The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-26
END NOT REACHED
Peace Negotiations Probably
Will Continue.
Russia Is Willing to Pay Some
Money.
IT is UP TO JAPAN.
IF She VIII Sell Sakhalin at
Commercial Value
And Not Call 1t Indemnity. Set
tlement Can Be Made.

Portsmouth, Aug. 26.-President
Roosevelt's intercession at Peterhof
and Toxic has not been successful as
yet. but enough progress has been
made to insure the prolongation of
negotiations beyond today. A certain
result has been achieved at st. Peters
burg, but if there is eventually to be
peace, Japan also must change her
attitude. The repurchase of the north
ern half of Sakhalin still points the
clear road to the only possible com
promise, but it must be purely COM
mercial transaction, not a claim for
indemnity in disguise.
There had not been the slightest in
dication up to IL o'clock that Emperor
Nicholas would recede from his an
nounced determination not to pay
tribute under any form. And, in quar-
ters most competent to judge there is
not the slightest prospect of a change.
But if Japan would bend, if she would
renounce formally her demands for
Reimbursement for the cost of the
war" by the withdrawal of the price
she sets upon the northern half of
Sakhaltn, and frankly make the pro-
position to sell the island on a COM
mercial basis, it is difficult to see how
Emperor Nicholas, having already ac-
ceded to the other conditions proposed,
could refuse.
Japan, it is argued, could afford to
be magnanimouS to avoid Wounding
the sensibilities of her adversary, and
Russia could with dignity come to an
accord upon such basis. Japan
could not obtain what she desires, per-
hapS, but the amount she could secure
from the sale added to what she could
obtain from the Chinese Eastern rail-
road and the maintenance of the Rus
sian prisoners would certainly cover a
considerable portion of the cost of the
war.
The frank remuneration of the dis
guised claim for indemnity would
greatly strengthen also Mr.. Whites po-
sition by enabling him within the let
ter of his instructions to press for tn e
acceptance of such a solution. There
is reason to believe that Mr.. Witte him
self has some such proposition in
mind. He is said to have stated to a
friend that he held in reserve a final
proposition which if the Japanese re-
fused to accept, he believed, would
make it clear to the world that Japan,
not Russia, was responsible for the
rupture.
Mr.. Wittes proposition is said not to
be Mr.. Roosevelt's. It can also be
stated that unless an immediate solu-
ton is forthcoming, Mr.. Witte does not
favor dragging on the negotiations.
Better for the cause of peace in his
opinion. to bring the conference to an
end Then he believes Japan would
come to a full realization of the fact
that an indefinite war involving an i'm
mense expense stares her in the face,
because she refused to renounce her
desire to humiliate Russia by forcing
the payment of tribute. AS a skilled
and trained financier. Mr.. Witte evi-
IDENTIFY counts much upon the ex-
cheQuer argument.
AT II o'clock one of the Russian at
taches was quoted as saying that tele-
grams had been received from st.
Petersburg but they contained no
word which would permit Mr.. Witte to
offer counter-p proposition to the Jap
aneSe compromise, and that unless the
Japanese had a new proposition the
conference was doomed and today or
Monday would mark the final rupture.
Say Japan Needs the Money.
st. Petersburg, Aug. 26.-Mr. Meyer,
the American ambassador, today re-
ceived a number of cablegramS from
Washington, as the result of which he
called on Foreign Minister Lamsdorff
this afternoon. The foreign office an
nounced at p. m. that the situation
was still unchanged and that there
had been no developments over night,
affecting Russias position The Russ
says:
"It is seIf-evident that Japan is
greatly in need of money and that she
will not be able to continue the war
without it, but that Russia has no rea-
son to pay an indemnity directly or in
directly and will not do SO. 1t may be
that President Roosevelt will be able
to find an outlet from the impasse.
Americans can work miracles in mat
ters of finance"
The Novoe Vremya says: Cannot
the fortunes of war come our way?
We have learned something in the last
eighteen months and have strength
ened our army and improved its equip
ment If we pay an indemnity Japan
will use our money in preparing to de-
liver a new blow. If the war is
burden to Japan, let her stop it. 1t
would pay her to do so and would
ensure a long peace for both Japan
and all her benevolent creditors