Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-29
ANCL0-RUSS|AN PACT
Significance of Agreement
Signed in St. Petersburg.
PRACTICAL PEACE EFFECT
Bearing on the japanese Attitude To-
ward America.
SOME MORE ROOSEVELTIAN LUCK
His Plan for the Battleship Cruise
Got Credit Belonging to the Russo
British Agreement.
PRACTICAL PEACE EFFECT
SOME MORE ROOsEvELTIAN LUCK

Special Cahlegram TO The Star.
LONDON. September 2S-The peace Of
Asia is the correct description of the mo-
mentous agreement which was signed at
St Petersburg this week between Great
Britain and Russia. 1t is a genuinely self
denying ordinance on both sides and 1t
removes for at least a considerable time
to come one of the oldest and not always
dormant dangers to the peace of the world.
1t is worth more in practical craftsmanship
than the debates and quibblings and hy-
pocrisies OF Il dozen peace conferences,
and it has far-reaching effects beyond the
situation with which it specially deals.
One of these effects is OF great interest
to America at the present moment, namely.
that it renders the Anglo-Japanese alliance
almost superhuous from the British point
of view. The great value to Britain OF
that instrument was the cooperation 1t
secured for her in the defense of India In
case of an Anglo-Russian war. This new
agreement with Russia removes the danger
of such conflict from the field of practi-
cal politics
Old German DOGGY.
The only serious contingency which Eng
land now has need to provide for is war
with Germany. Even this peril seems re-
mote in the present aspect of International
affairs. but should it arise japanese assist
ancc would be trifing The value of her
alliance with Japan served the English
purposes well up to certain point. Its
existence, indeed, made this new agree
ment with Russia possible on the present
terms. But when contract between ma
tons like a partnership between individuals
becomes awkward and Improbable to one
of the parties its practical value dimin-
isheS.
However binding to its technical oblga-
lions it may be- the alliance between En-
gland and Japan is still OF immense import
ancc to Japan, but its terms nave become
highly embarrassing to Great Britain. En-
gland will not break her compact except in
some conceivable emergency which Will In
volve the worlds peace. She would, or
course. deny any intention of doing so even
then, but England would veto by every in
fuence in her power any belligerent policy
of her ally toward America or even toward
Russia.
japanese Acumen.
This radical change in the international
situation is of course fully understood at
Toxic. Todays dispatches to the London
newspapers ON America quote an admin
istration authority for the statement that
President Roosevelts decision to send bat
tleships in the Pacific caused an instant
change in the Japanese attitude, Wmch had
bccn most aggressive and suddenly became
conciliatory. This IS he veriest nonsense
The effect of President ROOscvelt's move
would have been just the contrary had 1T
not been for the great change which was
then being negotiated in Europe and of
which tile Anslo-Russian agreement is the
principal outcome.
japan found that she would have Euro
pcaa sympathy unanimously against her
and most of all that Of her own ally II
she engaged in any quarrel with the United
States She had sense enough to know
,hat she would only court humiliation IL
she sought rupture with America when
the. sentiment of the entire world was
against her = changed her tactics
soon rs she realized tie situation and 1t IS
merely another bit Of Roosevc!tlan luck
HAT it should appear to be the result OF
The Presidents yelled threat of batteships.
RICHMOND, Va. September 2S--The
tate corporation commission has increased
H.. 1865 mont On tLlnaranh and telenhOne