Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-16
AFFAIRS IN THE TRANSVAAL
The Subject Discussed in Lecture on Inter
national Law.
Prof. Ion Addresses the Students of
National University - Paramount
Power and NassaI State.

In his lecture international law Thurs
day night to the students of the law school
OF the National University, continuing the
subject of Intervention, and, after explain
ing the Monroe doctrine and the modern
developments of that doctrine which differ
essentially from what it was originally,
DIR. Theodore p. Ion spoke on the actual
intervention of Great Britain in the affairs
of the South African republic
Prof. Ion, after establishing the rule that
that republic is only semi-sovereign state,
because she cannot conclude treaty with
out the consent of England. examined the
question as 20 whether that fact only en-
titled the suzerain power to intervene for
all purposes in the internal affairs of that
semi-sovereign state, or whether that right
was not limited to certain exceptional
cases. The rule, he said. is that the para
mount power has no right to intervene in
the internal affairs of the vassal state I'M
less such right has been reserved by spe-
cial agreement. In neither of the conven-
lions signed between Great Britain and the
republic he said, is there anything in the
way of giving specific right to the suzerain
power to have a -direct voice in matters
concerning the management of the govern
ment and the administration of the Trans
yaal state That the latter was NOT like
the republic of Andorra, whose suzerains,
France and Spain, had direct voice in the
administration of that small state.
Prof. Ion examined the grounds of inter
vention given by the British government
which appearedIin the declarations of the
colonial secretary and the prime minister
of Great Britain, and the queens speech
before the Propagation of the last parlia-
ment. These he divided into two classes
principal and secondary. The first refers
he said, to the utmost inequality between
the two races, Beers and Uitlanders-the
latter having no share in management of
the government in short, that they do not
enjoy political rights.
After lengthy review of the situation
Prof. Ion examined the secondary grounds
of intervention, as he termed them These
may be divided, he said, into grounds which
might justify an Independent state to in
tervene in the affairs of another equally
sovereign state. and those which might
give similar right to suzerain power in
the affairs of q semi-sovereign or protect
ed state. Intervention, he said, cannot be
justified on the same grounds. In fact a
nisgovernment in a general manner exist
ing in a sovereign state cannot be held
sufficient to justify foreign power to in
terpose in the internal affairs of such SOW
ereign state. That in cases of gross injus-
tice committed against the subjects of a
foreign state, the utmost that q power could
do is to resort to general reprisals' for
decentralization or to recall the diplomatic
agent as a mark of disfavor
But when similar grievances existed
against a semi-soNereigE state such a
state, being under the protectorate of the
suzerain power, the acts of the former re-
fleet indirectly on that paramount power
When the existence Of misgovernment is