Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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of spies; from hunting restrictions to the closure of bars; from the imposition of curfews to
the supervision of public meetings; from the censorship of newspapers to the removal of
persons "disturbing the peace". While the War Law was a hotly debated subject in
parliament and among the general public, the uses and abuses thereof came under
increasing scrutiny from the judiciary, which from May 1915 onwards refined and restricted
the powers of the military in the "state of siege" considerably. 8 By the time of the signing of
the Armistice, the application of the War Law had changed radically, so much so, that the
original intention of the law, namely the principle that nood breekt wet ("need breaks law"),
rarely applied.
THE WAR LAW OF 1899
Article 187 in the Constitution of 1887 legislated the use of the staat van oorlog or
staat van beleg, giving the anned forces extraordinary prerogatives to deal with internal and
external threats. However, article 187 did not explain what constituted military authOlity in
a "state of war" or "siege" any further than
the constitutional powers of civil authOlity, in relation to public order and the
police, are completely or pmiially transferred to militmy authority; and that civil
governments are subordinated to the military. 9
Subsequently, it took a succession of cabinets twelve years to draft the Oorlogswet,
explaining article 187 in a manner acceptable to both houses of parliament and defining the
nature of the staat van oOl-log and staat van beleg.1O It came into effect on 1 May 1901, but
would be used for the first time in August 1914.
The War Law made clear distinctions between the "state of war" and "state of
siege".!! In the fonner, military authorities were required to consult with local bodies (the
mayor, municipal or provincial councils, as well as the water and peat boards), whereas in
the "state of siege", they did not. Moreover, civil authorities were to obey military orders in
8 C. van Tuinen, W. J. C. Schuurman, "Het militair gezag gedurende den oorlogstijd" [Military authority in war time]
in Meester (ed.), Gedenkboek van den Europeesc!zen OO/'log ill 1918 - 1919 pp. 272 - 279, provides a useful
overview of the legalities of the "state of war" and "siege".
9 "[D]at de grondgewettelijke bevoegdheden van het burgelijk gezag ten opzigte van de openbare orde en de politie
geheel often deele op het militair gezag overgegaan; en dat de burgelijke overheden aan de militaire ondergeschikt
worden." Article 187 of Constitution 1887, as quoted in Uijterschout, Beknopt Overzicht p. 428.
10 Theodorus Johannes Clarenbeek, "De Oorlogswet voor Nederland" [The War Law for the Netherlands]
Proefschrift, Rechtsgeleerdheid, University of Amsterdam, 1978, Chapter 3; Hasselton, "De wisseling van het
opperbevel" pp. 2 - 6. See: Appendix 8, p. 459.
11 See: Appendix 8, p. 459.