The evening times., 1898-07-02
THE RED CROSS.

ne hds thc ohSi
OF the Red Cross Society of the yacht Red
Cross as a hospital ship.
II the Red Cross Society has been baf-
fled often recently in its plan of Offering
means of mercy to the Government, 1t Is
because these offers have been technic-
ally impossible and the refusals OF the
Government technically necessary.
The latest OF these refusals. namely, to
accept as hospital ship the yacht Red
Cross, was embodied in letter written
yesterday by Secretary Long to Stephen
Z. Barton. of New York, chairman Of the
executive committee on the National Red
Cross. Here Is the letter:
Referring to your telegram and letter
OF the 9TH instant in relation to the yacht
Red Cross. the department would state
that as the vessel is a medical supply
boat. and not hospital ship. It does not
come under the provisions of article I3 of
the additional articles of the Geneva con-
vention.
The department will authorize the is
suing of 4 certificate as TO the character
and object of the vessel on evidence that
she carries nothing but supplies for sick
or wounded, on assurance from the prop
er authority that nothing but such sup
plies will at any time be placed on
board"
The article on which the Government
based its refusal says:
THE hospital ships which are equipped
at the expense of the olc societies recog-
niZed by the Governments signing this
convention, and which are furnished with
commission emanating from the sover-
eign who shall be given express authority
for their being fitted out and with a cer-
tificate from the proper naval authority
that they have been placed under his. con
troll during their fitting out and that they
were then appropriated sv.eiy to the pur-
pose of their mission. shall be considered
neutral. as well as the whole of their
stan- They shall be recognized and pro-
tected by the beliiSerents."
In the letter referred to the Red Cross
Society had assured the department that
in hitting out the yacht. whose name had
been changed from that of the Admiral.
the requirements of article Kill had been
complied with. The case was urgent for
in a letter under date of June q. Council
Cobb. of the Red Cross Society. says:
we are in a hurry. not only because
the supplies are needed at the front but
this vessel is intended to relieve the State
of Texas. now off Santiago The charter
of the State of Texas expires July 5, and
We wish to have that ship back in New
York by that time. because after that date
Sic Will Sosl US Stvt per udy. WHICH eX-
pense, of course, we wish to avoid II pos
sible. Unless there are some objections
we should like to begin loading the Red
Cross on Monday next at IL o'clock
The vessel has already sailed from New
York She will proceed to Jacksonville
and thence to Cuba. Miss Barton cabled
from Guantanamo urging that the yacht
be dispatched for use as a medical supply
boat for Cuba and Porto Rico.
he 1afv do I,,-t l., ~ .
the boat is of only 100 tons and that no
special fitting out is necessary. The APP
plication is only for supervision, exam
ination and commission.
The Red Cross steam launch Moynier
having been commissioned. privilege was
asked on June % both for that vessel and
the yacht Red Cross of procuring coal
when necessary from any naval coaling
station or vessel. receipts to be given by
Red Cross representatives for coal, sup
piled and the bills to be forwarded to this
committee for payment"
This request was returned tofthe depart-
ment from the Bureau of Equipment,
whose decision was that under no circum-
stances could the bureau recommend
such a sweeping order as was called for.
The return further stated that the duty
to which the launch Moynier and the
yacht Red Cross were to be detailed was
navy at present had Its own Red Cross
steamer to be supplied with coal the
same time the bureau would be glad TO
furnish coal when 1t could be done with
out detriment to the end for which 1t is
supplied to any Red Cross vessel. -
While the Government has been gra-
ciously inclined toward the Red Cross
Society. it has not seen fit to shut out
other societies from engaging in the same
kind of work. For instance, the ship
Bay State has Just been accepted from
a society in Massachusetts,.
These are the most recent Of a series
Of frictions. When the Government OBJ
jected to the further distribution of sup
plies that were falling into the hands OF
the Spanish. instead of into those of the
reconcentrados, the Red Cross Society
proposed to sell the supplies and distri-
butte the money among the reconcentra-
dos, but the Government did not look
favorably upon this proposition, Nor
would the Government make the Red
Cross Society the agency Of distribution
OF moneys received for the reconcentra-