Arizona republican., 1904-08-21
Government Statement Re- garding RyeshiteIni Case
RUSSIA FIRST 10 BLAME
In View of the Anomalous Position of Caina the Captured Destroyer Vio- lated Neutrality Agreement When She Entered Chefoo.

Tokio, Aug. 2O-The Japanese gov ernment today gave the Associated Press a statement defining its attitude in the capture of the Ryeshitelni and declaring its position on the entir- question of Chinese neutrality as fol- lows: The status of China in the present struggle Is wholly unique Nearly all military operations are car ried on within her borders She Is not party to the conflict, neverthe- less, her territories are in part belIig- erent and in part neutral That cOndi- tion of the Chinese. n the cOntempla- tion of international law. is an anOm- ally and a contradiction. In this case it is the creature of a special under standing to which the belligerents have given adhesion with a view to limit the area of hostilities in the interest of foreign intercourse and the general tranquility of China.
 "The Japanese government engaged to respect the neutrality of China out side of the regions actually involved in war provided that Russia made a sim | liar engagement and carried it out in good faith. The Japanese government considered that it was precluded by this engagement from occupying or ! making use for warlike purposes Of | any kind. of the territory or ports or l China outside of the zone which has been made the theater of war because l it seemed td it that any such occupation would 'ipso factO' convert the places thus occupied and used from neutral 10 belligerent territory. It equally seem ed to them that any such occupation and use of neutral Chinese territory or ports by Russian forces would give effect to the proViso in the Japanese l engagement and justify her in cOnsii- ering the territory or ports so occu- pied and used. as belligerent.
 l Tn other words the Japanese gov ! ernment held that China's neutrality is | imperfect and applicable only to those places which are not occupied by arm ed forces Of either belligerent. and Russia cannot escape the consequences l of aE unsuccessful war by moving its army into those portions of China which. by arrangement, had been made i conditionally neutral. Russian war | ship from Port Arthur sought in the harbOr of Chefoo an asylum from at tack. which her home port had eea-- l ed to afford her. In taking that step. she was guilty of a breach of the neu- trality of China as esto blished by the agreement of the belligerents. and la pan was fully justified in regarding th.- l harbor of ChefoO as belligerent as far as the incident in question is concern ed. With the termination of the incl dent the neutrality of the port was re- | vived.
 The action taken by Japan at Che
 foo was the direct natural consequence
 of Russia's disregard of her engage
 ment, but it is not alone in this mat
 ter nor not alone in Chefoo that Rus sia has flagrantly violated China's neu-
 trality and ignored her own engage
 ment. Shortly after the investment
 and isolation of Port Arthur a system
 of wireless telegraphy was installed
 between the beleagured fortress and | the Russian consulate at ChefOO- The
 system is still in operation, nOtwiJh-
 standing the repeated protests of the Japanese government. At Shanghai, at
 the beginning of the war. the Russian gunboat Mandjur, in defiance Of Chi-
 mas neutrality, remained in port for
 weeks after receiving notice to leave.
 Finally after long negotiations she
 consented to disarmament.
 Again, the Russian cruiser Askcld
 and the destroyer GrOzovOi have now
 been at Shanghai for more than a
 week and still refuse to leave or Ia
 disarm. The Japanese government has
 no intention of diS-egarding China's
 neutrality so long s-s it is respected by Russia, but it cannot consent that Rus
 sian warships, as the result of broken engagement and violated neutrality.
 shall unchallenged find in the harbOrs
 of China safe refuge from capture or
 destruction. The commander of the
 Ryeshitelni made a statement that his
 ship was disarmed when visited oy
 Lieutenant Terashima early on the
 morning of August 1S. but in any event , disarmament would not fulfill the re quirements of China's neutrality regu- lations and it was for China, not Rus sia, to decide"