Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1908-03-12
WAR IN FAR EAST
JAPAN PREPARES wARsHIPs 10
LEAVE SAsEBo MARCH Ia.
NAVAL BASE is VERY BUSY
Several Jap Cruisers Leave Port
While Others Are Being Coaled
Situation Is Critical.

London, March "a special dis
has apologized to Japan for hauling
| down the Japanese flag when the
Tatsu Ma1u was seized The dispatch
further states that China later will
reply to the Japanese government re-
garding the seizure of the steamer
and its cargo.
Toxic, March 9.-The fates seem al
most resolved to embroil Japan and
China by fair means or foul No
sooner does one diplomatic issue ap-
pear on the eve of satisfactory settle
ment than another one crops up to
| prolong the agony and keep the Toxic
| foreign officers and the Chinese for.
eign board more or less busy.
| Japan is undoubtedly preparing for
! eventualties. The entire decision in
the matter rests with Premier Saion11
and Foreign Minister Mayashi There
has been no indication of the period
of time that Japan would await
China's reply
1t is presumed that Yuan Shi Kal
| will require four days consultation
with the viceroy of Canton, conse-
| quently no decision may be reached
before March 10 or IL.
The naval base at Sasebo is ex-
| tremely active. 1t is announced that
| part Of the first squadron will leave
| port March IA. The armored cruiser
| Chi Yoda suddenly left port on Satul-
day night. Coaling is proceeding
rapidly, number Of torpedo boat
| destroyers have already coaled. Enor-
nous supplies in storage at Sasebo
| are being hurried aboard the vessels
| The Kanto, a boundary, the Tsin-
| Mln-Tun-Rakumen railway, the North
! Manchurian customs and the telegraph
| questions these have now ceased
to excite much concern in the minds
| of those who can see below the sur
face of the political current. But, on
the other hand, as though the Chinese
themselves were determined to fur
nish the Japanese opposition with it's
| strongest arguments in favor OF a
more spirited policy vis-a-vis, the mid
die kingdom, whose Chinese warshins
seized Japanese merchant steamer
the Tatsu Maru-in Chinese terri.
torial waters, just outside Macao har-
Dor and escorted her to Canton on the
charge that she was engaged in an at
tempt to smuggle arms and ammuni-
ton into China
The facts of the case as nearly as
| can be ascertained from both sides
| appear to be these:
The Japanese contention is that the
vessel left Kobe on January 26 with
| ninetyfour cases of rifles and forty
cases of ammunition, consigned by
the Ataka Sbolai of Osaka to Mess1s.
kwong 70 & Co. of Macao, who are
licensed by the Macao government to
deal in arms. 1t is asserted that the
Ataka Shokai had obtained the neces-
sary permit from the Macao au-
thorities with regard to the arms and
ammunition and that the usual Gus,
toms and police formalities had been
complied with at Kobe. The fact that
the Tatsu Maru anchored outside
Macao harbor is explained by the
statement that her draft was too great
to permit her to enter the harbor in
safety, and that the intention of the
captain and the consignees was to
have the cargo discharged into
lighters. ACCORDING to the captains
story the vessel was surrounded by
four Chinese gunboats and was
shortly afterwards boarded by the Chi
nese commander, who declared that
although the steamer was in posses
sion of a certificate issued by the
Portuguese authorities at Macao, the
I government was inforced that she
was bound for Macao with cargo OF
134 cases of arms and ammunition
consigned to Chinese, and that he
had been ordered by the Taotal OF
Canton to stop the discharge of this
cargo. Later two customs officers and
twenty blue jackets boarded the
steamer.
The incident created no small ex-
element among the steamers pas