The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-02-19
The BEGINNINGS
OF M0-E2N WARS
usages Observed by Nations
When They Are Ready
to 5egin Shooting.
DON'T STOP TO DECLARE 1T
STOP TO DECLARE 1T
Ancient Custom Required tho Nest
Formal Declaration, but in Modern
Times the Contestants Just
Begin Butchering.


Times the Contestants Just
Begin %Butchering.
lessor Jas. MILFORD Garner in the
Philadelphia Ledger: In early times
wal was usually declared with solemn
formality. Among the ancient Greeks
a herald, whose person was inviolable
and sacred, was entrusted with the
duty of laying before the enemy a for
NAL declaration of hostile intent.
Among the Romans. who We're eve
more punctilious in this respect, a col
leCs of Fetiales performed this solemn
service. Upon the failure of negotia-
tons they crossed the boundary Of the
offending nation and formally demand
ed redress in the name OF the Roman
people. If this was not given after
the expiration of a reasonable period.
war was declared. whereupon the chief
of the Fetiales advanced to the frontier
and hurled a bloody lance into the ter
Iitory of the enemy, pr~oclaiming as
he did SO the existence of war. Ac-
cording to Roman usage no nation was
regarded as a public enemy until war
had been thus declared.
Likewise. during the middle ages the
spirit of chivalry, which condemned
everything that appeared to be under
handed or treacherouS, required the at
lacking nation to give its enemy formal
Warming of its intention to begin hos
%tilities. 1t was a part of the character
Of every true knight not to attack his
enemy without due notice, and the
standard of individual honor in his re-
spect applied also to the nation in the
aggregate. AS among The Greeks and
Romans the notice was usually given
by heralds or other messengers. With
the decay of chivalry, however, the
practice of formal declarations fell into
disuse, n since the beginning of the
eighteenth century hardly more han a
dozen wars have been preceded by dec
larations, although during that period
there have been some sixty or more
armed conflicts of sufficient Importance
to be described In the books as wars.
How the United States Acted.
OF the half dozen conflicts of note
to which the United States has been a
NAL declaration, n in neither OF
these was the enemy given formal no
tice beforehand of the intention of the
government to begin hostilities.
The modern practice of beginning
hostilities without formal declarations
does not indicate a growing consensus
in favor Of the right of the attacking
AlStllOA " ldhG Lie Glellly UIdWdFGS,
for that would be regarded as perfidy.
and hence inconsistent with the laws
of civilized warfare; but It's adoption
is the result Of changed conditions,
which makes formal notice no longer
necessary or even of special advantage
to the nation attacked. Nations now
maintain diplomatic representatives al
each others capitals. These are able,
thanks to modern NEAR of commune
cation, to keep their governments In
formed of all military preparations and
of the probabilities of war. Moreover,
war seldom occurs except as the Gull
mination of a long series of negotia-
each government is kept daily in
formed, and II the negotiations fail, q
formal withdrawal OF ambassadors fol.
lows, and finally the military and naval
forces OF the aggrieved state are put In
readiness for action.
AS these steps are a matter of com
mon knowledge. the offending nation
should be forewarned and prepared fol
attack. If taken by surprise, it is the
result Of its own negligence.
BeIIiserents Give Notice.
In entering upon hostilities, however
each belligerent gives formal notice tt
its own subjects, and also to neutrals
In order that they may understand
their new duties and obligations ere.
ated by the state of war, n be pre-
pared to govern themselves according
ly; otherwise a great wrong may be
done them. 1t is customary, therefore
for each helligerent, Upon the outbreak
of hostilities, to issue a proclamation
or manifesto, reciting the causes of the
war and the purpose or motives fol
which it is undertaken, and settling q
date, after which the hostilities will oe
considered as legally existing. II nc
formal proclamation or declaration is
made, the legal effects of the war be.
gin from the first act of hostility, and
one of the most important of these eff
fects is to place the subjects of botf
pelligerents In a state of nonintercouHss
with each other and to make each the
legal enemy of the other.
In the United States and Great Brit.
ain 1t is usual to issue proclamations
of neutrality, when neutral policy i:
decided upon. In the former the proc.
lamation is issued by the president
with no more formally than in thu
case of other proclamations, and IT is
published through the press. In Grea,
Britain 1t is much more formal, and is
publicly read from the steps of the
Royal Exchange by the ~sergeant-at.
arms and common crier of the city O,
London, who ~recites the terms of tn
all persons who are entitled to British
protection to observe and respect tn,
neutrality regulations of the realm.
Although the practive Of initiatin,
hostilities by a formal declaration ha,
fallen somewhat into disuse, 1t il
worthy Of note that the half dozer
most notable European wars of tn,
nineteenth century, If we except tn,
Napoleonic struggles, were preceded b,
Formal declarations. These We're thu
Crtmean war declared by Great Brit.
ain and France against Russia in 1854
the war Of Austria against Italy in 1866
that OF france against Prussia in 1870
that Of Servia against Turkey in 1875
and that of Russia against Turkey /,
1877.
The Conflict With France.
OF the armed international conflict.
to which the United States has been {
party the first was the so-called war O
1898 with France. There was no dec.
laration Of any kind except a resolution
OF congress which declared France t,
be a public enemy of the United States
The president was authorized to issu,
letters of marque mi reprisal, the ex.
listing treaties with France were de.
clared ~abrogated, a department Of tn,
navy was created and the venerabl.
Washington was called out from his re.
tireiment to serve as commander Of tn.
new army with the rank Of lieutenan,
general. So much of the little squad.