The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-10

WASHINGTON, Aug 9.-In the
event of war between Russia and
Japan the United States may. find it.
self an unwilling party, unless Japan
retreats from a position which they
assumed toward the United States
during the progress of the last war
with China. 1t is not generally known
that just before the declaration OF
armistice which preceded the signature
Of the treaty of peace, an issue had
drawn up between the United States
and Japan that threatened to lead to
actual hostilities between the two coun-
tries, and that hostile clash was, per-
haps, only averted by the conclusion
of the Chinese war. This issue arose
through the assertion by the japanese
authorities of the right of search of
American vessels. They insisted that
they had the right to board an Ameri-
can vessel and, if they chose, to take
from her any Chinese or any enemy
they might find, even though they
were but passengers. Our minister
promptly denied the existence of such
rights on the part of cOmbatant, and
hot correspondence ensued The
japanese insisted on their right, and
even when Mr.. Dun reminded them
that the United States had gone to
war with Great Britain on just this
issue, and forced the abandonment of
any claim to such a right, they re-
fused to abate their pretensions one
jot, though the minister intimated
that the first assertion of such right
would be regarded by the United States
as an unfriendly act and, therefore,
liSp1U lead Tho
crossed TO that perilous state that
when Admiral Carpenter was about
to escort an American merchant
steamship out of a Japanese port to
prevent her detention by the Japan
csc, the latter, it is said, gave orders
to the shore batteries at the mouth
of the harbor to fire upon the American
naval vessels if they attempted to do
so. This fact came out after the con-
cluSion of the armiStice, which, for
tunately. occurred at just the point in
the negotiations, thereby preventing an
incident that would certainly have re-
suited in war. But the significant
point is that the japanese have stead
lily chung to the same contention,
promising serious trouble in the event
of another war in the east.
Consul General Jernigan has taken
great deal of interest in the recent trouh-
les and has sent several dispatches to the
state department giving information and
making suggestions for protection. The
state department has not called upon the
navy for any ship or force to land and
proceed to the interior Mr.. DENLY has au-
thority to call upon Admiral Carpenter
for United States forces ard under his
instructions the admiral is bound to fur
niSh them.
Both state and navy departments be-
leve that the United States representa-
tives on the ground clothed with ample
power are better able to act for the best
than those here in Washington. Accord
ingly Secretary McAdoo said today that
he could give Admiral Carpenter no in
structions, especially as Minister DENLY
had not asked that anything be done.
AS to the suggestion that the admiral
should send a force in boats he said that
the minister and admiral were better able
to know whether such a course was wise.
1t might be a sacrifice of men to send
them several hundred miles into the in
terror. The British government had more
cause for making a demonstration than
the United States and yet no English
forces have been sent to the scene of the
trouble Mr.. McAdoO said that an order
from him to Admiral Carpenter might
wholly interfere with plans or opera lions
the commander had in view, or under
way