The National tribune., 1904-07-28
THE RED SEA INCIDENT.

pass the DardaneIleS and later when they
actually stopped and searched an English
and then 4 German vessel. it looked rs If
this had the tacit approval of the Europ-
can powers. 1t is well known that the
European powers. especially those which
have possessions in Asa-France. Ger
many. and Ensland-view with much con-
Germ the victories of the Japanese over the
Russians. This is giving the Yellow Man
ideas of equality, if not superiority to the
White Man, which may mean future trouble
to countries having Asiatic dependencies.
Therefore it seemed possible that they
might have agreed to wink at the passage
of the Russian ships through the Darda
nelle>. and actually permitted such vessels
to overhaul their ships on the high seas
carrying ammunition and supplies to the
Japanese This seemed incredible, but
European diplomacy is full of mysterious
ways
II is true that the Russian vessels passed
the Dardanelles ostensiby as merchant
ships with their guns in the hold This
was so transplant a dodge, however, that
it deceived no one.
\ British Admiral made telling point
when he likened these ships to the Ala
bama. The Alabama left port as a mer-
chant ship. with her guns in the hold, but
on reaching Fayal went into a quiet bay
where she hosted her guns on deck. adj
diilonal arms and supplies were received
from another vessel and she then went
into commission as a Confederate man-of-
war, without having been in any Confeder-
ate port.
The rules of the sea are necessarily very
rigid. \ merchant vessel leaving a port
must clear for another port. to which she
must go. If she does not she is tramp
a vasrant, and liable to be overhaued by
the police of the sea-any man-of-war that
comes across her. In the eyes of inter-
national law. the Russian ships which had
gone out of Sevastopol as merchant ships
and then assumed the character of men-of
war were mere outlaws.
Nor is there any basis for assumption
even if they were regular men-of-war, that
they had the right to overhaul on the high
seas. vessels carrying supplies to an enemy
The high seas are the worlds thorough
fares. upon which every vessel has the same
rights. The Red Sea is a portion of these
| high seas. According to international law
no nation controls any more of the seas
than measured by three marine leagues
from its shores. 1t is true that in times of
war nation having the power has con
sdcrably stretched this limitation. Dur
ing the Napoleonic wars the British. who
then had navy that could whip all the
world drew line around the whole British
Isles under what is called towering near
act. All the nations respected this, be-
cause England had navy to compel such
respect. During the Cuban war for indie
pendence the Spanish drew line around
Cuba, II miles from the coast, and with
our excessive regard for neutrality. we
respected it. During the war of the rebel
lion. when we had come to have the most
powerful navy in the world, we extended
our line to the Gulf Stream, for the pur-
pose of capturing blockade runners, and
the whole world had to respect it.
But this assumption Of having power to
intercept in the Red Sea many thousand
miles away from the enemys shores is
simply monstrOus. If we had known to
an absolute certainty that an English ves-
sci was leaving Liverpool loaded with rifles
and cartridges for the rebels, we did not
presume to interfere with her on the high
seas. before she reached Nassau, in the West
Indies. But when she left Nassau we took
a very lively interest in her, and she was
liable to capture anywhere between that
and the coast of the United States.
The British claim that the ammunition
found on board was intended for Hong
Kong. but this is immaterial, for every
body knows that the English and Germans
are selling the Russians and japanese i'm
mense quantities of ammunition and other
warlike supplies. When men stand off as
in Manchuria at distance of mile and
for hours pour a rain Of shot upon that
portion of Asia where their enemies are
supposed to be, they get rid of untold
quantities of ammunition in the course of
an afternoon. A great deal of the so-called
fighting has been with artillery, and a
lively young Captain or Lieutenant, com
handing a battery, and firing at something
three or four miles away, which are said to
be the enemys works, will throw away a
train-load of ammunition while you wait.
No matter what the British say, the
ammunition was undoubtedly intended for
the japanese, but this gave the Russians
no right to interfere as long as it was on
the high seas
Now that England seems on the point of
asserting her dignity and rights, another
phase seems evident. 1t may be that Russia
is trying to make a cover for retreat from
her humiliating defeat by getting up an
imbroglo with the other powers, to give
her the excuse that she cannot fight the
world" She provokes this by steps which
the other nations cannot help sharply re-
. senting. If she can show that England
France, or Germany are on the point of
war with her, it will give her pretext for
withdrawing from the conflict with japan
The NOMINATION by the Democracy of
Missouri of Joseph w. Folk for Governor
| is long stride in the direction of purity
e in politics. and will raise both parties to q
, higher standard. Undoubtedly Mr.. Folk
E will be elected by large majority. AL
though he will be bitterly opposed by many