The Colorado statesman., 1923-07-28
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK
Washington.Alnte lawyers,
representing the different great pow
ers, have formulated rules by which 1t
| is hoped to regulate the use of air.
planes in any possible war of the fu-
| ture. The desire is to bring it as near
the plane of humanity as warfare can
be brought.
Before long, it is believed, there will
be another conference of the powers
similar to that which was held in
| Washington in the fall of 1921. At
this conference 1t is expected that the
airplune regulations Will be taken up
and sanctioned. The question, of
course, will remain unanswered as to
whether the subscribing nations will
live up to the regulations in case war
shall come and the territory of one of
them is subjected to invasion.
OF course, if war does come, and
! the regulations are violated by any ma
| tion, it will be subjected at once to the
| denunciation to which Germany was
subjected when it violated the terms
of the treaty and invaded neutral
Belgium. 1t seems to be believed now,
however, by representatives of the va
rious governments that hereafter in
war times the rules and regulations
will be observed by every nation for
reasons of safety If for nothing else.
Germany paid the penalty Of having
violated treaty provision-the pen
atty of arousing the antagonism of the
people of certain nations who other
wise might have been favorable to the
German cause. 1t seems from what
one overhears In diplomatic circles to-
day that the general feeling in all
countries is that it does not pay to
violate the canons of warfare.
To Spare Parachute Jumpers.
If the regulations which the jurists
have drawn up are sanctioned and go
into effect in time of war, there will
be no more bombardments of defense
| less cities and no more raining down
| of bombs on the heads of defenseless
civilians women and children.
The dropping of bombs on unfortified
places for the purpose of killing nom
belligerents and striking terror to the
hearts of those who escape never will
be known again If the present plan is
put into effect and Is adhered to by
warning countries.
In the regulations which have been
drawn, there is one which forbids the
! occupants of an airplane, after 1t has
| destroyed a balloon or other airplane,
| to fire on the men Of the destroyed
| aircraft If they had managed to es-
cape in parachutes. After the armis-
| tice when the writer of this was or
tlered back to the United States from
France, he had in his command on the
ship an American soldier who did not
look to be a day over seventeen years
of age. OF course, he was older than
| that, otherwise he could not have been
| in the service. He was balloon man,
and he had had three balloons destroyed
while he was making observations aloft
| of the enemy's line. On these three
different occasions this young soldier
had escaped death by means of his
parachute, but on each one Of his de-
scents he was fired on by the guns of
| the enemy airplane which had de-
stroyed his balloon.
i On his last descent in parachute
the youngster was shot through the
| thigh, and he came dangling down
with leg on a strike" This time
| his parachute landed in tree and the
boy with a shattered limb hung there
| for an hour and half before some of
his comrades succeeded in effecting his
rescue.
"visit and Search" in the Air.
One of the provisions of the regula-
tions which the international jurists
have drawn up allows the men on one
airplane to visit and search another
airplane. This is like allowing the