Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-15

serve the neutrality of China vas given
out at the state department, Saturday.
K is set forth that in the event of the
rejection of Mr.. Hays plan, there will
| be 10 attempt made on the part of the
United States to obtain, through force
| of arms. the purposes set forth in the
secretary'S note.
The statement is as follows:
After some preliminary exchange of
views between this government and
the governments of other powers inter-
ested in Chinese matters. the depart
ment on the 10th of February sent the
following instructions to the American
representatives in st. Petersburg, To-
kio and Pel.n:
You Will express to the minister
for foreign affairs the earnest desire of
he government of the United States
that in the course of military opera
tons which have begun between Rus
STA and Japan the neutrality of China
and in all practicable ways her admin
i istrative entity shall be respected by
both parties, and that the area of hos
tilties shall be localized and limited
as much as possible. so that undue eX-
| element ana disturbance of the Chi
| nese people may be prevented and the
| least possible loss to the commerce and
| peaceful intercourse of the world may
| be occasioncd. JOHN HAY
AT the same time this government
Informed all the powers signatOry of
the protocol at Pekin of its action and
| requested similar action on their part"
! No answers to the above note in ad-
| dition to those received up to Friday
| have been received ut the state de-
| partmcnt. There is Il hint that Austria
will seek to avoid any participation in
| the proposed representation to the
! belligerents. on the ground that she
! has small concern in the matter. but
! no formal answer has been had from
/ her. England wants more definite
| statement of the purpose and scope of
! the note.
Sec. Hay is disinclined to yield to
| this wish. He thinks that it would be
i impossible to get the powers together
! if All attempt is made to define very
exactly the purpose of concurrent ac
/ ton. 50. as to Manchuria. the QueS-
| ton Is left oren purpOsely whether or
not Chinese administration is or is not
! in force in that War-SWept territory.
That is why the term ''administra-
! tive entity" was used in Sec. Hays
note. 1t is Il question of fact, to be
determined perhaps later on, whether
or not China does possess admins
trative entity" in Manchuria.
! The suspicion engenaercd by the is
sue of the note is innNplicable to the
authorities here. 1t is declared that
the government has been animated by
h,l Siplnra and Iirart
and has tried TO express that fact in
its tote. There is grave danger of
the flight from Pckn of the Chinese
court if it is not speedily convinced
that there is no danger of an invasion
of China by one or the other of the
be!iige1ents.
The state department has been
. warned by China itself that the result
Of this fight would certainly be a gen.
eral uprising against foreigners that
might result in massacre, and the end
would be perhaps the disruption Of
, China. In this event il is believed here
| that the neutral powers would make
off with the lions share the belliger-
cnts being too much occupied to pre-
vent them.
This conviction on the part of the
! officials here causes them to express
! freely the opinion that Russia will be
guilty OF q grave mistake if she re-
jects Sec. Hays proposal. But if she
does so it is said that there will be no
move on our part to secure. through
force of arms. the purposes stated in
the note: in other words. the United
States is not to be dragged into hos
.iliieS in the East