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Show 213 212 mm" prawn mum treaty between themselves. The lt'irst Conference forbade unani- mously the destruction or seizure of the private property of the enemy in warfare on the land. unless imperatively demanded by the necessities of war. and in that case it shall he paid for. So great has become the conviction that the private property of helligcrents should be protected as much as possible. even in warfare upon the sea. that the Second Conference placed several restrictions upon its capture. lt required that due warningr to depart must be given to merchant ships which are found in the enemy's ports on the outbreak of hostilities, or which enter them or are captured upon the high seas in ignorance of the war: and that if they do not or can not heed tltis warning, neither they nor their cargoes may he confiscated. but may only be detained until the end of the war. or requisitioned on payment of compensation. The officers and crews of captured merchant ships are not to be made prisoners of war. provided they promise not to take part in the war, loats used exclusively for fishing purposes, and all ships (even warships) engaged in scientific, religious or philanthropic missions, were exempted front capture. The mail matter of both belligerents and neutrals was made inviolalile. and must be forwarded with the least possible delay in case the ship cons vcyin: it is detained or captured. And to prevent a return to the old practice of privateering, which was abolished by many of thinations in 1956, as well as to make piracy more difficult. it was provided that merchant ships transformed into cruisers in time, of war shall acquire the rights and privileges of warships only when placed under state control, with a duly commissioned commander and a crew under military discipline and conformable lo the laws and customs of warfare. The most conclusive evidence of the mowing ree‘ard for the rights of private property, even in warfare on the sea. was the establishment by the Second Conference of the international l'i-ixe prevention of warfare. we find in them the crowningr glory of the Hague Lonferences. They represent in very truth the Magma tjharta of international law. and they embody the chief hope and the chief strength of the peacesmalmrs of the twentieth century. The lfirst Conference was called to solve if possible the problem of increasingr armaments, and the world jumped to the conclusion that 31 foolish attempt was to be made to usher in disarmament. This hasty conclusion almost discredited the conference in the C) s of practical people, but the proposition for disarmament was not even alluded to. What was done. in both conferences. was to strike in upon the consciousness of the nations the fact that in our day and generation the jvrowth of armaments on land and sea is increasing,r faster than the "ltthll of population in great cities or the concentration of wealth, and has brought every civilized land face to face with very [rave financial, indus« trial, political and international perils. lloth conferences empha- sized this fact in words of burning eloquence and made a solemn app‘al to the governments to study this problem thoroughly and to find some solution of it before precipitating a gigantic war whose prevention is the alleged reason for armament increase. This appeal has not met, as yet, with governmental response: but it is greatly to he hoped that under the auspices of such Secrtu tarics of \Var as Mr. Taft and Mr. l)iclv'ins'on-whos‘e proudest boast it is that they have been Secretaries of leace rather than Secretaries of \Var-this great and burningr problem may be solved before it be too late. Our day has seen growing up, side by side with armaments on land and sea, the beginnings of armaments in the air. The tinal result to war or peace of this new development of human genius cannot yet be even guessed at: but both conferences voted that the world should be spared. at least until lllt' end of the next conference. the expense, anxiety and incalculahle danger connected with warfare in and from the air. Court. This court will remove the capture of merchant ships still farther from the plane of piracy by permitting the pre nahly partial decision of national prize courts to be supplemented by the pri'ibahl} less partial decision of an international one. and will thi reby emphasize the fundamental principle in international. as in national. law that a suitor shall not be a judge in his HtHl raiir' i'ontine' thirdly. and lastly. to the measures adopted for thc It might help u, to appreciate the significance of this prohibition by reflecting on the savingr of wear and tear which would have follth-d upon a prohis bition of Dreadnoughts by the first llriqni' (Muir-retire. The irresistible power of pubflcity. which has been ewrliner its sway in such a i‘t-iit;ii'l<:ilulti manni r in national affairs, was -. .\ ftrr a lone applied by the conferences to intirnational a. |
