Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-07
RUSSIAN AGGRESS|ONS
Make the Situation in the Orient
Assume an Accute
Phase.
HEAVY DEMAND ON CELEsTIALs.

Russia Protests Against the Recent Loan
Unless She As Allowed Another Grab
London Times Says That England Must
Oppose Eussia-France Also Moving to
Make . Raid ON Chinese Territory in the
South to Even Things Up, as 1t Were.
Pekin. March 7.-On Friday last Yano
Fumio, the Japanese minister to China,
| demanded an officially signed assurance
| of the payment Of the indemnity due
next May. The Chinese government in
structed Yang Yu, the Chinese minister
| at st. Petersburg. to urge Russia to
evactuate Port Arthur Russia deferred
| decision, alleging that the presence Of
Russian warships at Port Arthur was
beneficial to China and favorable to
peace in the Orient. Russia is now
| opposing the Anglo-German loan. NJ.
Pavloff. the Russian charge d'affaires,
| lodged formal protest last Thursday
and demanded quid pro quo. The de-
tails of the Russian demand are not yet
made public. but Russa's attitude is
| regarded as inimical to peace in the far
east.
On Friday NJ. Gerar, the French min
lister to China, made a similar COM
plant. with corresponding demands for
compensation in the south. England
| and Germany are now regarded as hav-
| ing obtained their legitimate aspira-
| tions, and Russia and France desire to
| secure theirs. The chinese acknowledge
| that the late British loan negotiations
were disinterested and calculated to
advance China's welfare and to main
tain her independence.
Russia's Demands ON China Stated.
London, March THE Pekin corre-
spondent Of The Times says: Russia
has demanded that China surrender to
her all sovereign right over Port
Arthur and Ta-Lien-Wan for the same
period and on the same conditions as in
| the case of Germany at Kiao-Chou.
Besides this, Russia demands the right
to construct railway. under the same
conditions as the Trans Manchurian
| railway, from Petuna on that line (near
the river SungarD to Kwang-Chung-
Tsu. Mukden, and Port Arthur. Five
days are given for reply and the agree
| ment must be signed within a month.
L ~ thN SNVht VI
threatens to move her troops into Man.
churia. China will perforce yield BY
this agreement Russia will obtain the
right to send soldiers into Lcao-Tung,
ostensibly for the protection of the
railway engineers. Russian assurances
that the ports will be open to the world
are deceptive, inasnuch as while con-
| forming to these assurances, Russia
can convert either port into a second
| and stronger Vladivostock."
Times Says England Must Oppose.
The Times commenting editorially
this morning on the dispatch from it's
| Pekin correspondent as to Russian de-
mands and upon Russia's opposition to
the AnglO-German loan says: "Russia's
protest is neither mere or less than a
thinly vailed demand upon China to
abandon the whole OF Manchuria and
the province of Shing- King, which in
| cludes the Lioa-Tung peninsula. II
China yields those provinces will
practically pass away forever, to be in
corporated in the cars empire. While
| recognizing that Russia's desire for an
ice-free terminus for her Asiatic rail-
way is reasonable and legitimate Eng
land cannot assent to the practical alb
/ sorption CT two great and wealthy Chi
| nese provinces"