The Washington times., 1914-12-21
Not War" and Paul Jones Wouldn't
Have Done 1t.

| To the Editor OF the Mail Bag;
| referring to GerInany's bomoardment
os the English coast and the slaughter
of noncombatants. mostly women ana
childreJ, you say:
.sIt.s exactly as barbarous as were
the performances OF Paul Jones that
made him our first naval hero Jones
was Officially rated as pirate IN Eng
land. and they would have hanged him
10 the yardarm without a drumhead
session-only they didn't get their itch
ing fingers on him.
But the British could not have hung
Paul Jones as a pirate, TOT ms hanu
was not against every man, put only
against the government OF whlcn ne
was horn a subject and he was acting
under a commission from the United
states in cooperation with the naval
authorities of France. II they had cap
tured him the British might have nunS
him as a traitor, on the ground OF In
defeasible allegiance, then strongly
hold but | do not think they would
have treated him with such disrespect
and run the risk OF reprisals. after h"
had captured the Scraps In the sc"
fight tina: made him famous.
30 this as II may, Paul Jones kne~
the laws Of civilized warfare. ana w
as ChivalrUus as he was Skillful am
brave and he would never have thougl
Of turning his guns upon the promiscU-
Gus unarmcd population OF village o
town When he landed from the Kan
ger at Whtehaven. familiar TO MN a
a boy, he scaled the walls himself AM
nut the torch to a vessel which he had
1tted with combustibles for the purpose
~ setting fire to a fleet OF colliers
noored in the harbor, and of much ac-
count to the enemy. but when. by fault
OF wind or tide. his project failed. he
fpr 81
noncombatant He was the soul OF
honor. and when one of his officers. at
another of their landings on the Brit
ish coast. seed the Earl OF Selktrks
silver plate as prize for the ships COM
many. Paul Jones, der Kuhue Tee
mann" as his German biographer calls
him. purchased II and returned it with
his apologies to Lady Selkirk.
No: Paul Jones would never have
taken part in that precipttate massacre
OF women and children: il he had bonn
bardcd a fortified position. he would
have aimed at tho forts. Nor vas tho
bombardment. as you say, war" u
was blood-guiltiness and perndy com
hined
Germany we'll knows the laws O. war.
and His Majesty. Emperor OF Ger-ndug
and King OF Prussia. heads the list o.
the High Contracting Parties" includ-
ing tho United States. Russia. Fr2nCr.
and Great Britain. who are SlSnlt 'Tjcs
OF the first and second Hague Cuuveu-
lions. article NNv, OF which ordainS
The attack ur bOmbardment, ny what
ever means, of towns, villages. dwellings.
or buildings which are undefended Is
prohibited"
And article XVI TO which Germany =
a marty. provides that the officer ~
command OF an attacking force must he
fore commencing a bombardment, Cx-
cent in cases OF assault. do all IN his
newer TO warn the authorities
The cunners must aim at the forts
and thu armed forces. And there must
he n chance to get the children off the
streets At Hartlepool fifteen school Toys
were killed by single shell and an in
f,pt OF four months, in its mothers
arms had its skull fractured The attack
Wa on a par with dropping bombs at
nirbt on the dwelling houses Of unbe-
siscrd cities. The war-lords have muir
Gercd sleep
Whom the gods would destroy they
first make mad. and the sane, in every
land. Germany included. must perforce
10 restrain or destroy the mad
man. tRAMMOND kENNEDH.
washington. December Is.