The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-01
Italy Alone Has Failed
to Reply.
No Doubt That That Nation Will
Respond Favorably.


stions opened by Secretary Bay " I'll the
great powers of Europe and with Japan.
tovards securing a common UNDERSTAND
Ing for continued open door policy
throughout China, have met With most
gratifying results. The state depaftmsLt
Is unwilling ct present to make public
the nature Of the replies resolved, IA this
information will be embodied in Q special
message to Congress. But In other quar-
ter, thoroughly reliable and in position
to have Trustworthy and accurate In
formation, IL 10 learned that favorable re-
sponses havs been made BY Great Bsitain,
Germany, France, Russia, the Russian
communication coming ~ lats ~ yestsr-
day. and Japan. There IL no doubt, II
Is thought here, that Italy, the remaining
country addressed, will make favorable
done SO. The position Of Italy is felt to be
assured BY the favorable course adopted
by the other four great powers Of Europe.
TIE Importance Of this unanimous YER
dict by all the first class powers OF the
world-Great Britain. Russia, Germany.
France, Italy and Japan. In conjunction
with the United States-oan hardly b
ovsr-sstimatsd, so far as II relates to ths
future of China and the commerce Of the
world IN that empire.
The state department 10 loath TO discuss
the far reaching results to be occurred
when the agreement advances 10 the stage
of formal oonsum nation for each sfav Dr.
able response Is conditioned on the favor
able action Of all the other parties DO
that in each case. the negotiations may be
regarded as short Of absolute fnalit y.
But. while the department. 10 silent, the
details come from sources believed % he
fully oonversant with what has ooou rred.
According to this information, the Britt
lsh answer was the first to ba submitted
and was exceptionally comprehensive and
explicit In yielding to every suggestion
made by the United States relative to
maintaining the freest entry to the ports
Of China. The British answer 10 said ID
emphasize the concurrence with the
United States by adopting, word for
word, much of the phrassology employee
by Secretary Hay when he addressed his
original note to Great Britain and She
other powers. This wording Is such as to
make plain thai the British government
concurs, for tbs present and hereafter.
without limitation, in o policy Of free &C.
cess to China. Although much sscrecy
was observed In the transmission Of the
British ans wsr. It's general purpors soon
became known at the other European
capitals and there was not little irrita-
tion at what was regarded as precipitate
response, purposely designed to smbarass
the continental powers BY showing Great
Britain AMI the United States to bs aot.
Ing in concert while the rest of the world
held aloof. Bat this situation was made
ers by their determination to act for
themselves. Germany Is said to have
been the next pc xsr to answer In the
affirmative. According to the informa-
ton already referred to, the German an
swer was rather more vague than the one
which had preceded 1t, but It's general
tendency was favorable, the only condition
being that any arrangement % to free
access TO China should be universal and
afsented to by all the powers.
The French answer Is understood to
have come next and the circumstances at
tending 1t were rather peculiar and not
In the nature OF direct answer. although
the result was REGARDED as most sati STAG
tory. Secretary Hays note had been for
warded to General Horace Porter. the
United States ambassador to France. who
promptly called upon NJ. Deloasse, miu-
lister of foreign Affairs In the cabinet.
General Portsr made known bis mission,
whsreupon III. Dsloasss showed the most
sympathetic spirit and stated that he had
already made ample answer to just such
q communication although at the time
he had not intended It as an answer to
the American note.
This answer. NJ. Declfase explained.
was given IN q speech made by him on
November Gath In the French cham Der.
The main point Of that speech. in Its ref.
erenoe to China, was that France desired
the most ample freedom OF commerce.
III. Deloasss referred General Porter to
this spesch and told him that 1t fully
gave the assurance which the United
States desired. II Is said that the meet
ing was gratifying on both sides and that
the results were considered to be favor
able acceptance from France.
The Russian negotiations have proceed
ed less briskly so that It seemed for a
time that Russia's attitude might not be
favorable. All doubt on this point wa 9
dissipated, however, by the Russian am.
bassador. Count Csssini. in the course OF
Interviews " ith Secretary Hay. On
three oceasions Count Cassini pointed out
that . hurried answer was by no means
the best evidences of favorable attitude
toward the American proposition, but
that Russia was proceeding with dus de-
liberation In order to arrive at some selid