TREATIES

‘Treaties are generally negotiated by amba adors or plenipotentiaries, and are confirmed by governments. They are often secret, and may even be verbal. A treaty speaks from the date of its signature or negotiation, not from the date of its ratification, though private persons cannot be pound by it till it is promulgated. War may involve the suspension of treaties, but it is doubtful whether it involves their termination. With regard to treaties for an indefinite period, it is held by some that they should only be terminated by consent of all parties; by others, that they are terminated by any material alteration of circumstances. ‘The performance of treaties is sometimes secured by the occupation of territory, though this practice is now confined to treaties after war.