Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-17
WITTE WORKING
HARD FOR PEACE
HAS NOW YIELDED ON SEVEN
ARTICLES
PROSPECTS APPEAR BRIGHTER
Concessions Made by Russia Close the
Door Absolutely to Msnohurlan
Ambitions Which Brought
About the War
PROSPECTS APPEAR BRIGHTER
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
PORTSMOUTH, N. H., Aug. 49,
The prospects of peace are distinctly
brighter tonight. The plenipotentiar-
les are laboring with seriousness and
earnestness which leave not the slight
est doubt that both are anxious to
conclude a treaty. Though the main
points remain to be contested and the
plenipotentiaries on each side speak as
though the conference would go to
pieces unless the other side gives way.
the spirit of compromise Is in the air.
When he returned to the hotel to-
night, M. Witte, who was tired out
with his hard days work, said:
II am doing all can do for peace.
or the eight articles we have already
considered have yielded on seven. No
other statesman in Russia would nave
dared to do so much, and have done
what have done on my own respon-
sibility."
From an authoritative source it is
now possible to forecast with a fair
degree of accuracy that the crisis will
come on Monday. Articles and 8,
dealing with the fate of the Chinese
of today, there remain, in addition to
the cession of Sakhaln, which was
passed over, the question of indemnity,
which comes up tomorrow as article 3,
the limitation of Russia's sea power in
the far east, the surrender of the in
termed warships and the grant to
Japan of fishing rights on the coast
north of Vladivostok.
To all except the last, to which Rus
sia will agree, an absolutely negative
answer has been returned. Perhaps
both the two preceding ones may be
modified and accepted by M. Witte in
order to strengthen his position in in
sisting upon a concession from Japan
regarding it's demands for an indem-
nifty and the cession of Sakhalin.
VIII Consult the Gar
Before yielding on either Of the lat
ter, it can be regarded as practically
certain that M. witte will consult the
emperor.
The exchange of views on the five
remaining articles is expected to be
completed on Friday or Saturday
morning, at the latest.
The plenipotentiaries will then ad-
journ until Monday, and the interim
will be used by the plenipotentiaries
81 \. ta
When they meet on Monday their last
cards will be thrown upon the table.
If there is to be bargaining it will
come then. The plenipotentiaries will
come together with protocols drawn UP
to sign, and either start for homes or
remain for the elaboration of the
treaty of Washington.
Articles and were disposed of to-
day, the former ''in principle" the lat
ter unanimously" according to the
official bulletins.
Article provides for the cession to
China of the branch of the Chinese
Eastern railroad running south from
Hardin to Port Arthur and Dalny,
with branch line connecting at New
chwang with the Shan Hal Kwan-
Tienstin railroad
Article provides for the retention
by Russia of the line through north
ern Manchuria which forms the con-
Meeting link of the main line of the
Trans-Siberian and the Usurri rail-
road with it's terminal at Vladivostok
and Harborovsk.
From both sides the Associated Press
is informed that the acceptance in
principle of article 7 only means that
certain phases remain to be elaborated,
and not that dispute still exists. But
this may be possibly only a convenient
method of postponing until the final
struggle the acceptance of an article
which would be used in the ultimate
compromise.
Manchurian Ambitions Dead
Russia by the acceptance of these
two articles in connection with arti-
cles 2, 3, and surrenders every ves-
tige of her ambition in Manchuria.
She closes the door to the warm water,
ice-free ports of Dalny, upon which she
lavished her millions, and retains only
the link of the railroad connecting her
European possession with the mari |
time provinces upon the Pacific. The
right to police it with Russian troops
or railroad guards is given up and its
protection will become the duty of
China.
1t was the 'cut-off' on this Chinese
road which more than anything else
was responsible for what is known as
the "Manchurian adventure" Whites
object while minister of finance had
been only to make of Talienwan or
Dalny "a commercial entry port for