The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-06-14

cssh t,rtees Paid a, Times Past BY
stsdB ations SFos3t the Res; h N
N toratlon OF Peace. X 3;SS


hen a nationSi Is ID efeated IN warSitI
| Isl expected to pay tile cost actually
incurred by the victor In the prosecusl
ton OF the war and in addition there
10 good round sum by way yot ex.
lemplary or punitive damages. In
early times a conquering nation alb.
sorbed the territory Of the defeated
nation, farmed it for all It was worth,
and frequently enslaved the vanquish.
ed. Instead of demanding portion
of the territory and a&monetary in
IDENTITY the victorious nation contis-
Gated all the property gifts adversary,
The discounted country lost every
thing. says the Philadelphia Public
Ledger. Often National existence was
the stake for whlck the great game
of war was played, ;$
Nations triumphant in war fix the
terms upon which peace terms will
be signed. The submission Of the
question to the arbitration OF neutral
nations is visionary proposition
though neutrals may and have exer-
clsed their good offices" for the en-.
Encouragement of peace negotiations.
In some instances. notably in the Rus.
so'Turkish War; Russia agreed TO re.
duce the indemnity exacted from Tur.
key at the instance Of the protesting
Powers at the conference OF Berlin.
I There is Of course, no settled rule
by which war indemnities are deter.
mined. Every war Is law unto It.
self in this respect. Some OF the con.
siderations entering into the 5negotla.
tons are the duration of the war, the
) size OF the armies placed In the field,
the loss Of life and property and dam.
age to comerce. The extent and char.
acter of the territory TO be coded to
the conquering nation have been re.
garded in fixing monetary indemnlties
In the past. 1t will be urged by ia.
: pan that Russia was a wanton aggres.
sor in forcing the former to resort to
arms. AS one Of the writer's on the
subject puts the case, 1.-THE degree of
culpability on the part Of the defeated
Power, IL the aggressor. in bringing
on the war may fairly be considered
In making up the indemnity to be de.
manded.' ;
The Powers that interviewed to put
down the Boxer rebellion exacted
" 1898 100000 in gold as an indemnity
from China for the comparatively
slight trouble and losses of men and
money incurred by them In restoring
: tranquility. Russia received the Hons
share. If Japan should exact. from
Russia many times this amount Il
would be in accord with the Western
idea of war Indemnlties In the only
war in which Japan received an In
!. demnity, the war with China, the lat
ter agreed to pay Japan $4,000, 900
with the cession OF Formosa, the rec
ignition Of Korean independence and
}. the opening of certain treaty ports
but Japan was not permitted to EMO,
the full fruits of her victory. The In
demnity was not regarded as immod
crate. That war, in its extent, losses
and cost to Japan, is in no sense com
: parable with the pending war in The
East
I The tremendous indemnity collect
ed from France by Germany, a billion
dollars, with the .cesslon of Alsac,
and Lorraine, isSthe largest indemnit,
known in modern warfare. The Ger
man loss In men was less than 10000
Russia by the treaty Of San stefant
! compelled TurkeySto. agree to the in