Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-10-05
THE kiTTERY CONFERENCE.
Some Of the Difficulties Met and Over
come by the President.

| more sober note. Since the treaty was
| signed the President has felt at liberty
| to tell his friends something of the real
| "insidc" of some of the conferences
which were held at Sycamore Hill, and
| III due time the interesting story has
spread until 1t has become almost pub
| lie property, and no violation of con-
| fdencc can be charged If it is now put
| into print.
THE President had far the easier
time with the Japanese plenipoten-
| tiaries." said one of the men who had
| heard from the Chief Executive the
| anecdotes hereinafter related. They
were willing to take his word for any
| statement Of facts, and seemed anxious
from the beginning to do everything
| to please him. The same could hardly
| be said Of the Russians. They were
| suspicious, oVerbcaring, and, whenever
| they were at a loss for an argument or
| 4 reason for their refusal to come TO
terms, would invariably fall back on
| the grandeur of their history. Russia
| can never pay indemnity. She Is too
| great. Russia can never ccde terri
| tory. Her history is 100 sublime.
| After the President had listened to
| these set speeches for some time he one
| day asked the Russian ENJOYS II Rus
| sia had not coded territory after the
| Crimean war.
"'Ah. yes; but that was different
| case they exclaimed.
| "'Ouite true agreed the President,
this is another war. But If you refuse
| to ccd" Saghalicn, how are you going
| to defend it? The japanese now hold
| icl, IL no.
| Yes admitted the plenipotcn-
| tiarics.
| "'Ard you have no navy in Asiatic
| waters, or in amy other waters. that Is
| likely TO rctake il within a generation"
| Alas. quite true. again admitted
| the Russian ENJOYS.
| "'Thcn how are you going to avoid
ccdng the island asked the President.
| ''fO this clnchcr they had no reply
| except again 10 fall back on Russia
| past. Russia cannot be humiliatcd,'
| they asserted. Think of her glorious
! history. Think of her proud place
| among the powers.
| The President intiicated rather dry
| ly that her position was not half as
| glorious just then as il had been at
| various other times in her history. and
| mad. a few other remarks which. l
| think. opened the eyes Of the ENJOYS.
| The President IS Of Dutch descent. You
| know, and | may say that on several
| occasions during the progress Of the
| negotiations he talked to the ENJOYS,
| japanese as we'll as Russians. like the
provcrbial Dutch uncle
/ He did not have all plain sailing
| with Baron Komura and Minister
\ Takahira, either. They at first want
| cd the EARTH and were quite prepared
! to press their claims for it. How the
President overcamc their arguments
| with more forceful ones he will prob
ably tell in his own way at some future
| time. In his dealings with the
| Japanese plenipotentiaries he soon
| found that he was considerably handi-
| capped by their ignorance of our COM
| monest idiomS and figures of speech.
| When he illustrated a point with 4 fig
| urc he usually had to spend quarter
| of an hour diagrammins the thing.
| Then. when they finally understood.
| they held up their hands in admiration
| and awe.
| THE President is the wisest Of men.
He speaks in parallels. He is a seer
| they exclaimed.
| For instance, one day. he said:
| Keep the kernel and throw away the
she'll when he WAS trying to make the
| japanese understand how much better
| it would be to accept n settlement that
was 10 their Immediate advantage than
to try to force a larger indemnity that
| they. perhaps, could not collect after II
| had been cXtorted-on paper.
What does that mean they asked.
| Where is the nut? We do not see any
nut.'
| when they finally saw the applica-
| ton of the Presidents remark, they
we're immensely pleased. and were all
| the more impressed with his prophet
| like speech.
| During another conversation that he
had with I;aron komura and Minister
Takahira over the same subject. the
Pres ident said: When | lived out West
and had occasion to travel across the
plains, we sometimes found q bull on
| The track. Although the right Of way
was ours, aE.l, ii "" wanted. We could
knock thar bul! off the rails, we did not
| do 50. unless we had to. We would
blow the whistle, let off steam. exhaust
the air brakes. even get out of the
train ami throw stones at that bull be-
fore we'd butt into him. And our
spliritude was not because we loved
that bull, either. Now, in this case,
Japan reminds me Of the train, which
has the right Of way, and Russia is the
bull on the track
Baron komura and Minister Taxa
hira We're completely mystificl.
How do we resemble Il locomotive
and a train of cdrs?' they exclaimed. in
duet. And how does Russia i'm
porSOnate Il bull? All, il is because the
Russians below so very loud that they
are like the bull upon the track
1.-The President spent some ten min
utcs calculating.
eve are like the locomotive and the
train because we represent progress, is
il not so?' they then asked.
NO, no, no. cried the President.
"'Rut we do represent progress
cried Baron komura in an injured tone
of voice. And the Russians do below
like the bull upon the track