic, and thus con-
vert it into an avowed enemy, are prop
erly advised by the Government to shut
up and conserve the American cause by
remaining silent upon subjects of which
they are densely ignorant and in which
they are stupidity laundering.