Mangonui County Times AND NORTHERN REPRESENTATIVE. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1904. Russia’s Latest Blunder.

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 12, 1 November 1904, Page 2

Mangonui County Times AND NORTHERN REPRESENTATIVE.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1904. Russia’s Latest Blunder.

“What right, what true, what fit we justly call, Let this my care—for this is all.” —Pope.

Will the Powers Intervene ? Since the commencement of the Eussia-Japanese war many eminent authorities have discussed the probability of the Great Powers intervening. As complications may arise, owing to the recent action of the Eussian Baltic squadron in shelling a peaceful mercantile fleet belonging to a neutral power, it will prove interesting to recall the opinion of Mr. Henry Norman, M.P., (in “ Life ”), who has an unrivalled knowledge of the East, and is the one Englishman moreover who has had the privilege of discussing the war, in long personal interviews, with both the Czar and King Edward. Mr. Norman says: should any Power or group of Powers step in and call a halt to Eussia at any particular period of the war ? It might suit Japan to regard the occupation of Mukden or Kharbin —to make the extreme supposition—as the end of the war. But Eussia might regard this as in reality only the beginning—the point at which she would start, after having made up the leeway lost by her original unpreparedness. There are only four Great Powers to he considered in this connection England, France, Germany, and the United States. France would assuredly never he a party to the coercion of Eussia. As for Germany, it would be the very last step she wauld dream of taking. Her official relations w’ith Eussia are the most cordial, and she will certainly seize every opportunity offered by present and future complications to make them more so. There remain England and the United States. Now, any attempt by these to force upon Eussia an unwelcome conclusion' to the pydsent hostilities would

have one instant result: a declaration of war by Eussia against England. What would America. do then? Her powerful navy would he useless, for there would be no Eussian fleet in the Far East to attack, and the British navy would easily drive the Eussian European fleet to the shelter of Kronstadt, and protect the coast of the Persian Gulf._NxL ' lions would he possible. Meanwhile, Eussia, safe as she would be against a German attack in Poland, would mobilise half a million men in Central Asia, to operate in Afghanistan and Persia.’ Does anybody suppose that ths United States would despatch a large army to co-operate with England in these regions ? England, therefore, remains as the only Power to attempt to coerce Eussia into accepting defeat at the hands of Japan, and the Power, in any case, to bear the whole brunt of the inevitable and costly consequences. The oulv coimnent upon this suggestion is that, wdiile we have done some extraordinarily unwise things in foreign policy, we are not mad enough to perpetrate an act of such stupendous folly.”