The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-19
BOTH TO WITHDRAW
aRtTIsH-RUssIAN DISPUTE TO BE
SETTLED.
A SMALL AFFAIR ANYWAY.
nUssIA'SBACKDOwN IN MANCHURIA
EXPECTED.

pritish May De Deceived by Appear
nnce of Things, HOwever-Russian
DiuIomats Are SmoOth-Therc Has
Heen No Official Confirmation OF
the BacIxdOwn-QuestiO Of Decline
of british influence in the Orient
Raised i'm Parliament.
London. March 1S.-On the highest Off
cisl authority the Associated Press is au-
tborized to announce that the difficulty at
Tien Tsin between the Russians and Brit
isb over the construction of a railroad
aiding in territory claimed by both, will
nroba bly be solved by the withdrawal of
both the British and Russian troops from
the ground in dispute
There Is disposition here to think too
much has been made of the Anglo-Rus-
sian incident at Tien Tsin and more
bopeful view of the affair is taken to-
dav. This is aided by the statement con-
tanned in DR.. Morrisons dispatch from
Pekn yesterday to the London Times,
which is taken to mean that the COM
l,ined efforts of the interested Powers are
having the effect of causing st. Peters
burg TO check any tendency to undue ag-
gressiveness on the part of the Russian
representatives in China.
The comments of the afternoon news
papers here repeat the views of the ma
tority of the morning papers. namely,
that diplomacy will be able to smooth the
friction.
The OFFICIALS of the British foreign Office
have not yet received official confirmation
of Russia's alleged backdown in regard to
Manchuria, Turkestan and Mongolia, and
Inquiries on the subject are now being
made at St. Petersburg and Pekin The
British foreign office is not relaxing its
efforts TO secure a more satisfactory
statement of the intentions of Russia, but
the officials deprecate the British press
agitation on the subject. On all sides 1t
is officially and otherwise said that Great
Britain has not the slightest contempla-
ton of resorting to hostiHties against
Russia, whatever may be the outcome of
the present negotiations.
May Dispatch Navy to Russia.
While hostilities are out of the ques-
ton, however, it is not unlikely that dip
lomatic relations between Great Britain
and Russia will become strained almost 20
the breaking point. Possibly British
warships may be dispatched to bring pres
sure to bear upon Russia; but war will
not result unless some fracas, quite un-
authorized by London and st. Petersburg.
occurs between the opposing forces at
Tien Tsn
This assertion is based upon exhaustive
Inquiries made by the Associated Press In
London. A prominent British official, Of
ten the mouthpiece of the government,
whose position makes it undesirable that
he should be named in this connection,
said this evening;
1T is useless for our newspapers 40 use
Ia, rhnxy hot
we have a great army in South Africa,
and that we have no other army, nor the
makings of one elsewhere. 1t is ir1pos-
sible to go TO war with Russia"
The Governments Position.
Replying to Sir Ellis Ashmead- Bartlett,
Conservative. Mr.. Balfour the govern
ment leader, said in the House of Com
mons to-day the government did not pos
sess any information indicating any de-
cline in British influence in the Yang-tse
provinces.
As to the Russian claim for the waters
of Blonde and Elliott Islands, the British
government had certainly not accepted
this claim. The government had received
no communication on the subject from
Russia. The Russian admiral had re-
monstrated against the presence in the
waters of Illinoit Island of H. NJ. S. Plov-
er which was engaged in pursuing pi-
rates. But. British ships had a perfect
right under the treaty of Tien Tsin. 20
go there.
Questions regarding the dispute at Tien
Tsin were parried by the under secFe-
tsry for foreign affairs Lord Cranborne,
IN refusing to answer them without no.
tice
William Redmond raised Nationalist
cheers by asking why Great Britain had
hoisted the white flag and backed down
atter threatening to use force OF arms.
EngIand's Navy Proposals.
Mr. Arnold-Forster, parliamentary sec
fetary to the admiralty explained the
naval proposals of the government. Their
OBJECT, he said, to maintain the navy
IN condition to carry on a successful
war should occasion arise. 1t was pro-
posed to have 154,575 men available to man
me Meet. Of whom 1885 should be on
the active list. 2s,65O on the royal naval
reserve list, and 1900 on the royal fleet
reserve list.
me government, he said, would ask
LOT tsV0,OO for construction, the largest
sum ever appropriated. out of which
ed.