The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-22

| r
 at war. is that they may remain in neu- rtral ports only so long as they can
 coal for their nearest port--meaning
 a port of their own country CT colony.
 The time limit is twenty-four hours,
 unless the vessel has suffered from
 stress of weather--not damages in bat
 tie. In plain language, if vessel be
 chased into a neutral port, she cannot
 remain there more than twenty-four
 hours, unless she dismantle her guns
 and declare her intention to stay there
 until the war is ended. Otherwise, she
 must go out and submit to the arbitra- ment of a combat. That was what Ad-
 miral Semmes did at Cherbourg. it will
 be remembered. The Kearsarge sank
 the Alabama and the issue of interne- ment never was raised.
 At this hour there are twenty odd Russian ships ''interned' in various neutral ports-five of them at Manila, and this makes the people of the United States vitaly interested parties to the controversy. There are others at Chi nese and British ports. By the Tayt there is one vessel in San Francisco harbor.
 What is the law? There isn't any
 clause in wharton bearing on the sub ject. What Is the precedent? An, that's the rub! Only one exists, and 1t is a West India case. the actual his- tory of which is i'll defined and At best l doubtful
 The Rational Argument. It would seem when a ship of war had been chased into a neutral harbor and had chosen to go into Coventry in- | stead of steaming out to trial of strength, that she belonged to the vic- tor of the international combat. But international law is silent on this silo-
 ject, and, as I remarked, diplomacy. which is the creature of international law, is not governed by rules of ordi- nary argument. 1t Is a hard and fast
 code of precedent. Therefore, Russia | may be quite within her rights in re- fusing to concede tn esurrender of the interned warships. It is matter Of | more concern to Japan than Russia. The ships probably are worth less than $10.000,000, because many of them are
 useless as fighting machines. But Ja- pan will do the maritime nations of the world a great service If .de eEtab- fishes the principle based upon reason and the laws of fair combat. Pefhaps the ships may be turned over as part payment for the care of the Russian prisoners This would dodge the tech nicality and save Russian pride. Where Japan is "Biuaing." The lask sticking point is (Article XII the limitation of Russia's naval strength in the Pacific. To all fair | thinking minds. this demand is unten- able Japan does not own the Pacihc Ocean. She would not dare to make ! such a proposition to any nation that | she did not wish to humfliate and treat l as a prostrate foe. To my mind, that
 demand is made to be conceded. Russia stood a memorable humiliation of ex- | actly this sort when she permitted the | Treaty of Paris to seal up the Black | Sea and to forbid the entrance or exit of her vessels of war. One would say that a nation that submitted to that
 would endure almost any humiliation. Fancy England and France saying to
 us that we shall not send a vessel In
 or out the Great Lakes on our northern border! Suppose somebody should try to seal up Chesapeake Bay. although the comparison Is hardly similar. II is incredible that any nation in this 1 world (save England) will sustain Ja pan in this outiandish demand. It is | certain that France and Germany vii not do so. The United States assuredly will notl
 The last article about the fishing rights will find settlement at the same time that Sakhalin Island is arbttrated Therefore, if Japan is disposed to be reasonable and show as much desire for peace as Russia has done, an agreement will be reached in a very few days ol | weeks.
 If Russia or Japan is foolish enough | to leave any unsettled questions to b' | taken up by The Hague or any othei | European congress, either will far' much worse. AS-it Is, there are no sid'
 bets to be paid. Nobody can intervene | China and Korea are the only interested l parties and they will not manifest any disposition to seek European or further | American intervention.
 It will be a peace, if 1t come, thai will endure, because it must ineVita' l bly lead to Russo-Japanese alliance | an admirable thing. Meanwhile, please observe the alarn
 that is developing among the merchant i of the United States regarding the com
 mercial growth of Japan.
 If there be yellow peril" for us, 4 | Ia commerciali