The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1904. ANGLO-RUSSIAN CRISIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 254, 31 October 1904, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1904. ANGLO-RUSSIAN CRISIS.

Mr Balfour's statement made at Southampton on Friday c,oncefJiing the difficulties; arising out of the irregular action of the Baltic Fleet will, as 'tho Times puts It, ;bo received with a feeling of relief throughout the civilised world. The questions directly at issue, the nature and extent of the reparation to Be made by Russia, and the punishment to be meted out to thoso responsible for the outrage, are not, of course, settled;; but the indications are that in the international inquiry now to bp hold concerning the doings. ol Rolijeslienaki's ships British Cabinet Ministei-s do not anticipate an unsatisfactory result. On the details of the Bnitishi demands the Prime Minister displayed a reticence for which he is to be coirmendod in viow of the fact that negotiation?, are pending. Even the Sphinx-like inscrutability of the ollicial countenance, however, proved -poWerio6a to avert an outbreak- of- juatty Indignantprotest against the unprecedented statements of Admiral .Rohjeshenski, who was in charge of the Russian fleet, and who made such astounding .allegations of having seen turp.xlo boats amemg 'thfi ftshors and " more than hinted that be believed they were Japanese vessels there with the connivance ol English authorities. In the face of these facts -pe nee<} scarcely fear, that the British Government will insist upon the fullest &atxLtt envoifaction to that intangible but highly sensitive' > Quantity - r-J the national honour. The urgent« necessity of, vindicating the rights of neutral shipping agatnsfcthe.irregular-fiction v . qf; Russian '-commanders, so vividly brought before tho mind of the nation by the treatment bestowal upon the' British ships, Malacca and Knighjt Commander not long ago, h a s been now intensified. As. tlje Timcp pointed out then, England is the last country in the world whose interest or desire it can be to restrict the legitimate rights of belligerents a* sea. >: Brijtaip has, strenuously asserted those rights in the past, and may be Constrained to do so again in the future, as a necessary act of self-defence, *?,hc cannot afford to purchase present immunity -from [-Anoyance by forfeiting her freedom of\action when she is a belligerent. The right to search a vessel suspected of carrying contraband does not justify the forcible removal of a part or any of the cargo without an-v adjudication, and still less, therefore does it justify destruction of the incriminated Shifl. A writer o» the subrtoit giibtes liligh authorities in support of his statements ,?M here summarised. What, therefore, can be the excuse in the case •of the Baltic Fleet, where an unprovoked attack is made upon a number of defenceless fishing boats 7 It is plain there can be no defence ol such a proceeding, since the feeble story of the presents of foreigh torj>udo boats, and of their attack npon the fleet, can bo considered as nothing more than a clumsy invention of the narrator. The "incident," howeve», is now within measurable distance of a settlement,. ahd the' British-, nation looks with confidence to its Government to see that the fullest atonement is made. ' Once again, it is' hinted, has King Edward proved himself something more than a figurehead in the cotaluct of affairs of State, and flu-re are strong evidences - that it is due to-his influence that relations between the British and Russian Adiidnistrations are n o t strained almost to breaking point. The Empire is indeed fortunate in its Ruler and its responsible Ministers, for while they will not rush iflto strife the signs are not wunting tfcat they will exuet a full measure pf right.