Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-10-25
THE BALTIC FLEET

The most singular ucidentof RUSSIA a
present campaign Is the alleged attack
OF the Baltic squadron upon a peaceIul
notlla of fishermen 10 he North sea-
IN previous cases OF Interference with
neutral vessels upon the high seas The
excuse has been the necessity of eXet-
clsIng vigilance IN the matter Of contra
band OF war But This Incident Is u'-
tery Inexpucable. unless indeed au
the Russian officers had just celebrated
the commencement OF their eastern Cruz
andp. and. as consequence were ln
condition To- which British fishing
mmacks appeared TO them TO be- Japan
csc men-of war The story i' almost
beyond belief Were 70 not so wen au-
thenucatod, GO might be cIaased with the
sensational fakes OF the day. But It is,
no doubt true II Us "a strange tru'hi
stranger chan fiction
The Russian diplomats refuse TO exc
press any opinion until the report or
the Russian admiral shall. have been
received This IS natural But no ok
PLANTATION DE can make short of de-
nlal Of the alleged facts can amount
To- anything. The admiral may say mat
hc. or whoever else was responsible,
mstook the signals OF the fishermen
for war signals, or that some other mis-
take was made, but that only aggra-
Yates the case. A naval officer, In
whose hands millions OF dollars worth
OF property and thousands Of Ives are
entrusted and whose slightest indscre-
ton may mean % terrible war between
nations. has mo- business to make such
mistake as that By making Il, he
proves himself unworthy Of the trust
There is particularly one incident OF
the story that the Russians will be for
ever unable To explain. 10 appears that
when they had finished their barbarous
work. and caused all the damage they
dared TO, they fed. DID they discover
that they had fred on vessels belong
Ing to a neutral power and leave the
scene OF murder without offering any
aid 10 the Innocent victims? or. were
they under The impression that they
had met a Japanese squadron, and
dId they flee without ondeayorIng to
completely annlhilate NJ Here Is a
dilemma. Either horn Of It Is equally
fatal.
II appears to be a case In some re-
spocts parallel to our case Of the Maine,
which. though not actually charged to
the Spanish government yet aroused
such indignation In this country, that
war became inevitable, II the British
sentiment Is aroused to a similar pitch,
the consequences will be grave II IS
greatly TO be hoped that the incident
will not cause a rupture, az this time,
between Great Britain and Russia, The
leading statesmen Of the nations viii
exert an their influence, 70 prevent IT,
Sun, when the Bear goes too near the
Lion. the danger Of a rumpus win not
be denied.
The best the Russian government can
do should the North Sea story, as now
published, prove correct Is to settle
with Great Britain on the best terms
obtalnable. and then recall the admiral
and other officers Of the Baltic fleet.
Men who can commit such blunders
cannot be depended upon to fight bat
ties.
by the way the Baltic fleet, when last
heard from, was passing Bornholm,in a
north-easterly direction. So the dis
patch said why aid It not continue
that course? It might at This time be
safe at Riga, or some other port in
stead OF playing the antics OF an es-
capped mnatc upon the high seas.