Neutral Rights and Obligations in the Anglo-Boer WarCampbell, Robert Granville
History
Neutral Rights and Obligations in the Anglo-Boer War
Campbell, Robert Granville
Neutrality; South African War, 1899-1902
What Calvo says is: "Tous les publicistes sont d'accord pour admettre
que le territoire d'une nation constitue une véritable propriété ...
le territoire neutre doit être à l'abri de toutes les entreprises des
belligérants de quelque nature qu'elles soient; les neutres ont le droit
incontestable de s'opposer par tous les moyens en leur pouvoir, même par
la force des armes, à toutes les tentatives qu'un belligerant pourrait
faire pour user de leur territoire."[23] He also calls attention to the
fact that Grotius, Wolff and other authors held that a belligerent,
"dont la cause est juste peut, pour aller à la rencontre de son ennemi,
traverser avec ses armées le territoire d'une nation neutre."[24] But
his statement of the modern rule is conclusive: "Par contre, Heffter,
Hautefeuille, Manning et d'autres auteurs modernes se sont avec juste
raison élevés contre des principes dans lesquels ils entrevoient la
négation implicite des droits et des devoirs stricts de la neutralité. A
leur yeux, la nation neutre qui consent au passage des troupes de l'une
des parties belligerantes manque à son caractère et donne à l'autre
partie un juste motif de lui déclarer la guerre."[25]
[Footnote 23: Calvo, §2344.]
[Footnote 24: Ibid., §2345.]
[Footnote 25: Ibid., §2346.]
Mr. Baty, without reaching any definite conclusion in the matter, admits
that the point to be decided in any case is not so much the fact that
there is an antecedent treaty, as the nature of that treaty. He says,
"If it granted a real right of way of the nature of a right _in rem_
there is no reason why the way should be stopped against troops any more
than why a purchaser of territory should be debarred from using, it as a
base of military operations." But he points out, "If the treaty only
created a right _in personam_ the case is different." In the latter case
it is obvious that the power which claims the way depends entirely on
the promise of the territorial power for the exercise of that advantage.
"In such a case," he concludes, "it may well be that the performance of
its promise by the territorial power becomes unlawful, on the outbreak
of war between the promiser and a third party."[26] For international
purposes the true test is, "Could the power claiming the right of way,
or other servitude, enforce its claims during peace time by force,
without infringing the sovereignty of the territorial power?" Mr. Baty's
opinion is that "if it could, and, if the servitude is consequently a
real right," the promisee might use its road in time of war, and the
owner of the territory would be "bound to permit the use, without giving
offense to the enemy who is prejudiced by the existence of the
servitude."[27] But he continues, "If the right of way is merely
contractual, then the fulfillment of the promise to permit it must be
taken to have become illegal on the outbreak of war and the treaty
cannot be invoked to justify the grant of passage." It is asserted that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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