Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-09-15
PEACE TREATIES.
How Former Wars Were Brought to
Conclusion Our Treaty
with Spain.

4
with Spain.
| As q rule, the settlement of the
terms of peace treaties is a rather de-
| liberate process. In former wars in
which the United States was engaged
the troops were kept in the field for
considerable period after the war
| was practically at an end. 1t requires
some time to arrest the momentum OF
war, though the speedy disarmament
of armies, after the necessity for their
| existence is over, is highly desirable
| for many reasons. Formerly the
lack of quick communication pro-
| Ionged wars after peace had been for
mally agreed upon.
Two treaties of peace were signed
ffter the revolutionary war. The pre-
| Iiminary articles were signed at Paris
| November 80, 1882. They were ratified
| ty congress April Is, 1873. The final
or definitivr treaty was not signed I'M
| til September 3, 1873. Washington is
| sued his farewell address to the army
November 2, 1888, and the army was
| formally disbanded on the following
| day. Nearly year passed between
the signing of the preliminary peace
! treaty and the dissolution of the Amer
| lean army.
The frequently-recalled battle of
| New Orleans was fought two weeks
/ after the peace agreement between
| the United States and Great Britain
had been signed at Client. The treaty
was signed December "a, 1914. 1t did
| not reach New York until February II,
1918. In the meantime the unneces-
sary battle of New Orleans had been
| fought, as we'll as the naval battle be-
/ tween the United States frigate Presi-
dent and -four British frigates. Such
was the slowness of internal commune
cation in those days that desultory
hostilities were kept up for several
| days even after the arrival of the
| treaty in New York. Modern tele-
| graphic communication will prevent
such incidents in future wars.
| In the Mexican war the granting
| of an armistice from August 81 to Sep
TENDER z, 1917, by Gen. Scott to the
Mexicans after the battle of Cheru-
busco was prophetic of peace, but the
formal peace treaty was not signed I'M
til February 2, 1S4s, and ratified May
|
| not appear to have been a preliminary
theaty, the purpose of which is to set
| forth the general terms and to note
| items to be settled in the final treaty.
In the civil war there was no peace
treaty, for the reason that there was
| nc recognizable power with which the
| United States could deal after the col
| lapse of the confederacy.
Peace treaties become binding upon
+he powers signing them from the date
of signing, but it is laid down by au-
thorities on international law that
when the war has been on the sea or
liz distant regions the treaty should
contain stipulation that captures
made between the day of signing and
actual ratification of the treaty shall
be restored. 1t is principle of inter
rational law that when a power trans
fers in a treaty of peace some of its
territory to the victor the fealty or al
legiance of the inhabitants of the
transferred territory to the flag of
the conqueror is not guaranteed. I'm
Ger the law of nations there is nothing
to prevent an exodus of all the peo-
| pie of the transferred territory if they
| choose to go. The modern doctrine is
that allegiance is founded wholly on
| consent.
1t is probable that the final treaty
of peace between the United States
and Spain will be an elaborate instru-
ment, owing to the many Spanish is
lands and dependencies whose future
status must be fixed in the document.
The disposition of these possessions
must be settled by express stipula-
tions.-Philadelphi Ledger.