Show RUSSIA DISCLAIMS DESIGNS ON CHINA CHINAt t Claims it itis is Not Her Purpose to Seize Manchuria S ARE A E f 4 c cUNI UNTIED UNI D STATES S A TS SI DECLARES CL HER POSITION PO J TN IN THEE THE MATTER I 1 Washington W V March 9 The official correspondence that has passed be between between between tween the state department and the I several powers o r interested in the Chi Chinese Chinese Chinese nese question discloses the fact fa t that Russia suspected as she is by Eng England land and perhaps by some other pow powers powers powers ers of planning to seize and hold Man lIan Manchuria churia as her own has every oc occasion occasion occasion casion when opportunity servel to draw forth a statement of her motives declared emphatically that she had no such purpose On the ultimo the United States addressed strong representations to China through Mr Conger Colger and Prince Ching and Li Hung Chang China was told that the United States could not approve any secret negotiations be between bel between l tween China Chi a and any Individual power looking to the concession of ot territory to such power And it was further insisted insist d in order to be valid valid any such concession of territory should be given only with the assent of all other ther pow powers powers powers ers To still further warn warning warning warning ing against the beginning of a division d of China it was significantly stated that the United States regard the present as an opportune time for making any concessions of territory or even for conducting negotiations for such concessions On March 1 the state department took steps to acquaint every one of the powers interested in China with the Instructions it had given Mr Conger The result was to elicit from nearly all of them expressions of approval of the lines laid down by the United States and foremost among the powers which accepted it was Russia The United Unit States government has not entered into any secret or open agreement with Great Britain or with individual power however strong strongly ly it may sympathize with the British desire to insure Manchuria against seizure On the contrary our govern government government ment meat has from the beginning discouraged discouraged discouraged aged such special alliances as at to China and has adopted the practice of inform informing lag ing every one of the powers of the con contents contents tents of any statement it has addressed I to any anyone one of them themI It is i felt here that the greatest strength of our position has lain in inthis inthis inthis this frank and open method of negotiations negotiations and there is no disposition to abandon iL it Count Cassini the th Russian ambassador dor called at the slate state department to today today today day and was vas closeted with Secretary Hay for half balf an hour Although no statement an cn be extracted as to the nature of tS i interchange it is believed that the n lT took occasion to toI again gain asser r the sincerity and propriety propriety propriety I ety of Rus purpose relative rel tive to Manchuria Count Cassini is very ver much per perturbed perturbed perturbed over oyer the tone of the press dis dispatches dispatches dispatches patches from London and does not notI I hesitate to add his emphatic and un unqualified unI unqualified qualified denial of the truth of their I contents |