The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-04-12
DOUBT and EXPECTANCY.
Attitude of the State Department In
Relation to the Status of
Affairs in China.
MINISTER WI is EVIDENTLY WORRIED.
The Apparent Contradictory Nature
of Different Dispatches in Rela-
tiiOn to Russia and China Has q
Tendency to Keep the Diplomatic
Officials Guessing.

Washington, April s.-The Chinese
minister was An early caller at the
state department to seek information
as to the report, based on advices to
the state department, that there had
been an interruption of the diplo-
matte intercourse between Russia and
China. Mr.. WI had not been advised
of any such development, and the in
formation before the state depart
ment was so contradictory that it did
not permit any clear explanation of
the real state of affairs.
A Doubt Arises.
The doubt arises from the fact that
Mr.. Rockhill's latest dispatch does
not mention any such disarrangement
and the officials feel bound to accept
this as pretty strong evidence that
prior intima tions of discord have not
taken actual form. Yet the dispatch
received from Mr.. Squires, the Ameri-
can charge d'atfaires, in the absence
of Minister Conger, appear to have
been quite explicit that the difficulty
already. had made itself manifest. 1t
is thought possible at the state de-
which Mr.. Squires refers occurred
prior to the receipt in Pekin of the
last Russian note, and that the 'trou-
BILE may have been adjusted subse-
quently.
An Attitude of Expectancy.
The state department maintains an
attitude of doubt and expectancy,
and is not yet prepared to admit that
there has been an interruption of in
tercourse between the two countries,
either limited or complete.
Aside from the telegraphic advices
there are some attending circum-
stances which Indicate that at least
some STRAIN or partial interrlI ticn of
intercourse has occurred. The fact
developed in Washington, about a
week ago, that Russia had delivered
to China what amounted to an ulti-
matum on the signing of the Man
churian agreement. This followed
the usual course of untimatums and
fixed a definite limit of days within
which China could act. 1t also con-
veyed the clear intimation that un-
favora BILE action by China would lead
to a severance of diplomatic relations
between the two countries.
The Limit Has Expired.
The limit of time fixed is believed
to have been one week and to have
expired last Wednesday. China did
not sign within the time limit and the
next day, Thursday, Russia addressed
her note to the powers which has
been accepted as removing the pres
sure over the Manchurian agreement.
This at first seemed to be waiver of
her prior intimation of an Interrupt
ton of diplomatic intercourse, and
yet there was no such explicit waiver,
and the latest advices from Pekin re-
porting that an interruption has now
actually occurred, seem to be directly
in line with the threat previously con-
veyed.
In case there proves to be an inter
ruption of the relations between Rus
sia and China, it is not expected to
disarrange the negotiations between
the powers and China or between
Russia and the powers. 1t probably
would be confined to a termination
of the close ententelong maintained
between Russia and China.