New-York tribune., 1900-07-08
OTHER RULES OF WAR.
ethics OF ASIATIC AND AFRICAN RACES
DIFFER FROM THOSE OF CIVILIZED
NATIONS-SOME LESSONS TAUGHT
FROM PREVIOUS WARS
WITH ORIENTALS.


WITH ORIENTALs
I.urders Of ENJOYS and Imprisonment well
IS torture Of consular officials have signalized
tie earlier stages Of nearly every conflict that
has taken place during the last hundred years
between the Western Powers and the dusky
races Of Asia and Africa. The fate, therefore,
OF the foreign diplomats at Pekng can excite
no surprise the part of those who possess
any acquaintance with the Orient. Western
civilization teaches that Ihe duty of providing
for the safety Of foreign ENJOYS and of bearers
cf flags of truce. as well of assuring their
immunity from all harm and indignity, cOnsti-
tutes the most sacred of the obligations that
govern international Intercourse. The cviza-
ton such as it is, Of the various Asiatic and
African Powers makes no such provision, and if
Z certain degree of protection is accorded by
them to representatives of European and Amer
lean Governments it is due rather to a fear Of
rctalatory measures than to any question of
principle or acceptance of high-foWn ideas on
tie subject This is only natural when it is con-
s.dered that the Mahometan religion and other
Eastern creeds expressly teach that no obliga-
tons are binding where Christians are con
oarned The Orientals are blind therefore, to
the mantle of nvolability with which the West
considers diplomatic officials to be invested.
hey regard the envCYs of the Western Gov
,Inments as mere foreign devils" and entitled,
L. consequence thereof, not to their respect but
III their adherence and contempt, the hatred
ing intensified by the fact that the emssaries
- made the channel of every Objectionable
Aad pretensioa on the part Of the Powers
sftident.
lie MURDER OF ENJOYS.
quence of this is that whenever an
African potentate becomes involved
-. Western nations he takes no steps
the safe conduct of the ENJOYS out of his
country. but either imprisons them and puts
them to death himself, or else by withdrawing
all protection delivers them over to the tender
mercies of his subjects to be massacred. 1t is
a mistake, however, to believe that these out
RACES upon diplomatic and consular officials
have constituted the origin of each with
Oriental nations. The murders of the foreign
representatives have usually followed some
provocation the part of or more of the
Western Governments, and then the innocent
have suffered with the guilty; that is to say
guilty from Oriental point If view, for in the
eyes of the dusky races all white men are of a
kind, no distinctions being recognized, and it is
OWNS to this that the United States Envoy at
Peking despite the fact that his country has
had no share in the seizure Of Chinese territory
along the Pacific coast line. has nevertheless
been subjected to the same fate the repre-
sentatives of those European Powers which
have taken leading part in the dismember-
nent of the Celestial Empire
In the first war between England and China
the latter followed up British provocation in
connection with the opium question by i'm
prisoning the English consul at Canton and his
colleagues, and holding them hostages. The
second Chinese in the way sig
nazed soon after the outbreak of hostties by
the arrest Of the late Sir Harry Parkes and the
late Lord Loeb while bearers of "a flag of truce
and engaged at Chinese headquarters in the
negotiation of terms of peace They i'm
prisoned, subjected to appalling tortures, and
escaped with their lives in a most miraculous
manner after prolonged confinement, the Euro
pean members of their suite including Mr.
BoWlby, of The London Times being killed
England's various wars with Afghanstan
trated upon the members of the British diplo-
matte mission at Cabul and the murder Of Sir
William MacNaghten in the Ameer's capital
in the early portion of Queen Victorias reign
followed in the latter part Of the seventies
by the massacre Of Sir Louis Cavagnari and his
suite. The last English the West Coast
of Africa embittered by the murder Of the
English consul-generaI at Benin, while in the
same way the British invasion of Abyss!nia, a
little more than thirty years ago, was precipi-
tated by the action of the Negus in throwing
the English diplomatic agent and all the for