Mr. Tower to Mr.
Hay.
Embassy
of the United States,
St.
Petersburg, March 22,
1902.
No. 552.]Sir: I have the honor to inclose to you
herewith, for your information, a copy of the declarationa of the 3d (16th) of March, made by Russia and
France in regard to the maintenance of the status quo in the Far East,
as the same was published in the official part of the Journal de St.
Pétersbourg on Thursday, the 7th (20th) of March, 1902.
Although this declaration was officially communicated to the Government
of the United States by the representatives in Washington of the
signatory powers, its publication here was accompanied by a memorandum
issued in regard to it by the imperial Russian minister for foreign
affairs, which may not have accompanied the official communication of
the declaration itself. I forward this copy of it to you, therefore,
because of its value in interpreting the purposes of the declaration and
also for the particularly interesting confirmation which it contains of
the statements of policy heretofore made by Russia in regard to the open
door in China.
This statement is that:
The principles which have guided the policy of Russia since the
outbreak of the disorders in China have always been and still
are unchanged. Russia insists upon the independence and the
integrity of China, a neighboring and friendly country, as well
as upon those of Korea. Russia desires the maintenance of the
status quo and of the general peace in the Far East. By the
construction of the Great Siberian Railway, with its branch line
through Manchuria to a harbor always free from ice, Russia
favors the extension within those regions of the commerce and
industry of the whole world.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
From the Journal de St. Pétersburg of Thursday,
March 7 (20), 1902—Official.
St.
Petersburg, March 6,
1902.
The convention concluded in January last between England and Japan
has given rise to the most contradictory interpretations and to the
most varied suppositions, principally by reason of the fact that by
that instrument two of the eleven powers which had quite recently
signed the Pekin protocol, after bringing their collective action in
China to an end, seemed to separate themselves from the other
cabinets and to place themselves in a special situation in respect
to the Celestial Empire, in which, thanks to the efforts of them
all, the traditional order of things had been reestablished and the
legitimate central authority had been restored.
The Imperial Government, having duly considered the friendly
communications sent to Russia by the Japanese and British
Governments on this subject, viewed the conclusion of the said
arrangement with the utmost calmness. The principles which have
guided the policy of Russia since the beginning of the disorders in
China have remained, and still remain, unchanged. Russia insists
upon the independence and integrity of China, a friendly and
neighboring country, as it does upon those of Korea. Russia desires
the maintenance of the status quo and of general peace in the Far
East. By the construction of the Great Siberian Railway, with a
branch line running through Manchuria to a port which is at all
times free from ice, Russia favors the extension of the commerce and
industry of the entire world in those regions. Would it be to her
interest to place obstacles in their way now?
The intention expressed by England and Japan to contribute to the
attainment of the objects which have invariably been had in view by
the Russian Government can not fail to meet with the sympathy of
Russia in spite of the comments which have
[Page 933]
emanated from certain political spheres and
from sundry organs of the foreign press, which have endeavored to
present the impassible attitude of the Imperial Government in a
quite different light as regards a diplomatic instrument which, in
its eyes, in no wise changes the general situation of the political
horizon.
Now, in view of the ever-persistent agitation concerning the
Anglo-Japanese arrangement, the allied Governments of Russia and
France have deemed it necessary distinctly to formulate their views
on this subject in an identical declaration addressed to the powers
whose representatives, conjointly with the plenipotentiaries of
Russia and France, signed the Pekin protocol of August 25 (September
7), 1901.
