The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-02
Treaty On Gas and Submarines


 The treaty was comparatively short, follows:
 | The signatory powers declare that among the rules adopted by civilized nations for the protection of the lives or neutralS and nOne-com batants at sea in time of war, the following are to be deemed an established part of international law:
 "G). A merchant vessel must be ordered to submit to visit and search 10 determine it's character before 1t l can be seized.
 "A merchant vessel must not be at tacKeo unless 1t refuses to submit to Vlslt and search after warning or to proceed as directed after seizure A merchant vessel must not be de- strOyed unless the crew and passen- gers have been first placed in safety. 2. BelligereEt submarines are not under any circumstances exempt from the universal rules above stat ed; and if a submarine cannot cap ture mechant vessels in conformity with these rules the existing laws of nations requires it to desist from at tack and from seizure ana to permit the merchant vessel to proceed un-
 IT.. The signatory powers invite all other civilized powers to express their assent to the foregoing state ment of established law so that there may be a clear public understanding throughout the world of the stand ards of conduct by which the public opinion of the world Is to pass judg- ment upon future belligerents.
 I'll. The signatory powers desir- ing to secure enforcement of the hu- mane rules of existing law, declared by them with respect to attacks up- merchant ships, further declare that any person in the service of any pow CT who shall violate any of those rules, whether or not such person is 7ar4 NT-10 aF perior, shall be deemed to have vio- lated the laws of war and shall be liable to trial and punishment as if for act of piracy and may be brought to trial before the civil or military authorities of any power within the jurisdiction of which he may be found.
 '@The signatory powers recognize practical impossibflity of using sub marines as commerce destroyers, without violation as they were used in the recent war of 1914-1918, the requirements universally accepted by civilized nations for the protection of the lives of neutra1s and non-combat- ants and to the end that the proh1- bition of the use of submarines as commerce destroyers shall be univer- of nations. They now accept that prohibition as henceforth binding as between themselves and they invite all other nations to adhere thereto.
 ''V. The use of in war, of asphyx- iating gas, poisonous or other gases, and all analogous liquids, materials Or devices having been justly con demned by the general opinion of the civilized world and a prohibition of such use having been decided in trea- ties to which a majority of the civi11z- ed powers are parties.
 ''The Signatory powers to the end that this prohibition shall be unlver- sally accepted as a part of intenation- al law binding alike the conscience assent to such prohibition, to be bound thereby as between themselves and invite all other civilized nations to adhere thereto.
 ''VI. The present treaty shall be ratified as soon as possible in accord ance with the constitutional methods of the signatory powers and shall take effect on the deposit of all the ratif- cations, which shall take place at Washington.
 '~The government of the United States of America will transmit to all the signatory powers a certified copy of the process verbal of the deposit of ratif1cations
 ''The present treaty in French and English. shall remain deposited in the archives of the government of the United States of America, and duly certified copies thereof will be trans n1ftted by that government to each of the signatory powers.
 'VII The government of the Uni ted States of America will further transmit to each of the non-signatory powers a duly certified copy of the present treaty and invite it's adher- enGe thereto.
 ttAny non-signatory power may ad- here to the present treaty by com municating an instrument of adher- ence to the government or the United States of America, which shall there upon transmit to each signatory and adhering powers a certified copy of each instrument of adherence.