The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-06-23
CAPTAIN MAHANS LOGIC
Is Supported Only by the Votes of
Americans and Britons.
AN EXCITING DAY AT THE HAGUE

Sharp Controversy Between Russian
and American Delegates Regarding
the Inhumanity of AsphyxiatinR
Gases and Submarine Torpedo Boats.
London, June 23.-The correspond
ent of The Times at The Hague says
This has been one of the most exciting
days of the conference. There was a
sharp controversy between the Russian
and American naval delegates. Cap
tain Mahan very pertinently asked why
the employment of gases should be
interdlcted, while the more cruel.
wholesale destruction of human life
aimed at by the employment of sub
marine torpedo boats should be per-
mitted. "A shell charged with asphyx-
iating gas need not necessarily destroy
human life" he said, "any more than
chloroform, but might only place men
hors de combat for a time, whereas a
submarine boat, stealthily approaching
under cover Of darkness might send
thousand sleeping men to watery
grave. Why forbid retail asphyxia-
tlon by air and permit wholesale
asphyxlatlon by water?"
A Russian delegate replied that the
men might be picked up when the ship
sank. Captain Mahan retorted by re-
calling the case of the British battle
ship Victoria, where, as he pointed
out, in a highly disciplined fleet. in
broad daylight and smooth waters,
many hundreds of men were drowned,
so sudden was the catastrophe and so
short the available time to pick UP
the men. He reminded the commits
sion also that this happened when an
immense feet was close together and
intent on doing its utmost to save life.
Captain Mahan's arguments we're al
together logical and unassailable, but
this did not prevent the commission
voting them down. A suggestion, that
seemed to be made quite seriously, was
put forward by one delegate to the eff =
feet that submarine boat would nat
urally do her best to save life after
she had sent the ship to the bottom.
In the discussion regarding dunn dunn
bullets the Russian delegate Colonel
Jilinsky, did not mince matters, but
plainly expressed the opinion that the
dunn dunn was uselessly cruel. He re-
fused to accept the humanitarian
amendment proposed by Captain
Crozier, of the American delegation.
which would have been voted unani-
mously, that no bullet should be
| adopted which caused unnecessary
suffering.
Although 1t must be obvious to all
that giving specific technical interdic-
tion to certain features will not pre-
vent the introduction of other features
capable of producing more cruel re-
suits, this is likely to be the case. In
deed, an ingenious and simple means
of evading the Russian interdiction has
already been devised. What strange
| commentary on a Humanitarian con-
ference that one of its results may
very we'll be the introduction of a
more cruel missile than any at present
in use.
When the vote was taken Great
Britain and America were left in the
minority. England and the United
States, therefore, are branded by the
majority as uncivilized and anti
humanitarian states, while the Rus
SLAMS are to be congratulated on hav-
ing served the cause of civilization and
humanity. At least the eccentricities
of today's debate have almost put mat
ters In that absurd light.