Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-10
ABSOLUTE NEUTRALITY
An Executive Order Issued
Today by the President
TO ALL OFFICIALS
THEY MUST NOT SHOW PARTIAL
ITY FOR EITHER CoMBATANT.
The Russian Suspicious Thus to Be Al
layed-Text Of the
Order.
TO ALL OFFICIALS

President Roosevelt, after a conference
with Secretary Hay today, issued the fol-
lowing important and significant executive
order:
"All officials of the government, civil,
military and naval, are hereby directed not
only to observe the Presidents proclamation
Of neutrality in the pending war between
Russia and Japan, but also to abstain from
either action or speech which can legiti-
mately cause irritation to either Of the COM
batants. The government of the United
States represents the people of the United
States not only I'm the sincerity with which
IL is endeavoring to keep the scales of neu-
trality exact and even, but in the sincerity
with which it deplores the breaking out of
the present war, and hopes that 1t will end
at the earliest possible moment and with
the smallest possible loss to those engaged
'''Such war inevitably increases and in
flames the susceptibilities of the combat
ants to anything in the nature of an inquiry
or slight by outsiders. Too often combat
ants make conflicting claims as to the
duties and obligations of neutrals, 80 that
even when dscharging these duties and
obligations with scrupulous care 1t Is dlHl-
cult to avoid giving offense to one, or the
other party. To such unavoidable causes
Of offense. due to the performance of ma
tional duty, there must not be added any
unavoidable causes. 1t is always unfcr-
turate to bring old-world antipathies and
jealousies into our life, or by speech or con-
duct to excite anger and resentment to-
ward our nation in friendly foreign lands;
but in government employe, whose official
position makes him in some sense the rep
resentative of the people, the mischief of
such actions is greatly increased. A strong
and self-confident nation should be pecu-
iarly careful not only of the rights, but of
the susceptibilties of it's neighbors; and
nowadays all of the nations Of the world
are neighbors one to the other. Courtesy
moderation and sef-restraint sh95ld mark
inter national. no less than private, inter-
course.
"A1l the officials of the government, civil,
military and naval, are expected SO to
to give no cause of just offense to the peO-
pie of any foreign and friendly power--and
with all mankind we are now ia friendship.
'THEoDoRE ROoSEyELT.
White House. March 10. 1904.
Significance of Order. III 'a
The unexpected order of the Esesident
is of marked significance. For sox;le rea-
son the Russian government and people
cling to the idea THAT this country has
Interior motives in the far east and that
it is unfriendly to Russia. Heretofore no
attention has been paid to this wide
spread idea In Russia, but the Russian
theory is further intensified by an official
statement made in ST. Petersburg yester-
day that the attitude of Secretary Hay
was the one that was giving Europe the
most trouble at this time But for this
unknown attitude, it was stated, there
would not be the slightest danger of
complications in the east The proclama-
tion OF the President fully discounts the
Russian theory and shows that this coun-
try would be the last in the world to be-
come embroiled in oldwOrld affairs.