Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-05


lea.
Yes" he said, II have read Count
Cassini's discussion of the relations
between the people of Russia and the
people of the United States. 1 can say
that all good Americans ought to be i'm
accord with much that he says. l fail
~ see what this government can do,
sce Russia and Japan are at war,
an we are bound to observe the strict
es neutrality. We cannot muzZle the
pres and make those newspapers that
haze declared in favor of Japan change
thei views"
| ID you ascribe the enmity of many
of Tie American citizens to Russia pri-
marry to the kishineff AFFAIR.""
Tic feeling that Russia was not our
| frienditi the Far East was what start
ed suspicion i'll the public mind Iii my
opinion. That wns something over
whichthis government had no control,
but which Russia could have controlled.
However itniilst the impression may be,
and Will not say whether it was just
or UNJUST we in America have been
forming the conclusion for five years
that Russia has bocn shUuldrring us
about IN eastern Asia There we want-
I'd nothing but open markets. We had
NO political interests. All we asked
was that the open door should be given
to the world. If we could get that. we
were willing to take care of the rest.
How difficult 1t hats been for us to get
that, the world knows. Russia was re-
luctant and hampered us at every step,
but all the time processing to be our
good friend for whom she said she wa:;
to get just what VIC wanted. She
would make all sorts of promises and
yet would throw obstacles in our way.
In other words. Russia would say ono
thing and mean and do another. All
nations were pledged to the territorial
integrity of China, but Russia would
not get out of Manchuria. She would
set Il date for evacuation and then
something would occur to prevent 1T.
There WAS constant evasion. Russi,
next hampered our negotiations of u
treaty with China which was to give us
the open ports in Manchuria. which
Russia had said she was willing we
should have. Finally we got the treaty
and the ports, which. remember. Rus
sia profcssed a desire we should OBJ
tain, and ever since the Russian press
has been crticizing us. not for making
the treaty. but for ratifyiDg it by telc-
graph. Since then Russia has been
Objecting to the sending of American
consuls to Dalny, Mukdcn and AntunS.
america and Russia ought to be
friends. We have a debt of friendship
to Russia, and we have never sought
to hamper her. The trouble has been
that she has looked at us through the
wrong glasses and as in measure
forced certain amount of American
sympathy in the direction of Japan"
To what is the excitement in Russia
concerning the supposed attitude of the
United States due?"
Most of it. SO far as we can observe.
is due to false reports about the United
States. The destination of our fleet
was falsely reported, but not by our
navy department. and the Russian
newspapers seized on that as an act of
hostility. l suppose some of the Rus
sian papers are still seriously discuss
ing the impotence of the United States
in sending the battleships to Yongam-
pho. when it was never intended that
they should go anywhere except to
Olangapo. They attacked the inhu-
manity of Commander Marshall for not
offering to succor drowning Russian
Sailors and now it appears that COM
mandcr Marshall was one of the first
to send boats''
What is the truth about the pro-
posed cable from Guam to Japan, which
was said to have been in contempla-
tion?"
THAT is one of the mysteries of the
present campaign of misconception, il
may be allowed the use of the term
So far there has been no request from
the Commercial Cable Co. or from any
source for permission to connect the
American cable at Guam or at any
other place with cable from Japan.
Where it started the administration
does not know. No application is on
file. and the administration knows OF
none. so that disposes of that to date"
What are the relations between the
governments at st. Petersburg and
Washington"
They are friendly. Count Cassini
serves his government well and is much
esteemed. Mr.. Mccormick, our ambas-
sador at st. Petersburg, seems to be
bearing himself well. 1 am sure that
President Roosevelt and Sec. Hay
would gladly do everything they could
TO accomplish SO desirable an end as
the easing of feeling between the pco-
PIE OF the two nations. They will meet
RUSSIA more than halfway i'm any sug-
SeStlons of practical nature she NAV
propose"