Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-27
: PRINCIPAL ST. PETERSBURG PA
PER cRlTlclsEs PEOPLE AND
GOVERNMENT.
THEJAPANESE "DEFEAT"
Toxic Dispatch Says Ships Were Pur-
posely Sunk in Port Arthur Harbor
4 Without Damage to Mikado's Fleet
1 Russian Fleet Near suez.

cation today gave out the following of.
ficiaI dispatch from Toxic:
"EarIy in the morning of February
"a, four old vessels escorted by some
torpedo boats, were run into the en-
trance to Port Arthur for the purpose
of bIockading the mouth of the harbor.
The object Of the sinking of these YES
sells was attained and the officers and
crews returned safely. AS this report
regarding our fleet is direct from Ad-
n1iraI Togo, no doubt can be entertain
ed as to its safety"
st. Petersburg, Feb. &c. = The No
voc Vremya this morning publishes a
long leading article regarding the re-
lations existing between the United
States and Russia. In considering the
unfriendly manifestations against Rus
sia in the United States, the paper ar
gues a distinction must be, made be-
tween the people and the government
and it attributes the agitation in the
press to campaign engineered by the
Jews, who, it has been said, even talk
of building battleship for the mi
kado.
Cites Nations Friendship.
The paper insists however, that the
traditional friendship for Russia oc-
cupies firm position in the American
mind and heart and that the people
cannot really prefer the Japanese to
the Russians, who never have harns-
ed them. s,s y s; t4ss
The Other Side.
mi. - hrox,ao Ntho,.
hand contends that without reason,the
Washington government has been un-
friendly to Russia and it compares the
most recent feat of the state depart
ment the telegraphic ratification of
the Chinese open port treaty, to tele-
graphic marriages, which it says are
sometimes practiced in America.
Discuss Hays Proposition.
"But it is idle" the article goes on,
"to talk now of sending United States
consuls to Manchuria. Unsatisfed with
the success of his efforts, Secretary
Hay undertook to secure the neutrali-
cation, inviolability of administration
and entity of China. diplomats and
publicists being in doubt as to what all
this meant, Hay kindly announced that
ne ola not care W HAVE ulS plOpOodl
defined in detail
Naval Demonstration.
The article concludes that the Amer
ican government has taken a position
which accords with the former good
relations with Russia and the paper is
convinced that the conduct of the
United States gunboat Vicksburg 'in
refusing to protect and receive the
drowning Russians will not meet with
wide sympathy in America nor will
Americans sympathize with the naval
demonstration at the mouth of the
Yalu river of which the telegraph
brought report yesterday"
AS it was cabled from London, Feb.
2s. by the Nagasaki correspondent
Of the London Daily Telegraph that
"the American squadron Of vessels
which is variously reported at Chez
foo and Shanghai is going to make a
demonstration at the mouth of the
Yalu river" It is possible this is the
report to which the Novoe Vremya
refers.
Russians Report Victory.
st. Petersburg, Feb. 26. - A long Of
fetal telegram giving the details of
the attack on Port Arthur February 25
was received this afternoon and is
now in the hands of the military cen
sorship committee The Associated
Press learns that the attack developed
into general engagement between the
Japanese squadron and the Russian
squadron and the forts which contin-
ued for three hours, and resulted in
the repulse of the Japanese.
France Not in War.
Paris, Feb. 26.-The French foreign
office categorically denies the report
published in London, England, that
Corea having become an ally of Japan
under the new Japanese Corean treaty.
France is thereby requested to be-
come an active ally Of Russia.
Treaty Makes No Change.
The officials say the situation does
not warrant such a conclusion and
adds that the new treaty does not
make the slightest change in the posi-
tion of France.
Russian Squadron Near Suez.
Suez, Feb. 26.-The Russian squad
ron from Jibutil is reported to be an.
chored in the Gulf of Suez, twenty-five
miles south of Suez. A torpedo boat
destroyer which has already entered
the canal bound north has sailed south
again to rejoin the squadron.
Russians Stop English Steamer.
Alden, Arabia, Feb. ga Russian
torpedo boat DESTROYER stopped and