La Junta tribune., 1911-08-12
UNWR|77EN LAWS
Man Dare Not Place Them Upon
the Statute Books.
THE SHIP CAPTAINS CODE.
u osmsoss That the Skipper Shall os
Down With HE vssssl II She D.
Lest. end Il 10 Hold Saersd-rks
Iron Law sf the Army and Navy.

VOV @o~ " wv SFVy eNu fNeVy.
There I. . vlsss OF unwriit-n Law
which docs not aud cannot b..,om~
written law. says Case and Comment
besnuse IL approaches 30 n.nr the dan
ger line thai msn dare not recognize II
TO the extent Of publishing II and de-
clsripg II n. . part Of the p.D-iiiyr law
IL IL the unwr,tf.n law OF the s~n
that \ cspinin must go down with his
ship. Men dsr- not write II Into the
contract. sud nations dar~ not incor
porst~ II In their navy Or marine r-gu
Iattons. yet the tyrsnis of the sea know
the law ana believe that to obey II
betters their service. and there 1rr
few inS,snce> OF its being di~r-gn ri-d
ana navy thst an ofi--r snrli not seek
cover. or nj least shall not show M
preh-nsion ~ danger To hi. person in
time Of battle snd In the presence Of
enlisted m-u or common sHiior~ In
the Frsnro- i'russisn ~rr nearly &.up
officers Of the ,:~rman army w.r-
killed. snd The great majority OF them
CAV. up their lives b.s-aus. they D~
tiev~d iu this law of codduct
In obedience to this law Fsrrsgut
bound himself 10 the mast i.e. rude
a. the head "f his charging column ~
cooliy In front ~ the iln- and ~ns
shot in the presence OF his men
The inv "' the right Of revolution
has been .murh talked shout snd mush
written shout Every Intelligent ~iti
srp believes thst he ns- the riKh, un
der certain conditions to Oppose tb. -
abiIshed government OF hi. own ispd
and join In sb Effort 10 establish an
other In u. pisc- Just prior to and
during thu wsr bet ~.~D the states
there WAS much discussion In this
couutry by learned m-u on either side
higher power" aud the ''gr-sier isw"
The is~ Justifying one person In the
killing Of smother hs, r-,Iuir,-i the
serious consideration ~ Every country
Every criminal cod. provides certain
puni,hm-nt- for homicide. aud many
miuuf. particularly. according to the
Circumstances Of the killing. 80 that
any Que OF sir crimes may b- Involved
Ia single tragedy Such codes also
attempt to define what killing Is iusti
nabi. aud what l. -icu~abl- aud with
their Interpretation by the courts si
t~mpts 10 describe IA. only conditions
under which one human being rsn Xiii
another sud uot II. guilty of crime
The H-br-w cod- slDoSi Ipud-
slon. In Its r-voguitioo OF msn'- d--ir-
TO XIII snd his rigbf TO have thsi DE-
sire aud thst climax Of all satisfarriou-
which come TO him who under great
proyocsrion .lays ano'b-r II Is not nj
all strange that Ia thi, branch there
should b- nm -rI.ud,-i code Of un~rii
ten - written law. unwriitru nov aud
sl~ays io lee unwriit.n Tor the r-B.stn
thai th. r,-'oguiiiun given by it, -m.
bodim.nr in the statutes would tr faA
rn A. q license by Dishonest men aud
would result In burm rather than good
II ~ an unwriii.n law among the
officers of the army that " y -ubordi
nat. officer Kills superior officer b-
caus" that officer has puhlirly degraded
him by striking him ot 10y other pciiun
equally humilinilns then The rouri uar
'inl viii not "ouviri imrinr the war
b-i~.r III. states on mrmors bl. oc.
casIon nj Louisville. ~ General N.l
son said Ia ':-u-rti Davis
How many m"u have youy''
General i'avi- r-plled "Abour"-ris
tug an approximate. pumb-r
Nelson -bid You an army on, ~
aud say shout Why don't YOU
know hnw many men you hsvcr
And with that b. struck Davis In the
face with hi. glove Davis shot aud