Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-03-14
PRESENT POLICY
REGARDING CHINA.
Uncle Sam Has No Alliance, Secret or
Open, With Any Other Power.
COURSE ADOPTED As TO MANCHURIA.
Russia Repeatedly Disclaims Intention To
Annex Any Part of Empire, But Her
Movements Cause Suspicion.

Washington, March 1.-The official
correspondence that has passed between
the State Department and the several
powers interested in the Chinese question
discloses the fact that Russia, suspected as
she is by the English, and perhaps by
some other powers, of planning to seize
and hold Manchuria as her own, has, up
on every occasion when opportunity served
to draw forth a statement of her motives
declared emphatically that she had no
such purpose.
On the 10th ultimo the United States
addressed strong repl esentations to China
through Mr.. Conger and Prince Ching
and Ii Hung Chang. China was told that
the United States could not approve any
secret negotiations between China and any
individual power looking to the concession
of territory to such power. And it Was
further insisted that to be valid any such
concession of territory should be given
only with tie assent of all the other pow
ers.
To still further emphasize the warning
against the beginning Of a division OF
China, it was significantly stated that the
United States did not regard the present
as an opportune time for making any con-
cesslons of territory or even for conducting
negotiations for such concessions.
On The lst instant the State Department
took steps to acquaint every one of the
powers interested in China with the in
structions it had given Mr. Conger. The
result was to elicit from nearly all Of them
expressions of approval of the doctrine
laid down by the United States, and fore
most among the powers which accepted it
was Russia, which power, as already
stated, has never missed an opportunity of
declaring that she held by the terms of the
official declaration of August 20, in which
it was stated:
Gas soon as lasting order shall have
been established in Manchuria and in1ls-
pensable measures taken for the protection
of railway construction, which, according
to formal agreement, China assured, Rus
sia will not fail to recall her troops from
those territories of the neighbor empire,
provided the action Of the other powers
does not place any obstacle in the way OF
such a measure.
The reservation as to the conduct OF the
other powers is manifest, but the CORE
spondence fails to show that Russia at any
point since then has urged that the action
of any or all of the other powers has justi-
fed her in taking advantage of the reser-
walton and holding on to Manchuria.
The United States government has not
entered into any secret or open agreement
with Great Britain or with any other indi'
vidual power, however strongly it may
sympathize with the British desire to In
sure Manchuria against seizure.
On the contrary, our government has
from the beginning discouraged such
specla! alliances as to China and has
adopted the practice of informing every
one of the powers of the contents of any
statement it has addressed to any one OF
them. 1t is felt here that the greatest
strength of our position has lain in this
frank and open method of negotiations,
and there n ho disposition to abandon it
now.