Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-03-20
RULES OF WARFARE.
The Senate In Executive Session Rats
fled the Hague Agreement.


Washington, March 1.-THE senate
| spent an hour in executive session
yesterday on the convention growing
out of the Hague peace conference
relating to the conduct of war ON
land and sea, aud finally ratified the
agreement. The discussion turned
entirely on the conduct of the war in
the Philippines and related especially
to Gen. Funston's capture of Aguin1
aldo. Senator Teller inquired wheth-
er if this treaty had been in force at
the time the method of Aguinaldo"s;
capture could have been justified.
Senator Burton replied to the in;
quiry, speaking especially for Gen:
Funston, and said that he was sure,
the proceeding on the generals part
had been not only humane, but that;
it had been in accordance with thei
rules of civilized warfare. He said
that Gen. Funston and his force had
acted somewhat in the capacity of
spies, but what they had done had
been in the line of honorable war
fare.
The countries party to the treaty
are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Dem
mark, Spain, the United States,
Mexico France, Great Britain,
Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg,
Montenegro, , Netherlands, Persia,
Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Servia,
Spain, Sweden and Norway, Turkey
and BULGARIA.. The provisions of the
trea. binding only on the con-
tracing powers in case of war be-
tween two or more of them and cease
to be binding when a non-contract-
ing power is one of the belligerents.
The most notable feature of the
treaty is that prohibiting the use of
"dum dun" bullets. Among other
things specially prohibited are:
To employ poison or poisoned arms.
TO kill or wound trcacherously in
dividuals belonging to the hostile ma
tion or army.
To kill or wound an enemy who,
having laid down arms, or having no
longer means of defence, has surren-
dered.
To declare that no quarter will be
given.
To employ arms, projectiles, or
material of nature to cause super
fuous injury.
TO make improper use of a flag of
truce, the national flag or military
ensigns and the enemy's uniform, as
well as the distinctive badges of the
Geneva convention.
To destroy or seize the encmy's'
property, unless such destruction or
seizure be imperatively demanded by
the necessities of war.
Ruses of war and the employment
of methods necessary to obtain in
formation about the enemy and the
country, are considered allowable.
The treaty provides as follows re-
garding spies:
"An individual can only be consid-
cred spy if, acting clandestinely, or
on false pretenses, he obtains, or
seeks to obtain information in the
zone of operations of II belligerent,
with the intention of communicating
it to the hostile party.
"Thus, soldiers not in disguise who
have penetrated into the zone of Op-
erations of a hostile army to obtain
information are not considered spies.
Similarly, the following are not con-
sidered spies: Soldiers or civilians,
carrying out their mission openly,
charged with the delivery of dis
patches destined either for their own
army or for that of the enemy. TO
this class belong individuals sent in
balloons to deliver dispatches, and
generally to maintain communication
between the various parts of an
army or territory"