The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-11
PRICE TOO HIGH.
Russia Is Not Expected to Ac-
cept Japan's Terms.
Her Reply Is Already in Hands
of TranslatOrs.
WITTE is THE AUTHOR
He Did Not Wait to Hear From
st. Petersburg.
komura's Demands Regarded as
Excessive in Europe.
WITTE IS THE AUTHOR

Portsmouth, Aug. 1.-THE Russian
reply is already practically completed
and will be handed by Mr.. Witte to
Baron Komura at $3.50 tomorrow
morning Mr.. Witte has officially noti-
fed Baron Komura of this fact and
the official call for meeting of the
conference at the hour has been issued.
v Mr.. Witte this morning explained to
the Associated Press correspondent
that he had written the reply during
the night in Russian and that the sec
retaries viii now translate it into
French and English. The revised
document, he said, would probably be
ready by o'clock and it may be pos
sibIe to deliver it to the japanese at
O'Clock but in order to cover unex-
pected contingencies he had notified
Baron Ksmura that it would be ready
tomorroD morning. Mr.. Witte took
occasion to deny the current report
that the answer had been dictated in
st. Petersburg. He explained that his
powers were such that it was not
necessary for him to await instruc
tions from st. Petersburg or Peterhoff.
Naturally the chief Russian plenipo-
tentiary has been in communication
with his imperial master but Mr.. Witte
has himself written the reply. There
is reason to believe that the views of
the Japanese conditions communicated
by Mr.. Witte to the emperor were
shared by his majesty.
Writing to his paper, the Jill Shimpo
at Toxic, Rihei OniShi expressed great
satisfaction with the progress OF the
neSOtiations and particularly with the
manner in which the Japanese ENJOYS
are conducting the case of his country.
Il
is direct and absolutely devoid of red
tape, and so far as they are concerned,
treaty of peace might be signed to-
DAY. He comments on the necessity of
the Russian ENJOYS sending the Japan
terms to the emperor If Russia can
not accept the terms, he announces,
all right; We viii go on fghting'
However, he sees no reason for haste
in the negotiations. The position of
Japan, he says, is much better today
than at the beginning of the war.
There is no Russian navy now; there
IS no Port Arthur; no Lao Yang, no
Mukden, and our army is in possession
of Sakhalin and threatening the COM
munication of Vladivostok.''
There is he says, no other nation
which could with the observance of
the proprieties,- suggest subsequent
negotiations for peace.
A Russian View.
Mr.. Alexander Braintchanioff. corre-
spondent of the st. Petersburg Slovo,
writing on the. peace situation, says
President Roosevelt in his toast to
the plenipotentiaries put as an object
of the negotiations the conclusion of a
just and lasting peace 1t is to be
regretted that a personality so inde-
pendent in his opinions and so uni
Versally esteemed as President Roose-
Welt cannot for reasons easjIv under
stood explicitly state what he means
by Just and lasting peace but has
to leave it to the two belligerents
themselves to arrive at an understand
ing on the subject. But an under
standing is not easy. The ideas of a
Just peace differ widely in the two
countries. An excited state of public
Feeling exists in Japan. They are
elated with the successes which tIfay
themselves did not expect, while in
RuSsla the people are wounded by
unexpected reVerses. Leaving to the
japanese the care of speaking from
their point of view, in my capacity as
q Russian I can only give the reasons
why we oppose certain Japanese pre.
tensions, although we at the same
time recognize the rights they acquire
through the success of their arms
No peace can be lasting if not JUS
from the viewpoint of those who are
not victorious. Otherwise they would
be forever animated by the feeling O.
resentment and a desire for revenge
1t is false reasoning to base a demand
for an indemnity upon the statemen
tildL we IOfceQ Japan INTO this wa
ana that therefore we must reimburs.
her the expenses she sustained. Ac
cord1ng to our view, Japan declared
war to evacuate Manchuria, solemnI,
prociaiming that she did not wish ter.
rltorlal expansion, but that her puT,
pose was to defend the political eoui
l1brium of the far east, threatened b,
our presence in Manchuria We l1n
derstand that after 1905 war becam,
inevitable from a Japanese point q
view, and Japan prepared herself TO
IT, as shown by their victories TIL,
leaders of our government did not un
derstand in time, and Russia has nov
undergone the sad. consequence; bu
about one fact there may be no cls
cuss1on, namely, that Japan, consid
ering this the opportune moment, hur
RED to attack US without declaration
OF war, without even warning u
through an ultimatum. For these rea
sons we consider the payment of al
indemnify unjust in principle
Russians viii Balk.
portsmouth. Aug. 11.-With the Japa
nese terms under consideration bv III
emperor at st. Petersburg and the Rms
sian ENJOYS awaiting the word of hi
majesty before completing the draft 4
their response, an enforced pause ha
come IN the peace proceedings. TIL
IaIy-hos and automobiles which re
ported at the entrance of the Went
worth hotel at the usual ho1ir thi
morning were sent back to their omar
ters. The heat was sweltering. Baro
Komura and his colleagues remaine
Z closely in their rooms. Thev have fie
uratively folded their arms and ava
the Russian response. Mr.. Witte wa
at work early and with his secretarie
was busily engaged in deciphering tn
messages from st. Petersburg before
o'clock. All the threads are in hi
hands. He controls and directs every
thing on the Russian side His co
league, Baron Rosen, accompanied h
Mr.. Pokotiloff toured into Portsmout