Evening star., 1922-01-07

tinue to develop this interest which
has been aroused until American boys
| and girls become the natural profago-
! nists Of peace =
warfare is toward restraint IN the
employment of weapons that pro-
duce unnecessary suffering. The iimi'
tations in the employment Of the dif-
ferent weapons have that end In view.
The dunn m-dum bullet and the explO-
sive bullet are well known examples
Following this general principle, gas
es which produce unnecessary suher-
ing should be prohibited.
"3. Gas warfare has peculiar
quality different from any method
heretofore employed, In that though
directed toward a particular target
its destructive effect is not limited to
of the belligerent agent and may In
volve a sacrifice Of innocent lives over
a wide area. On account Of this Pc
culiarity the use OF gas which causes
death Is Objectionable because not
only the combatant is killed. per-
fectly legitimate target. but many
|non-combatants may also be victims,
and these innocent persons may de-
liberately be made the objects of gas
attack by INSCRIPTIONS belligerents.
Lethal gases should therefore be pro-
hibited.
Two Principles Already Accepted.
-. The two principles in warfare.
destruction Of combatants should be
avoided, (2) that innocent non-com-
batants should not be destroyed. have
been accepted by the civilized world
for more than 100 years. The use of
gases in warfare in SO far as they
universally condemned today. despite
its practice for q certain period dur
ing the world war.
"5. Certain gases-for example. tear
gas-could be used without violating
the two principles above cited. Other
gases will. no doubt. be Invented
which could be SO employed; but there
will be great difficulty in clear and
definite demarcation between the
lethal gases and those which produce
ed from those gases which simply
disable temporarily. Among the gases
existing today there Is undoubtedly a
difference of opinion as to which class
certain gases belong. Moreover, the
diffusion Of all these gases is practi-
cent non-combatants would share in
the suffering Of the war. even II the
result did not produce death or per-
manent disability.
Great Dimculty Foreseen.
IS. The general board foresees
great difficulty in clearly limiting
gases so as to avoid unnecessary SUI
forcing rules which will avert suffer-
ing or the possible destruction Of in
nocent lives OF non-combatants, in
cludtng women and children. Gas war
fare threatens to become so efficient
| as to endanger the very existence of
civilization.
"7. The general board believes it
| to be sound policy to prohibit gas
warfare In every form and against
every objective. and SO recommends.
(Sfgned) wv. l.. RODGERS"
The chairman thought it was hardly
comprehensive statements with re-
epect to the use of gases in warfare
He said that. despite the conclusions
reached by the subcommittee Of this
| committee and set forth in the report
delegation, in the light of the advice
of its advisory committee and the con-
currence in that advice Of Gen. Per-
shing. the head of the American land
forces. and Of the specific recon-
Navy. felt that it should present the
recommendation that the use Of as
phyxiattng or poison gas be abso-
lutely prohibited. He would ask Mr.,
Root to present the resolution.
Asked to Prepare Resolution.
Mr.. Root said that the chairman had
asked him to prepare this resoiu-
Of those military and naval authors
ties and advisory committees to
which the American delegation was
bound to pay the highest respect.
There was an expression on this sub
ject which presented the most ex-
traordinary consensus Of opinion that
one could well And upon an interna-
tional subject. He had drafted the
resolution which he would present
In a moment in the language of the
treaty of Versailles. which was SUBJ
scribed to by four Of the Ave powers
over by the United States and Ger
many in the treaty concluded be-
tween them on the 25th of August
last, and was repeated in the treaty
of st. German, between the same
the treaty of Neuilly of the same
powers with Bulgaria, and again in
the treaty of = the Trianon with
Hungary. and taken over and homolo-
gated by the United States in its
treaty with Austria and its treaty
with Hungary, and repeated again in
the treaty of Sevres. He read from
article III of the treaty Of Versailles,
which says:
1.-The use Of asphyxiating, poison
GUS or other gases and all analogous
|
prohibited. their manufacture and
importation are strictly forbidden in
Germany. The same applies to ma
terials specially intended for the
manufacture. storage and use of the
said products or devices"
against the use of poisonous gases
he understood to be statement of
the previous rules which had been
adopted covering the history of The
Hague conferences; and without un-
dertaking to question or to inquire
into it, 1t stood as a declaration of
all the countries here represented
that that is prohibited And accord
ingly, following the language of the
treaty, the language which all had
adopted, he would present the reso-
lution:
'"The use in war of asphyxiatine,
poisonous or analogous liquids or ma
terials or devices having been justly
condemned by the general opinion Of
the civilized world and prohibition
Of such use having been declared in
treaties to which a majority of the
Now, to the end that this prohibi-
tion shall be universally accepted as
q part Of international law binding
alike the conscience and practice Of
their assent to such prohibition,
agree to be bound thereby between
themselves and invite all other civil
lied nations to adhere thereto"
In these various treaties there were,
forty powers which had assented to
the statements OF the prohibition of
these practices, SO that there was not
much further to go in securing that
general consent which changes q rule
from contract to law.
Senator Schanzer' said that It was
with q deep feeling of satisfaction