| Show to interview the minister in washington victoria B C august 2 among the passengers who arrived by the steamer empress of japan today were two wealthy chinese merchants lo 10 man loung and han chin man who are bound to washington to discuss the chinese american trade matters with special relation to the boycott now being enforced against american goods in china with the minister at washington in an interview one of the chinese said that although they had no official standing they wished to lay certain matters with regard to the difficulties that had arisen before the chinese legation in the united states lo 10 man loung said there was a strong feeling at present growing in force in the coast cities of china for a union with japan boycott spreading victoria B C august 2 although arrivals from china state the boycott against american goods is not a serious menace the newspapers are filled with reports of anti american mentions and gathering of guilds bodies of students and others to further the boycott the commercial guild has drawn up a special paper and millions of copies are to bo circulated to give to the boycott the guild with representatives from every chinese province but furlen ha made an agreement that no member will purchase american goods A mass meeting of delegates from twenty six chinese colleges was held at tien tsin to further the boycott when it was decided to appoint a number of students arom each school to travel and lecture upon the boycott large numbers of placards are being posted throughout southern china the language of which Is in cases strongly anti foreign tore off american cloth victoria B C august 2 advises advices from canton state that when a delegate of the chineis boycott move i ment against america was explaining i to students in canton schools the nature of the agitation he pointed out that many students wore tunics made of american cloth these were at once torn front the backs of the students various vernacular chinese papers have given notice that no american business notice or any news regarding americans was to be published 1 after july 18 ft ENVOY WITTE HERE with FULL POWERS dussias Rus sias ranking plenipotentiary to washington conference arrives and has greeting to country delivered new york august 2 clothed with plenary powers personally prepared and W his sovereign sergius witte dussias Rus sias ranking plenipotentiary to the washington conference landed here today from the kaiser wil belm der grosse as quietly and democratically crati cally as the most humble of his fellow passengers mr lodyjensky Lody gensky russian counsil general went down the harbor in a revenue cutter this morning officially to greet the distinguished envoy and was received by M witte on deck while the kaloci welhelm was at the quarantine accompanying the consul general were baron russian consul general at chicago baron russian vice consul at new york and mr russian financial agent at washington who was the bearer of important dispatches to mr witte froin st petersburg the latter promptly opened read and quietly put the dispatches in his pocket mr witte at the dock waa aaion rosen russian ambassador to washington with his secretary of embassy mr hansen baron rosen came on board as soon as the ship reached the dock and cordially greeted his conferee and the members of his suite M walte came down the gang plank on the arm of baron rosen followed by hla suite but soon found his passage impeded by a tremendous crowd to meet him and choso whoso gice mr witte smilingly acknowledged by repeatedly lifting his hat several policemen soon came to his rescue and cleared a passage 0 o the automobile which was waiting the party outside the dock midway down the pier the procession was again stopped this time however by a delegation from the slavonic society of new york who greeted M witte with a speech the russian envoy made a brief but cordial response mr witto enjoyed hh trip up the harbor he mingled freely with the hundreds of passengers who crowded the deck of great steamship and although at all times the center of attraction he seemed to be quite unaware of it it was a beautiful day and the russian envoy got bis first glimpse of the metropolis of the new world under the most favorable conditions everything seemed to interest him the towering skyline as ha passed the battery the numerous ships a the harbor and the activity which he saw on every alda interested him anal in hl quiet way he genuine enthusiasm to hose of his suite who stood near him on neck and pointed out the various points ot interest soon after the ship left quarantine mr witte surrounded by a large group 0 newspaper men who came down tho harbor on the revenue cutter and by as many of th as could crowd around him called to fala side prof de martens a member of his suite an handed to him a statement with tho directions that he deliver it in english as tho greeting of mr witte on his arrival in athla country prof de martens read the greeting in a and at its conclusion mr i received a which evidently pleased him and which he ac by several bows and walked away to another side of the ship to look at the statue of liberty aa mr watte does not speak english he was not pressed or an interview but members of hla party were each approached tor their views as to the negotiations naturally on a subject euch delicacy they were reticent ept but this much was ascertained beyond a doubt in scope tho powers of mr witte who come as of russia to discuss with the japanese plen means of ending the war provided a basis acceptable to russia Is obtained to sign the treaty of baah inston are equal in every way ta the powers handed to baron komurek by the japanese emperor 51 russian financial aig ent in washington speaking today tor M witte said there had been an unfortunate misunderstanding utterances said to have been made by mr watte in which he had not declared japans terms to bo intolerable for the reason that lie does not know what japans terms are new york august 2 when the kaiser welhelm der grosse arrived at her pier M watte handed to professor bartens this statement which professor bartens read aloud for the friendly greetings of the american newspapers upon my first visit to the hospitable shores of the united states I 1 offer my heartfelt thanks this kind attention touches me all the more profoundly because I 1 realize the vastness of bo power wielded by the press of the united states and admire the keen intelligence with which it is uniformly directed I 1 am glad to be able to add that I 1 also appreciate ana ethical worth of the aims of the attainment of which that power is so often and so successfully employed one of the noblest of these alms is the es of peace and friendship among and it is to the praiseworthy efforts of the people of tho united states in this direction that my visit to the new world is attributable for it is in compliance with the american peoples desire for peace of which president roosevelt was the authorized zed exponent that his majesty the czar has employed mo to come hither and ascertain the conditions which our gallent adversary deems necessary and adequate as a basis tor peace negotiations I 1 need hardly point out that it is my ardent desire that the two chivalrous toes who first became acquainted on the field of battle may have found in each others sterling qualities motives powerful enough to cultivate that acquaintanceship ance ship until it ripens into lasting friendship meanwhile however the terms offered must first be ascertained weighed and judged admissibly by russia before she can proceed to formal negotiations hitherto as you are aware it was customary in cases like athla to settle all such preliminaries before the meeting of the aries whose task it was to come to a final agreement on the matters under discussion now the very tact that his majesty the czan consented to take a course involving departure from this ancient diplomatic and to appoint a mission to learn the nature of the demands of our enemies Is an eloquent token of esteem which he and his subjects continue to cherish towards the people of the united states I 1 say to cherish because at no epoch ot our history have our traditional relations with this great republic been other than cordial and now I 1 should like to bay and to prove to your people who live less in the past than in the present and the future that it is the wish of the emperor and the leopla of russia further to strengthen the ties of friendship which have hitherto subsisted between the two nations it la in virtue ot that sincere desire that his majesty the czar waiving all other considerations ba unhesitatingly accepted the cordial invitation vi of your first citizen nad genial leader and it my mission should prove in all other respects barren and the endeavor to find a common basis for beaw negotiations should fall tor the time being the signal proof of friendship given by bis majesty the czar and the russian nation would still stand out aa a memorable event fraught I 1 trust with far reaching and results to the two great peoples of the west and the east M watte recognizes the god quail ties of the japanese military and naval administrative organs and does not believe any other european nation would have been able to resist japan as russia had done it must be taken into consideration says M watte that the japanese had been preparing tor war tor about ten years while russia was entirely unprepared wishing for and trusting in peace the japanese fought in their own neighborhood under all tavor ablo conditions while the russians had to be sent from their headquarters by a railroad entirely insufficient to their needs and to fight a colonial war with all co against them there is not in history another example of a similar disproportion between nevertheless all the foreign officers of the european armlet who followed the war are unanimous in affirming that tho russian troops both soldiers and officers fought with a bravery but they had to withdraw on account of a combination of circumstances with which their personal valor could not contend on tha sea the russians found themselves in constantly inferior conditions admiral squadron was sent against japan not because the russians had much confidence in ita success but they could not renounce from a military and of view any chance no matter how uncertain ot obtaining even a partial victory suppose for a moment that the war instead of having lateen place in korea or manchuria had been fought at the true russian frontiers hen the japanese would not have been able to face the russian forces for more than six months however even aa things iland the japanese have made no such progress aa generally believed in fact they would have to advance four times as much as they have done in tha last year and a halt to reach russia proper in which case they might consider themselves in a position to impose conditions of peace but they are very tar from this and the more they advance borth the more tho respective conditions of the russian and japanese will too reversed M watte did not wish to discuss at athla time the events in russia at firming however that they have not the character nor the gravity attributed to them nor can they bring about the consequences which have been supposed partly by prejudiced against russia and partly by those ignorant of russian internal affairs what is going on in the muscovite empire he said cannot have any ini fluency flu enco on her fa eign policy even the continuance or the cessation of the war the great majority of the russian people aard M altti do not attach to the conflict in the far east the importance which la given to it in europe and america it la considered colonial war but distant as a very the whole russian people would rise as a single man the day in which they should think that it Is no more the question of a colonial war which Is not dangerous but a conflict threat ening the security of the country M witta notwithstanding these views that he does not mean to say that bo will not make every possible effort towards the conclusion of peace adding that ho is favorable to peace as a russian and as a man having always worked to present war and understanding that at present nearly the entire world desires the end ot the conflict however he feels that ao reach this object it Is necessary the japanese should be animated by the same feelings that they should that peace for russia la des mable but Is not at all ible and that consequently ho will neven accept any condition which even apparently may offend the amour M watte repeated that he will honesty do all that his conscience suggest to bring about it possible gin agreement which may be equally satisfactory to the interests of russia ad japan falter having done this noi matter what the results may be M itte feels that be will hava accomplished his duty jans are silent new 2 at the head quarters ift the Japa neso peace corn nersi tonight no comment was made associated press interview of mr witte almar sato who has met all interviewers since tha japanese arrived in new york said that baron komu ra would make no statement at athla time and a personal standpoint he sato thought that to make any statement or comment at all would bo entering the prematurely |
