The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-16
Five Articles Out Of the Twelve
Have Been Adopted.
FIFTH WAS POSTPONED
On the Suggestion Of the Japan
tese Commissioners.
The Russians Gladly Acquiesced
in the Arrangement.

END OF this week or the first OF next
at the latest should witness the dead
lcck and the end. if the conference is
to go to pieces. Two more of the
twelve articles, numbers and 6, have
been disposed of. Article consists of
mutual pledges to observe the integrity
Of China and the policy of the open
door," for the commerce of all nations,
and article covers the surrender of
the Russian leases to the Liaotung
peninsula, Port Arthur, Dalny and the
Blonde and Elliott islands.
To article both parties gave ready
0ssent, and the official statement of the
adoption of this article took care to
state that 1t was agreed to 'unani-
mously.' Article 5. the consideration
of which was postponed until later,
provides for the cession of the Island
OF Eakhalin.
Discussion appearing useless at this
stage on account of the firm negative
given in the Russian reply, it was de-
cided upon the motion of the Japanse
70 defer its discussion, thus revealing
the Japanese intention of postponing
to the end the life and death struggle.
Both Glad of Delay.
This is the usual procedure followed
IN diplomatic negotiations, enabling the
negotiators to come to an accord upon
all possible points before tackIing the
crucial issues. and the fact that the
Russians acQuiesced in the proposition
shows that they too are as careful and
as anxious as are the Japanese that
the world should not accuse them of
being responsible for precipitating the
break, If break there is to be, and
wrecking the conference. This in itself
is a hopeful sign. Besides, by post
poninE the burning questions to the
end the psychological moment for bar
gain and compromise arrives. Then
hurriedIy the last trump cards and the
game is done.
TShere fs growing hone of rounpronoise
To the closest observers the final solu
tion begins to crystaliZe quite naturally
the Russians yielding the cession of
Sakhalin, japan foregoing the cost OF
the war" but taking compensation in
the money to be refunded to Japan by
China on account of the transfer to 1t
Of the Chinese Eastern railroad which
Russia contends belongs to a private
corporation, therefore, uncomfortable by
Japan, the Russian government proper
1y in Port Arthur and Dalny and re-
Enumeration for the maintenance Of the
600 Russian prisoners in Japan.
The Russian View.
According to the Russian view, Japan
has already secured all and more than
it dreamed of claiming before the war.
To insist upon a foe who has still u
million men confronting it in the field
footing the bill for the cost of the war
as the price of peace would, the Rus
slams say, change the character of the
military struggle henceforth from one
action of blood money
All questions relating to Korea and
Manchuria, except the cession of the
Chinese Eastern railroad and the main
Siberian line running through northern
1anchuria from the station Manchuria
on the Amur, by way of Hardin to
Vladivostok, are settled in the five ar
ticles already adopted. Some confusion
has arisen about those articles, and the
following resume can be accepted as alb
solutely accurate:
First-Recognition of Japan's pre-
ponderating influence in Korea, etc.
Second-Mutual obligation to evacuate
Manchuria, Russia to retrocede to China
all special privileges, etc.
Third-Japanese obligation to restore
the sovereignty and administra ton of
China in Manchuria-
Fourth-Mutual obligations to respect
the territorial and administrative integ-
City Of China and the principle of the
'iopen door"
sixth-The surrender of the Russian
leases to the Liaotung peninsula, includ-
ing Port Arthur, Dalny and the Blonde
and Elliott islands.
What the Other Articles Provide
The remaining seven articles (not
given in numerical order) are:
The cession of Sakhalin; reimburse
ment for the cost of the war; the ces-
sion to China of the Chinese Eastern
railroad; the article relating to that
portion of the main line of the Sibe-
Rian railroad running through north
ern Manchuria, which includes pro-
vision for the policing of the road by
China and not by Russia; fishing rights
en- the Siberian coast north of Vladi-
vostok to the Boring sea; the article
affecting Russia's naval power in the
far east, and that providing for the
surrender of the Russian Warships in
termed in far eastern waters. To all
of these Russia has more or less OBJ
lection.
Witte will strenuously oppose the
80 sr1fa
limitation upon Russia's naval power
and the cession of the Chinese Eastern
railroad to China. The article relat-
ing to the Chinese Eastern railroad
is No. Z, and comes up at the session
tomorrow morning.
The Russians are prepared with
documentary evidence, II the article
is not passed over, to show that the
railroad is private corporation
owned by the usso-Chinese bank
Mr.. Pokot1loff, one of the Russian
delegates, was manager of the bank
In ST. Petersburg until a few months
ago, when he was sent to Pekin as
minister, upon the death of Mr.. Lesser
Mr.. Berger. the attorney of the
bank, is also here, and the fight upon
this article is sure to prove extremely
interesting and possibly prolonged, as
Russia will contest the Japanese con-
tention that the Russian government
is the real owner of the railroad, and
that it was built for purely strategic
purposes.
A Correspondents View.
Portsmouth, August 16-Alexander
Briantchaninoff, correspondent of the
st. Petersburg Slovo, writing on the
questions involved in the surrender of
the Eastern Chinese railroad which is
being considered by the peace confer
ence and also regarding the general
question of the restoration of Chinese
sovereignty in Manchuria, says:
Notwithstanding the secrecy so
strictly observed in the peace confer
anee 1t is now known that the second
article of the discussion contains the
question OF returning Manchuria to Chi