THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA ON CRUELTY IN WAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2049, 29 August 1868, Page 3

THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA ON CRUELTY IN WAR.

[DieWeue Freie Presse— Vienna,June IJ.J The circular of Prince Gortshakoff, on. tlie inadmissibility of the use of explosive balls in war, is well calculated to create a sensation every where } and evoke th& liveliest discussion; " The Emperor'of Russia has declared to-his Ministers that he considers it "his^ duty to prevent the horrors of war as much as possible," and led by this humane idea he has approved an announcement of his: Minister of War declaring the use of explosive balls against living objects inadmissible. In consequence of this announcement, sanctioned by the Emperor Alexander, Prince- Gorfrschakoff has sent a circular to the' diplomatic representatives of Russia abroad, in which they are instructed to urge a convention of all States in this respect. Hence Russia has taken taken the initiative in an" agreement between attnations^ by which they would bind themselves to a" andon the use otexplosive balls against human beings; ; Hitherto we have never heardof such a thing as War Ministers in"their reports being guided by humanitarian views. War Ministers as a rule> eagerly^ adopt any; swifter in4an^, than those hitherto known for annihilating tite enemy, arid: the, Russian War Ministercertainly is a remarkable exception: m this case; ; Military men maintain that peace is. insured in proportion as a State raises more soldiers,, and the more frightful themeans are. which it, at a given moment, could use against the enemy. The greaterthe massacrej and the more rapid the destruction, the.less war.; According to thi?^ any Power which, possessed the secret of utterly destroying whole armies and fleets miles distant, would rule the world, and make any war, and-even any warbudget, impossible!' There.are, however, no such secrets, and moreover in alt countries invention" is about, on a par ;and it is remarkable how soon, one State copies another, in this respect. .. .'. . Without any disregard for the humane intention of the Emperor-Alexander, one could only lament, from the poinirqf view of acknowledged^authorities, if the convention proposed by Russia were agreed to. War would then lose one of its most devastating effects, and Cabinets would thereby have a fresh facility given them, for settling their disputes on the battlefield;! i.The abolition of explosive ballsy far from lessening the horrors, of war r would, by facilitating war, and' rendering; long campaigns possible, do far more injury. The convention proposed by Russia wishes in reality,, under pretext o£ an ungenuine philanthropy, to render " drawing-room" war possible, and that would be retrogression. Russia may consent to this, but civiliied Europe cannot agree to it. .V . . Moreover,, this humanity ; is, only & blind; in reality quite different things are the object of theGortschakoff circulars The exclusion of explosive shots! front modern artillery, as far as their, use against human objects is concerned, would be equivalent to- a disarmament in favor of Russia. The Russian artillery consists for the most part of smooth-bored cannon, with which solid shot alone can. beused, and this is partly the ease with^ the Prussian artillery. The proposed convention wouM interfere scarcely at all with these two Powers, while the artillery of all other Powers would suffer by it, as: they would. not only/, give up a very effective means of destruction, but recede with their artillery back to a stage longf passed. The Austrian artillery, for example, jwould by this convention be> put quite on one. side, for the bombs > grenades, shrapnels, -canister-shot, and congreve rockets, which, play such an important part in our artillery belong to explosive shots^ whpse abolition the Emperor Alexander wishejj to be decreed hjr treaty. It is thej ; sameiwith English and French artillery as the. Austrian. (Le Temps-^B&xiSi Jnßel7.) The Moniteur announced, a few days ago, that the'Emperor;:, Kappleon .had eagerly acqu.;esce^ ; . ia the proposal of Russia to prbscriibe hi spmies the use ef explosive balls." ~ '".■"."" The Patrie, coxhtaentrng on the faet* said, that in war t&e= thing: is not to MH men, but only to .^i^b^e Aheni., Weeannotjoin in this opinion; on the contraryy-' we hope that,1 foomadvancement*o ad-, vancement, we sha&be able at last to, suppress some hundreds of thousands of mea at once. . Wa^ w^ then be nearly. over K for want of combatants. ... . . Our hope of seeing int^rnatioiial homicides,.sto.p^ rests less on the perfecting of justice; and reason than on that of perfecting the engines of destruction.; and we are %>£ opinion, that ilie pJeace party would il^e' acting consistently in offering a regard. ;6f one rnillidn to any one wiio invented aa apparatus for caatjng in an msiali^; shl^ asphyxianfe gas on a W&P&¥»|^:' ■ : !.. ■.