The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1909-11-14
Law OF NATIONS.
The Interesting Growth and the Promis
es of International Jurisprudence.

es Of International Jurisprudence
Strangers are enemies; property of
/ foreigners : lawful prize; piracy is an
honorable pursuit: inhabitants of cap
/ tured towns may be put to death; hos.
tages and aeralds may be hel1 for ran
som or killed, guests piundered; prison
ers of war may be sold into slavery
and promises which have been made
to nations broken at any time.
These are but a few OF the customes of
of the aneients whichwere sanctioned
by their jurists. They were. however,
held reprehensible by their philoso-
pheres, and II was from this nucleus
that the law of nations as we have
+ it today grew. The breaking
a way from the old order
and the recognition of what may prop
erly be called international law, like
all great changes which have resulte /
IN the advancement OF society. was
gradual and rot the work of any one
man or age.
During the early days of Greece there
seemed TO be no conception of a moral
obligation due to nations and the law:
of peace and war were alike barbrous
The Amphityonic council, the formation
OF which is lost in antiquity, did not
reach the zenith OF its power until aft-
er the great Persian invasions The
Greek states, which for centuries had
considered each other in the light of en-
emies, were forced together for the cont
mon defense, and after meeting each
other as friends, they found that they
had a great many things in common
The council, which heretofore had exist
ed largely for religious purposes, was
put to more practical use. Among 9th
er things. it forbade the diversion OF
water supply from besieged cities, al
lowed the vanquished to bury its own
dead, the granting of truce and the ex-
change of prisoners. 1t did not seem
to occur to the Greeks to accord to cut
side nations the treatment which they
found best to show each other, OF the
privileges of membership in the coun-
ell.
This council was the first work of
Importance which tended to mitigate
the horrors Of war, and the general feel
ing of good will might soon have spread
to other tribes and nations except for
the unworthy ambition of Philip of Ma
cedon, which plunged Greece into an
era of darkness.
The Romans were buffers They
interfered with the internal affairs Of
nations (not now allowed by III -erna
tional law except in the gravest cases)
and under the pretense of aiding tue
afflicted, enlarged their dominions.
Withdrawing to be influenced by Nor
al considerations, their conduct toward
the world records, in many instances,
the most savage cruelty. They ii'i,
however, gain much for international
law, but that which had been achieved
was overturned by the inroads Of the
northern hordes. and though the lawn
of a better day was occasionally discern
ible through the mists of medieval igno-
rance. it was not until the sixteenth
century, when the inviolability of am
bassadors and diplomatic agents became
established. that the light of day broke
and nations found that Christian prin-
cipIes were applicable to brother nations
and susceptible of practice, and that
a punctuaI observance of certain def
mite rules of conduct made for happy
foreign relations.
With diplomatic agents ensconced and
amenable only to their home govern
unhampered.
Their duties and those of the foreign
offices throughout Europe were greatly |
facilitated by the appearance. about |
this time (1625) of Rights of Peace |
and War; by Grotius, which has been |
and is universally considered the great |
est exposition of international law ever |
written. He defined with accuracy |
those customs which already were well |
recognized, and applied Christianity aud |
the natural laws of morality and justice /
10 that division of the law which was
vet enveloped in doubt and uncertainty. |
He was not only a commentator. record |
ing the laws of nations. but moralist. /
false theories and pernicious
maxims. The nations of Europe had |
reached a point where his writings had |
religious sanction and also supplied a
commercial necessity His works were
welcomed and put into immediate use
A great many writer of recognize
merit followed, and every branch of in
temational law put out new shoots, the
old ones We're trimmed and friendly
feeling was engendered which though |
still crude, marked a great advance in
thought and action.
Much might have been accomplished
by international law but for a dark
cloud which obscured the vision of men.
America, with all its resources and op-
portunities, was desired for colonization
by Europe's greatest nations, and the
they displayed to secure its
treasures amounted to a frenzy Preiu-
7 Al. /