The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-02-24
RUSSIA SENDS A REPLY
Urges Withdrawal Of All the Exact.
ing Claims.
SHE REFUSES TO GIVE WAY

Qualifying Clauses in Her Note Would
Leave Real. Control Of Manchuria In
Czar's Hands-Japan Must Be Salts
fed With Sphere Of Influence in
Southern Korea.
st. Petersburg. Russia.-The report
that the st. Petersburg reserves have
been warned to hold themselves in
readiness is quite untrue. Even the
large contingent Of the guard regi-
ments here and at Tsarskoe Selo has
not been notified to prepare for active
service. which would be the case if the
supposed large number of troops in the
Eastern provinces had proved INSULT
cient.
Equally false is the pretended knowl-
edge Of the reply of Russia, which is
construed as giving way to Japan's de-
mands. Such reports are laughed at in
the Foreign Office. On the contrary,
it will be found that in the very friend
ly, almost paternally, worded reply
which this country is about to make.
and which it Is sincerely hoped will
pave the way to further negotiations,
Japan will be reminded that Russia
also has minimum, and that she can
not give any binding promises to ia
pan, which country must be satisfied
with a sphere of influence in Southern
Korea, leaving the north as the sphere
of influence of Russia.
Russia further urges the japanese
Government to withdraw all impOssi-
BILE demands.
All knowledge Of the alleged media
ton proposed by Prince Ching at Pekin
Is denied here, and specific denial is
given to the assertion that the Russian
Minister there invited Prince Ching to
take such action. The report that 1000
Russian troops are to occupy Antung
is also contradicted, it being intimated
that as this is one of the open ports Of
the United States the report might
have been put out to arouse renewal
of hostile feeling in the United States.
It has been aScertained that there
was practically no division in senti-
ment among the Emperor's advisers at
the recent meeting. In this connection
it is pointed out that much of the criti-
cism abroad with regard to the delays
incident to the formulation Of the pres
ent, as we'll as the former Russian CON-
nlunications, is largely attributable to
ignorance of the complicated machin-
cry. and deliberate methods Of the Rus
sian Government.
Tnnl-
not, it is said, possess any Russian in
formation concerning the character of
the forthcoming note, although it has
received various reports, the majority
of which say the reply will be salts
factory. None, however, emanate from
a source which warrants their full ac-
ceptance as corrfct.
In the judgment of many the charac-
ter of the Eote does not warrant the
belief that Count Lamsdorf, the Rus.
sian Foreign Minister, has given out
the slightest intimation Of its contents.
Even that carries little assurance, for
the Russian and Japanese conceptions
of what constitutes fair bargain vary
materially.
The presumption that Russia has
made concessions does not in the least
warrant the conclusion that there will
be peaceable settlement Of the exist
ing difficulties. Her entire proposition
will be carefully scrutinized, and every
contingency of the situation closely
weighed. If the reply should prove to
be completely unsatisfactory to japan
the outcome of the conference is mani
fest. Should it give partial satisfac-
ton an exchange Of notes Is possible,
although there. remains slight room for
additional diplomacy.