The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-08
ur LAWS OF WAR.
,xrERNATIONAL GAME, WITH
STRICT RULES.

,1.ft1dP OF KequAFeineHts-r AheS
.,-,.oc-Work of the Red Cross.
and Traitors-The Duties OF
Neutrais.
Ton Letter in st. Louis Globe
Democrat.
,..,,,gh warfare is a relic of barbar-
-, r. must be waged between enlightened
with strict adherence to many
-,7-es. prescribed from time to time
..orrational law. The President and
his interiors who would be in
..t factors in a war must be con-
with this code, which is fully as
,.,dfng between two nations respecting
boror as is the code duello between
-. mon Violation of these rules on the
e. ai-her belligerent would invite the
-r,,t of diSnified nations. That every
49,. IL. fair in love or war is no longer
Of least so far as war is concerned.
.,.,o,gb warfare has become more cruel
,sr,,ob the development of weapons, the
Vocational laws governing it have be-
mare and more humane 1t is doubt
=, r,bether Spain would adhere to these
INC as strictly as would we. AS a race,
ooon1e are more cruel and impulsive
,,.tbornore. her record is bad Were it
A ,.boru.ise she might expect more sympa-
~, from other continental nations almost
4 ~ If which observe the rules of war very
strictly.
The object of dignifed warfare in these
d,ys of course should be to disable the
,rsmv at the least cost of suffering and
4 5.otb All weapons, therefore. which make
"a warfare actually cruel and barbarous are
.,arded as illegal unless they will, by one
hold stroke, speedily terminate the war
e. ,ltboush hundreds may lose their lives az
b onoe from such weapons as submarine
n rams mines or torpedoes, these are con-
,idsred lawful Red-hot shot, chain shot
ord hollow shot are considered cruel in
Fl .ruments of war, on the other hand, and
m self-respecting nation would employ
them Red-hot shot were used in the wars
d NJ Frederick the Great. Cannon balls were
B heated to redness and fired to combine the
n tortures of fire to those of conclusion.
n Chain shot was even more cruel in effect
+. \
81 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 simultaneously. The
chain was made as long as might be desir-
ed. and by its means large bodies of men
could be horribly mangled as if by the
stroke of a giant scythe. Hollow shot or
hollow bullets were considered cruel be-
cause they became fattened and irregular
after coming in contact with bone, thus
making wounds necessarily painful. Lang
rel. composed Of nails, knife blades, bits of
iron, etc, which made horrible wounds, is
forbidden for the same reason. ProJectlles
4 Of an explosive nature or charged with in
dammable substances are now considered
IA unlawful between nations, If weighing less
81 than Il ounces. Likewise, poison is strictly
n forbidden as an element of war In ancient
y wars it was customary to use poisoned ar
81 lows or to poison the rivers flowing into
"a an enemys country.
While it would be proper for either
a Spain or the United States to lay waste
~ the standing crops of the other merely to
81 temporarily reduce a district to depriva-
hon, il would be illegal TO uproot vine
n yards, orchards, etc, so as to desolate
Fl the country for years afterward.
flag of truce, a Red Cross hospital
flag or a signal of distress displayed by
"A Spain, for instance, would nave to be re-
spected by our forces, and no one protect
ed by such a signal would be harmed.
n Should a body of Spanish soldiers or sail
ors show such a signal fraudulently, how
ever, it would be considered a gross act
n OF treachery punishable by death. A
4 more treacherous act would be the assassl-
nation Of a statesman or officer of a hos
Tile country. The killing of an officer of
'he 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 SOL
uer an enemy runs an honorable risk. 1t
Is also considered as legitimate warfare
TO distribute lies for the mlsdirection of
any enemy to sail under false colors.
should a Spanish privateer, for example,
come upon one of our vessels while sail
ing under false colors, she would be re-
CURED by the laws of war to show her
own colors before firing. Before making
ah assault she would properly fire gun
across the bow of the opposing ship as "a
warning to "heave to-
me employment of spies is till consid-
eIed as legitimate warfare among enlight-
N-N'i'' Jul tltc spy, dS an luulNtuudl,
generally looked upon as rather dis
loHorable character. 1t would be improper,
'7Ieiofe, for one of our generals to order
man to act as a spy. All spies must be
S'lclly volunteers. 1t is an interesting
'c' mat should a spy succeed in joining
A's army he would cease to be a spy in "A
"t"nleai sense, and unless captured in the
s1, OF carrying fresh informatio he could
" ne captured except as a prisoner of
"a" NO soldier in uniform could be exc
'u'ea as a spy serving the enemy, since a
spy Is necessarily a person in disguise,
lug under false pretenses or secreted
'me"here. Men engaged in surveying a
p''nSh fortiication or camp in balloon,
~. instance, could not be considered as
,llsS' although their balloon might be de-
."led as a vessel of war. If captured
aI'e the balloonist could be held only ~
prisoners Of war.
q man in uniform of the United States
''-H' IN the act of carrying Information
spanish commander would be execut-
.. caught by us. since he would be
-.i'' shy or a traitor. Traitors have
LAY been regarded as The lowest OF
low by soldiers. According to the
A'on law OF England in the time or
georges, they were required to be
otHed along the ground or over pave
"a 10 the sallows, and there to be hang