The Press. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1904. THE ANGLO-RUSSIAN CRISIS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 12027, 31 October 1904, Page 6

The Press. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1904. THE ANGLO-RUSSIAN CRISIS.

Sα intense Jβ the national indignation caused by the Dogger Bank outrage, aggravated as it has been by the miserable shuffling of the Russian Admiral, that no doubt the announcement that England ha* agreed to refer the matter to the Hague tribanal will cause in many patriotic Britieh heart* a feeling of intense disappointment. Rightly angry at such a display of mingled cowardice and*brutality as that given by Admiral BoEJestvenski, they may be excused for holding that punishment prompt and condign ought at once to. have been meted out to the offender, and that if the Russian Government failed in its duty in this respect, the British fleet ought, without hesitation, to have been brought into play. So strong has been this feeling that there is not the slightest doubt that if once the signal had been given to Lord Charlea Bererford to open fire on the Baltib fleet, the Ministry would have regained all ite lost popularity at a bound—nay, more, it would have ntablished itself on the highest pinnacle in the public affection. The temptation t* any politician seking first the popular favour must have been enormous. Mr Baifour has deliberately put the temptation from him and has taken a course-which required a good deal of courage and a good deal of self-denial to pursue. B,ut what of the prestige of the nation? What of the interests of humanity? Are then likely to suffer from hi* action? We yield to no one in our detestation of the conduct of Admiral Bozjestvehski, and yet after a calm review' of tfcj circumstances we have no hesitation' in' eaying that in our humble opinion the course adopted by Mr Baifour is absolutely right. Wβ believe that whatever view may be taken of it now, posterity will hold that it was the decision of a, great stateemen, , jftvincmg teue courage as well c* soundness of judgment on his part, and that so far from the prestige of England suffering it will be agreed that only a nation strong and magnanimous and great would have disregarded the cheap and obvious expedient of making a "casus belli" out of the affair. Lot ue quietly and dispassionately consider the circumstances of the case. In the first place Britons, in" their warmest momenta of indignation, retain, their sense of £airplay end believe that any man ought to have a fair trial before be » condemned. We do not think that they would calmly and deliberately say that even Admiral Rozjestvenski hae forfeited this natural right. Then, by whom could hie trial properly be conducted'? . Wβ could hardly expect a Russian naval officer to submit himself to the' British Admiralty, while the state of public feeling in England at the present time would certainly prevent the people from placing implicit con-, fidence in the Russian. Government's will or even, capacity to deal with euch a case in a spirit of justice' and right. The Hague. Tribunal is an ideal Court before which to try euch a cose. To ttjk of ite •being a mainly "foreign tribunal," ea the "Standard" does, shows' an amount of petty inewlarism which we little expected from «uch a great journal. It is quito certain that.the case will be referred to men of international eminence and unquestioned probity, who may be fully tnwted to decide it on its merits. The "Standard "by talking about tfie "justly "aggrieved party" and "theaggressor" is, of course, trying the case beforehand. Ws ourselves are firmly convinced that the conduct of Admiral Rozjestyenski is incapable of defence, and nineteenj-twentieths of the British people, believe the same, but that very conviction curely ought to strengthen our confidence In referring it to on outside tribunal. Only one stipulation was required on .the part of Great Britain, and we are glad' to .see that that stipulation was made—namely, that Russia should give an undertaking that if the international enquiry shows any heavy blame, those responsible will be duly punished. The question of compensation to the sufferers is-not to be referred l to arbitration —Russia has already admitted her liability in this respect, and has expressed "profound regret" for what has occurred. . Are there still some patriotic—we will not say "fire-eating"—critics who hold that Britain has "climbed down," even if she haf not actually shown, the white feather i; agreeing to this compromise? We have nc hesitation in utterly repudiating the idea. Soch a suggestion might have had tome weight had the incident occurred at the very, outset of the war, before the Banian naval power was shattered—-w3i3e the Czar was still* looked. opon as tie bead of a military force of almost invincible strength. Now the situation has entirely changed. It required bo courage to give Uμ order

to smash- up Uμ Baltic fleet, and there" would hare been, no dificvltr in doing it. It was hemmed in on both .sides by naval squadrons'of overwhelmdng strength, each of which could have accomplished the task with the greatest ease. Ther» was no risk of international complications,' became tie united opinion of Europe—we may say of the civilised world—was with ue. But what would have been the result bad the war signal been given? Hundreds, if not thousands, of Russian sailors and soldiers, not in the feast responsible for the origin*" outrage, would hay* been sacrifioed;. th* chief culprits might, Jor might not, have received adequate,ponichmentL More than tiiie, a grave complication would bare beea introduced into tfw war in the Far Ea#fc—* war which it is particularly desirable should be confined to the pweent combatants. In dealing with the DogfcerbanV outrage, England was called upon to perform a sort of police duty—to see not otdytlat her subjects were protected, but that the law of nations was avenged. She di 4 bet duly by at once running down the offenders and bringing them sternly to account She might easily have inflicted injury or destruction on the Russian fleet; because she mm in the position of a very big and 'strong- policeman who has a very puny prisoner in his power. In deciding to give the culprits a fair trial before they are ' punished, vhebas chosen the nobler course, if there is any humiliation in the matter ab all it is certainly on the part of Russia. That once mighty Power hae had to submit to the indignity of having her fleet stopped: and her officers handed over to a foreign tribunal, and has had to give an undertaking that she herself will carry out the sentence. How should we like it if our own country bad been placed in-this, position? But the vart which England has taken in this matter when ette herself is strong end her adversary is weak, is, a«« convinced, a truly great and magnanimous action. In years to come it will reflect a hundred times more glory on her name than would have redounded from any onesided display of her navel power, however crushing and terrible it might have been in its immediate effects. ,