The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-14
HAY ASKED TO BE
MORE EXPLICIT
Powers Do Not Understand
Full Purp0Ft of His Note.
SEEM WILLING TO AGREE
UNITED STATES NOT TO BE
DRAGGED INTO WAR.

Washington. Feb 19.-The state de-
partment today issued this state
ment:
After some preliminary exchange Of
views between this government and
the governments Of other powers in
terested in the Chinese matter, the de-
partment, on the 10Th of February,
sent The following instructions to the
American representatives in St. Pc
tersburg, Toxic and Pekin:
You viii express TO the minister
for foreign affairs the earnest desire of
the government Of the United States
that in the course or the military
operations which have begun between
Russia and Japan, the neutrality of
China and in all practicable ways her
administrative entity, shall be re-
spected by both parties. and that the
area of bostilities shall be localized
and minimiZed as much as possible so
that undue excitement and disturb
ance Of the Chinese people may be pre-
vented and the least possible loss to
the commerce and intercourse OF the
world Will be occasioned.
(signed JOHN HAY
Action Requested.
AT the same time this government
informed all the powers signatory Of
the protocol at Pekin of its action,
and requested similar action on their
part
No answers 10 the above note in ad-
diuon to those received up 10 yester-
day have been received at the state
department There is a hint that Aus
tria will seek TO avoid any participation
in the proposed representation to the
belligerents on the ground that she
has small concern in the matter, but
no formal answer has been had from
her. England wants more definite
statement Of the purpose and scope Of
the note. Secretary Hay is disinclined
10 yield to this wish. He thinks that
il would be impossible to get the pow
ers together if an attempt was made
to very exactly define the purpose Of
concurrent action As TO Man
c1uria, the question is left open pur-
posely as to whether or not Chinese
administration is or is not in force
in that war-swept territory. That is
why the term administrative entity"
was used in Secretary Hays note. 1t
IS question of fact. to be determined
later on, whether or not China does
DSSStSS communicative entity in
Manchuria. This suspicion. engendered
by the issue of the note. is inexpli-
cable to the authorities here. Il is
declared that the government has been
animated by the most simple and di-
rect purposes. and has tried TO express
that fact in its note.
Danger in China.
There is grave danger of the fight
from Pekin of the Chinese court if it
IS not speedily proved that there is no
danger of an invasion of China by one
or the other of the belIigerents. The
state department has been warned BIZ
China itself that the result Of this fight
would lead to q general uprising
against foreigners that might result in
nassacres. And the end would be per-
haps the disruption Of China. In this
event it is believed here that the neu-
trail powers would make off with the
liens share, the beIligerents being too
much occupied TO prevent them. This
conviction on the part Of officials here
causes them TO freely express the opin-
ION that Russia win be guilty of a
grave mistake If she rejects Secretary
Hays proposals But if she does so
il is said that there. will be no attempt
made on our part to secure. through
force of arms, the purposes stated in
the note In other words the United
states is not TO be dragged into hos
ttItieS in the far east