The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-07
NO WAR BETWEEN
RUSSIA AND JAPAN
Lieut.. Pribydenhoff of Russian
Navy Says There Will
Be None.

Lieut.. Michael Pribydenhoff, of the
Russian navy, was a brief sensation
in Minneapolis yesterday. The lieu
tenants family is prominent in Mos
COW, automatically speaking, and he is
on his way to join the Russian Asiatlc
squadron at Port Arthur, after spend
ing a couple of months IN the Onlteo
States as a guest of we'll known New
York families, whose travelling mem
bers have made the acquaintance OF
the Pribydenhoffs in their Partisan
and Russian journeyings.
Lieut. Pribydenhoff said last night
that he had counted on being able to
witness the international yacht races,
but, owing to the increasing impor-
tance of the situation in Chinese wa
tiers, he had been recalled to duty with
the squadron.
TT is not the office of a Russian Of
fcer to talk for publication at home
or abroad" said Lieut.. Phibydenhof,
but I cannot forego denial Of certain
interesting if not altogether baseless
stories 1 have read in American papers
during the last few days as to an al
legged imminence of war between Rus
STA and Japan, with England as the
hacker of the island empire and Amer
lea as the moral support of the COM
bination.
II am sufficiently familiar with the
resources of the Russian navy to be
aware that there is nothing signifi-
cant in the present massing of Rus
sian warships in Chinese waters. AT
least the significance is confined to
Russia's desire for fair waters in
which to conduct her naval maneuVers
and in no way indicates that there is
war in the air. The simultaneous
gathering of American and British
naval strength in eastern waters might
be regarded as important, were it not
for the fact that British naval strength
in the Pacific has to be massed some
where and Americas increasing naval
representation in the same waters
might naturally be expected to center
where there are good docking facili-
ties at hand.
Il was on the China station up to
six months ago, and unless times have
changed nightly since I was there,
the American and Russian officers are
the best of friends. OF course, 1 can
not discuss the situation in Manchuria.
further than to reiterate what Count
Cassini has already said, viz, that
Russian pledges concerning that ter
ritory are likely to be carried out Ill
timately, consideration being given to
the difficulties of evacuation while
providing for the maintenance and
protection of Russian railway con-
struction and other industry. For
similar reasons that England found it
impossible, in protection to evac-
uate Egypt Russia finds it impossible
to abandon Manchuria, but, while Eng
land has deliberately ignored her
pledges as to Egypt, Russia has af-
forded the fullest explanation of her
continued occupation in Manchuria
L do not believe that there is the re-
hottest probability of war, even between
Japan and Russia over Manchuria. AS
matter of fact, the worlds trouble maker
at the present time is the Geographic
cable, which at the same time constitutes
one OF the worlds greatest blessings. The
correspondent who dispatches to his paper
in the United States a story of Imminent
trouble in Chinese waters or elsewhere,
In the Balkans. for instance, generally
formation. If there had been war every
time the correspondents in the East had
predicted war for the last half dozen
years, the treasures of every first-class
power in the world would have been eX-
hausted ere this.
There is no doubt that the greater
part of the animosity against Russia man
ifested Il IN IT, the newspapers T OF the United
ton. Most of the stories bear a London
date. which is sufficient in the first place
to discredit them. That there is at pres
ent a misunderstanding between the gov
eminent of Washington and ST. Peters
burg as to Manuchuria, / am convinced
but that the misunderstanding is incapa-'
Bile OF adjustment is totally absurd be-
What would be the result of a con-
f1ict between Russian naval forces in the
East and those of England and Japan?"
We'll, l am not a prophet. but war sell
dom finds Russia unprepared. There will
be no war in my opinion. The Russian
position in China is as unaSsailable as the
American position in the Philippines