Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-11-10

/ Il
The chief interest of the week CEN
| tered not in the war, but in the war
scare. The scare was a real one. Eng
| land and Russia did not so nearly fight
| simply because of the fishing trawler
| incident The lion and the bear hated
| each other long before that happened.
| and will continue to hate each other
| long after it is forgotten. Since the
| Crimean war they have been perpetual
| " growing at each other; continually
| showing their fangs; occasionally rails
| ing their paws to strike. Neither has
| ever dared to turn his eyes away from
| the other. The DOgger bank affair
| merely evoked display of the hostile
| feeling which constantly exists.
AS for the happening itself, Russia
was entirely in the wrong, and dis
played an unparalleled ignorance of
| sea manners, sea custom and sea eff
| ficiency. It is said that the Russian
| boats are commanded by cavalry Of
| ficers and manned by farmers. This
seems to be true practically, if not lit
| orally.
The firing on the English trawlers
began at l o'clock Sunday morning.
Two or three hundred shots were fired
In about twenty minutes time. Two
fishermen were killed and eighteen
wounded. One fishing boat was sunk.
No attempt was made by the attack
ing fleet to rescue the wounded fish
ermen although a Russian boat staid
on the scene until 6 o'clock in the
morning. The last shot was fired at
| the traWler Kent at Z a. N. The Brit
ish government Immediately demand
ed from Russia:
Q) An apology. (2) An indemnity
for the families of the killed and
| wounded fishermen. g. The punish
ment of the Russian officers response
bic for the offense. az An adequate
guarantee that there shall be no repe-
ttiOn Of the act
Russia consented to requirements
one, two and four, but held out against
three. 1t would not agree to punish
the responsible officers. 1t said it's
| sense Of sovereignty would not permit
it to comply with such a request Great
Britain answered that the request must
be complied with, otherwise the Brit
ish fleet would not permit the passage
of the Russians through the Straits of
Gibraltar into the Mediterranean. At
this point the tension was very great.
ontnI IF oil ,a
troubled waters and contributed to the
eventual peaceful settlement.
Rojestvensky's explanation, the Chi
cago Tribune declared, consisted of an
extraordinary lie, but the lie undoubt-
eddy averted a agreeable alternativ
for the goyernment-war or Muscovite
humiliation. The admiral stOlidly
maintained that he had actually been
attacked by two torpedo boats One
Of his otficers-Prince Keretelli-went
further, and said that there were eight
hostile torpedo boats. Rojestvensky
would have attained a greater degree
Of plausibility by making all stories
tally.
Rojestvensky's report raised a ques-
lion of fact between Great Britain and
Russia. The facts must first be in
vestigated to see how they lie A
mixed tribunal Of admirals will decide
whether or not the Russian squadron
was attacked by torpedo boats A huge
mass Of evidence will be sifted. A
large number Of dispositions will be
taken. Finally the tribunal will de-
eide that there was no evidence that
torpedo boats had attacked the Rus
slams. By the time this decision is
reached the incident will have lost it's
burning public interest Russia will
quietly apologize pay an indemnity,
guarantee immunity from like occur
rences in the future. and punish Der-
haps) the offending officers. Every
thing will go On as before, except for
the unfortunate fishermen and their
families.
While the Baltic squadron has as yet