Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-04
MAY DECLARE WAR.
Czar Empowers Alexeiff to Open
 HOstilities.

LONDON, Feb. IA dispatch from St. Petersburg says the Russian gov ernment has given viceroy Alexeieff au- thority to declare war and open hostili- ties on his own responsibility if cir cumstances render it necessary. % The dispatch adds that an imperial manifesto declares that war is expect cd if the Japanese government does
 not accept the conditions proposed in Russia's response, which, it is asserted, is Russia's last word.
 Late dispatches from Tokyo indicate that the prolonged tension has reached climax there.
 The Marquis Ito, president of the privy council, was summoned from the country during the night. The em- peror received him, and 8 council of the elder statesmen was held with the war minister and three admirals.
 The conference lasted several hours. ra and Foreign Minister Komura had a long audience of the emperor. E Although the government officials continue reticent, it is manifest that the situation is of the gravest and that crisis is near at hand. The time in which the Russian reply will continue to be factor in the situation is 'nar- rowing.
 The patience of the government is
 becoming exhausted, and if the expect
 ed answer is delayed many days longer
 the issuance of an ultimatum by Ja- pan will become inevitable. The Japanese feel that the existing conditions have entitled them to a
 more prompt reply and are bound to in- fer that tho St Petersburg government
 is determined not to yield, but Is util-
 izing the time to advance it's prepara- tions for war.
 The highest officials make no pre- tense of concealment of their exasper- ation at the tardiness of the Russian reply.
 An unofficial dispatch says it is ex- pected that the Russian reply will
 mean war 7 Port Arthur dispatches indicate that in response to the Japanese war meas ] ures important naval and military movements have been effected The Russian squadron heretofore inside the harbor, consisting of the battle- ships Retvisan, Peresviet, Czarevitch,, the cruiser Fremiaschek, the battle ship Orel,- the cruiser Smiely and the Iebattleship Sevastopol, have joined the
 outside fleet, consisting Of the battle ships Petropavlovsk, Probieda and PoItava, the cruisers Diana, @Fallada, Askold, varyag and Boyarn and the
 gunboat Balkan.
 The latter has just arrived here from Chemulpo, Korea, with complete Jap- anese charts of the Korean coast. The cruiser Digit, the torpedo gum,
 boat Gaidamak and the sloop-of-war Eabiyaka, four gunhoats and the tor pedo dotina Hemain inside.
 Simultaneously the Third brigade of Siberian rifles and two batteries of arr l tillary started for an unannounced
 destination from the Liao Yang, south of Mukden. Altogether about 5000 troops have 1 departed, leaving 10000 men at Port l Arthur, exclusive of. the troops marl- ming the Notifications. | Tn consequence of the military au- thorities monopolizing the use of the railroad the latter has declined to
 transport any more commercial freight. 1 The telegraph company declines to ! accept any more press or private mes
 sages, so they will have to be routed | via Ghefu
 The authorities declare the naval
 and military dispositions should be re-
 garded as precautionary, not as offen- Eive.