indebtedness cannot
justify armed intervention by a European Power, much less
material occupation by it of territory belonging to any
American nation." The reply of the United States declined to
carry the "Monroe doctrine" to this length, citing the passage
in President Roosevelt's message in which he says: "We do not
guarantee any State against punishment, if it misconducts
itself, provided such punishment does not take the form of the
acquisition of territory by any non-American Power."

It is, however, now provided by The Hague Convention, No. ii.
of 1907, ratified by Great Britain on November 27, 1909, that
"the contracting Powers have agreed not to have recourse to
armed force for the recovery of contractual debts, claimed from
the Government of a country by the Government of another
country, as being due to its subjects. This stipulation shall
have no application when the debtor State declines, or leaves
unanswered, an offer of arbitration, or, having accepted it,
renders impossible the conclusion of the terms of reference
(_compromis_), or, after the arbitration, fails to comply with
the arbitral decision."

CHAPTER II

STEPS TOWARDS A WRITTEN LAW OF WAR

A large body of written International Law, with reference to
the conduct of warfare, has been, in the course of the last
half-century, and, more especially, in quite recent years,
called into existence by means of General Conventions, or
Declarations, of which mention must frequently be made in the
following pages. Such are:--

(i.) With reference to war, whether on land or at sea: the
Declaration of St. Petersburg, of 1868, as to explosive
bullets; the three Hague Declarations of 1899 (of which the
first was repeated in 1907), as to projectiles from balloons,
projectiles spreading dangerous gases, and expanding bullets;
The Hague Convention, No. iii. of 1907 as to Declaration of
War; all ratified by Great Britain, except the Declaration of
St. Petersburg, which was thought to need no ratification.

(ii.) With reference only to war on land: the Geneva Convention
of 1906 (superseding that of 1864) as to the sick and wounded,
which was generally ratified, though by Great Britain only in
1911 (it was extended to maritime warfare by Conventions iii.
of 1899 and x. of 1907, both ratified by Great Brit