Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1905-08-09
Russian Envoy Makes Light Of the
Recent Japanese Victories
BELATED ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK
Russia's Chief Plenipotentiary De-
clares That the Japanese Would
Hare to Advance Four Times as
Much as They nave Done in Order
to Reach Russia Proper, and That
the Country's Power of Resistance
Remains Great.

New York, Spccial.-The kaiser
Wilhelm der Crosse, with Mr.. Sergius
Witte, the senior Russian peace en-
yoy, arrived in quarantine Wednesday
afternoon. Mr. Witte was in good
health. The shir had a good passage,
the sea being smooth, except on Sat,
urday and Monday, when it was lit
tie rough.
On shipboard, MI Witte was gen.
orally reticcnt when tic ...Siect of his
mission was mentioned. However, to
a correspondent who accompanied him
from Chcrbourg, Mr. Witte said:
Almost everywhere in Europe, as
well as-in America, not only Russia,
her forces, her resources and her
power Of resistance, are not known
but the people are even mistaken
about the true results Of the war. The
Russians have had reverses, but this
dues not signify that they have lost
the power which was known to the
Muscoyite empire before the war; it
does not mean that Russia has become
a negligible quantity nor that the
japanese have acquired by the result
of the recent victories such suprem.
acy as to make the Russian empire
consider them truly redoubtable cne-
uly.''
Mr.. Witte recognizes the good quail
ties of the Japanese military, naval
and administrative organizations and
does not believe any other European
nation would have been able to resist
Japan as Russia has done.
All the foreign officers of the Euro
pean armies, he said, who followed
the war, were unanimous in affirming
that the Russian troops. both soldiers
and officers, fought with truly admir-.
able bravery, but they had to with.
draw on account of combination OF
circumstances with which their per-
scnal valor could not contend. On the
sea the Russians found themselves
constantly in inferior conditions. The
squadron Of Rojestvensky was sent
against japan, not because the Rus
SLAMS had much confidence in it's sue
cess, but because they could not re-
nounce from military and moral
point of view any chance, no matter
how uncertain, of. obtaining even a
partial victory. The Japanese, he de
clared, had not made such progress
as was generally believed; in fact,
they would have to advance four times
as much as they have done in the last
,>year and a half to reach Russia~prop.
ersstjp which case sassQpes taehty might
consides. themselves in a position to
impose the conditions Of peace Ac-
+ scording to the Russian plenipotentiary,
these who do not know Russia well
oppose to the reasons the, spectre
of the internal conditions of the en-
pire, imagining all kinds of cataclysms,
but even about this, he said, they
were mistaken. Mr. Witte did not wish
to discuss at this time the events in
Russia. affirming, however, that they
/ have not the character nor the grav-
ity attributed to them.
Mr.. Witte indicated, notwlthstand-
ing these views, that he does not
mean to say chat he will not make
every possible effort towards the con-
clusion of peace, adding that he is IA
yorable to peace as a Russian and
as a man, having always worked to
prevent war and understanding that
at present nearly the entire world de-
sires the end of the conflict. lie re-
peated that he will honestly do all that
his conscience may suggest to bring
about, ii possible, an agreement which
may be equally satisfactory to the IN
terests cf Russia and Japan. AftdS
having done this, no matter what the
results may be, Mr.. Witte feels that ne
will have accomplished his duty.He
elnphatically denied haEihg said that
Japan's peace terms were intolerable.
He >als1~denied positively that he had
-4fedicted that the conference would
break up in a week.