The Irish standard., 1904-05-28

Blame for the Russo-Japanese war
was placed upon the London news
papers by Melville E. Stone, general
manager of the Associated Press, in a
speech delivered before the Illinois
Manufacturers association at the Audi
torium hotel in Chicago last Monday
might. ....
The speech was a plea for the strict
est neutrality on the part of Americans
from the man who obtained from the
czar of Russia a modification Of the
censorship on war news for the benefit
of the readers Of the newspapers of the
world.
"Shamefacedly say 1t, but the
blame for this unfortunate war rests
upon those Of my own profession"
said Mr.. Stone. "The newspaper press
of London melted the combatants to
fwar.
49,. 1T never lost an opportunity to, in
dame the. Russians and japanese
against each other, and finally, III the
most critical hour, when all Toxic
was at fever heat, false dispatch
was sent to Japan to the effect that
Viceroy Alexieff had been empowered
to begin war without further instruc-
fions from his government.
"From that moment the peace party
jim Toxic was impotent. 1t surrendered
all hope of averting the conflict.
was in st. Petersburg in the days of
the final negotiations, and when war
was begun, and the Japanese am
bassador and the Russian authorities,
with whom I discussed the situation.
used all their influence to maintain
peace
In his plea for neutrality Mr.. Stone
said:
81 plead for neutrality, not in letter
or in act alone, but in essence and in
spirit. If you will read the authent-
Gated history of your own country you
will learn that from the foundation of
ernment of Russia has been our stead
fast friend. Not friend in lavish pro-
fessions-to whisper tale of devotion
i'm our ears in the moment of our tri-
lmph, while breaking faith in the mo-
!ment of our trial-but friend that
has ever reached out helping hand
in fi,,oo Of yoo1 roo1
"If you care to learn the story you
ayill find it in the diary of John Quincy
Adams, in Theirs History of the Con.
sulate and Empire of Bonaparte, in the
reports of Bayard Taylor and Cassius
M. Clay, and, indeed, Of every Ameri
can minister or ambassador or charge
to st. Petersburg. 1t was not the un
broken squares of Wellington at the
foot of Mount st. Jean that sealed
Napoleon's doom. 1t was the friend
ship Of Alexander for America foul
years earlier''
Mr.. Stone explained this statement
as giving as cause for the break be
tween Alexander and Napoleon tl,t
seizure of fifty American merchant
ships by France and an appeal to tho
czar for aid to the infant republic.
"The Russian minister of foreign
AFFAIRS" he continued. "said to Mr.
Adams: Our friendship for Anerici
is obstinate; more obstinate than 70,
know It was so obstinate that, fo
it, Alexander broke with Napoleon
and remade the map of Europe"
'What is of still greater significance
and cannot be challenged, is lette
from Bayard Taylor to Secretary Sew
ard written in the hour of our sor
est peril and detailing an audience
with Gortchakoff, the Russian minis
ter of foreign affairs. You may sa.
to the president said Prince Gortcha
koff to Mr.. Taylor, that we have beel
approached to join in Intervention
and we will be approached again, bu
our course will not change. We will
stand by you to the end. Turn to tn
diplomatic papers Of the government
for 1864 and read that letter and i'm
agine what it meant to the agonized
soul of Lincoln. I am sure that 1t is