Show JAPS WILL MAKE NEW PRECEDENTS 4 Do Not Propose to Return the Russian Destroyer MAY GO AFTER OTHER SHIPS C NEThAL POUTS PORTS USED SPANISH WAR WAK Washington Aug 17 Tak the Japanese minister today received a along along long communication from M sovera ment setting forth its viwa as fc ta the right of Russian ships to take refuse refuge ln in Chinese ports It is believed to be identical with other notes submitted to the European chancelleries aa sitU is evidently an Indication of the Japan Japanese ese purpose to make a defense in ad advance advance vance for drastic action which it pro proposes prOposes poses to take regarding these ships hip The officials here freely freery admit that the problem presented in the Japanese de dc demand mand inand that Russian ships shall not bi be harbored by China is a mo most intricate and perplexing one and there are precedents on all sides of the case As late as the Spanish war the Amer American Amerlean lean ican scouts and gunboats made ftc fre frequent quent use of ports in the West Indies notably Danish and British ports to communicate by cable with the home government and with see sec sections of the American fleet yet there was no charge that neutrality had been violated But the Japanese contention as made in this las last t note is that Chi Chinese nese neutrality has been violated at throughout the war nar by Russian gunboats and junks which repeatedly passed between that port and Port Fort Ar Arthur Arthur thur with war messages The rho Japanese are understood to pro protest test lest against the making of repairs to the Russian ships in Chinese harbors yet in the Spanish war the United States steamship St Paul spent nearly a week in a French West Indian port and no charge of violation of neutrality followed The Japanese are understood in this note to object to being deprived of their lawful prey by bythe bythe the dismantlement of Russian ships in Chinese harbors and also in the Ocr Ger German man harbor of Tsing Chau but in tb the Spanish war the British government held an American torpedo boat the Somers in asylum throughout the war But it is also alsa pointed out that the abel abil ability ity of the American navy to secure such privileges privileged during the Spanish war byno means constitutes a positive as assertion assertion cf ef the right of the neutral na no nations thins to accord them It may be stated positively that our government looks upon the Issue present by Japan as one distinctly between that country and China and therefore it will not In Interfere in the settlement |