Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-02-14
Man Who Started Who
Was-Friend Dispute
Would Know.
REPLY NOT AMBIGUOUS
ManChuria Not ExC1ud-
ed From Its ProViS-
ions 1t Seems.

London. Feb. 1.-THE parliamenta-
ry secretary of foreign affairs. Lord
CraEborne. replying in the house of
commons yesterday to Henry Norman.
who asked whether the AnglO-Iapan-
eSe freatY of alliance was communicate
cd To the United States government
before its text WAS published. and if
80 whether the government of the
United States expressed any opinion
thereon. said the substance of the
agreement was communicated TO the
United States government before pub
lication. The United States did not
express any opinion on the subject
I,Crd Cranborne added the information
that Manchuria WAS no more excluded
from the scope Of the agreement than
any other province of the Chinese en-
pire. The substance of the agree
ment. Lord CranbOrne said. was also
communicated to Germany.
Reply to Some Objections.
Norman objected TO the treaty. say
ing il was evidently an anti-RuSsian
threat. Cranborne explained that the
contracting parties We're only bound to
undertake mutual defense of their in
tereStS when the danger was due to
the aggression of others. and the pow
cr called upon to help the other must
judge whether the conditions of the
treaty had been observed.
The Liberal leader. Sir Henry Camp
bell Zimmerman. thought that the
Identical interests of Great Britain.
the United States and Japan could
have been sufficiently secured by an
Interchange of notes instead of 10y an
explicit undertaking of this kind. Bal
four replied that an Interchange of
notes would have resulted in ambi"u-
ity.
Nothing New in the Treaty.
Lord Cranborne said Russia had
recognized JapanS special position in
CUrea by the agreement of 1898. and
almost every power had indorsed the
principle of the open door and the
territorial integrity of China. The
new treaty. therefore. was merely
along lines already accepted hy almost
every power Referring to the United
States again. he said: Throughout
all the doin-S in China the relations
between Great Britain and the United
States were marked 10y the greatest
cordiality. At almost every crisis.
and in the ease Of every small diff
Guilty which had arisen during the ne
gotiatfon at Pekin. the United States
and British Representatives had always
acted together" This was received
with cheers.
1anSdOwne lliumlnateS IL Further
In the lords the foreign minister,
IanSdowne. said that no other powers
interests in the Far East We're at all
comparable with those of Great Bri-
tain and Japan. BritonS must not he
swayed 10y old-fa Shioned superstition
in regard to isolation. but must CON
slider whether the objects of the alli-
ance are commentaries: whether the
price is too great. If these questions
are satisfactorily answered. then the
alliance was good thing. The agree
ment would compel Great Britain 10
come to the rescue of a friendly Coun-
try whose obliteratiOn by coalition
OF the powers Great Britain could not.
under any circumstance. tolerate. The
treaty was not connected with the gov
crnment'S decision regarding Nei-Hai-
Wei.
Lord Rosebery Says He Approves
Lord Rosebery expressed general APP
prOval of the treaty. He said that
the effect of the treaty would he felt
i'm Il great part of Europe and in the
rest of the civilized world.