Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-03-05
alexandria Gazefts.
SATURDAY EVENING. MAR. 5. 1904.
Another War Feared.

ave do not want to appear as alarm
lists, but we would be doing harm and
not good if we tried to conceal the fact
that the present situation in regard to
foreign affairs is one Of considerable
anxiety" says the London Spectator in
a long article on the effect of the Russo
Japare se war on international relations,
especially the relations between Russia
and Great Britain.
The Spectator points out how "the
Russian feeling of resentment against
Great Britain is steady rising, the Rus
slams being convinced that the British
have been the chief cause of their dill
Gu lilies by encouraging the japanese to
go to war;"
Without considering whether there Is
any Truth in this view, continues the
Spectator, the important fact Is that II
is held by the Russian people and that
"public opinion is in such a state OF ex-
citement that war with Great Britain
would be extremely popular"
Proceeding to explain why the mill
tary party should try to escape the
humiliation of a possible defeat by a
small Asiatic power" the Spectator
remarks
"a great European war would obliter-
ate all are traces of the japanese war.
A popular war would cover up an I'M
popular one and give the Russians an
excuse to make peace with Japan, or
withdraw from Japan's reach, and so
staunch the bleeding in men and money
now going on in Manchuria."
Further, according to the Spectator
military men in Russia believe that war
against Great Britain would be conduct
ed in company with Germany and France
and present no risk to Russia, as the
brunt of the fighting would fall on
France and Germany, whose colonies
could be taken in the event of the Brit
ish being victorious, while as the Rus
sian feet has already gone, Great Britain
could not inhict injury on Russia. "
The Spectator proceeds to warn the
press against giving Russia occasion for
picking quarrel, especially referring to
'the aggressively anti-Russian tone Of
the London Times and the impression Of
partisanship," which, it declares, sit is
difficult to condone or even understand. "
The Spectator concludes by urging the
government to be vigilant and have its
plans ready for all emergencies, saying
ave must look the facts in the face
and prepare to take the consequences OF
the japanese alliance. One OF those
consequences was the active and bitter
hostility of Russia and the opportunity
afforded to the German emperor to knock
the heads of the European powers to-
gether and get something Of advantage
to his own nation"
As an offset to the above dispatch
from London says:
The Russian Ambassador, Count Benck'
ckendorf, who returned from st Peters
burg Wednesday, today visited King Ed
ward and presented the King with an au.
tograph letter from the Car. This was
in answer to a letter sent by the King
who, on learning that Count Beckendorf
intended going to st Petersburg to bic
farewell to his son, who was bonnd t.
the front with his regiment, sent for thu
Ambassador and asked him to hand the
Gar an autograph letter, in which King
Edward in friendly terms emphasize
Great Britain's complete neutrality dur
ing the war, and said he trusted that thu
Car would pay no attention to the pres
reports intimating that Great Britain wa
not neutral nor to any unfriendly com
ments of the English papers, which thu
King regretted.