Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-22
CAR IS INEXORABLY
OPPOSED TO DEMANDS
JAPANESE REMAIN ENTIRELY IMPLACABLE
President Roosevelt Has Not Received From Foreign Powers
the Support Anticipated and Great Britain
Abstains From Interference

BY Associated Press.
PORTSMOUTH. N. H., Aug. 21.-The
result of President Roosevelt's efforts
to save the peace conference from
failure remains in suspense. No direct
reply to the presidents proposition
communicated by M. Witte yesterday
has come from Emperor Nicholas to-
day, but other advices received from
st. Petersburg indicate that the em-
peror and his counselors are unshaken
in their determination neither to cede
territory nor pay war tribute.
What the president is doing on the
Japanese side remains as deep mys-
terry as ever. Little light is shed upon
the visits of Baron Kaneko to Oyster
Bay. The Japanese do not even admit
that he is their medium of communica-
ton with the president. They go no
further than to reiterate that Mr..
Roosevelt understands their position
and that they have the fullest con-
fidence in him. They show not the
slightest indication that they have In
any wise changed their position or are
prepared to yield more than they were
last Friday, when the plenipotentiaries
adjourned until Tuesday.
Conference May Be Prolonged
If M. Witte does not receive fresh in
structions before 3 o'clock tomorrow
afternoon, when the conference re-
sumes, the situation will be exactly
what 1t was when the adjourn
ment was taken on Friday. 1t is safe to
assume that in the absence of such a
reply the conference will be prolonged
beyond tomorrow, and every delay, in
the opinion of the presidents friends,
means hope, faint though it may be-
President Roosevelts object was Of
ficially described today as being to
''prolong the negotiations"
There is warrant for the statement
that M. Witte personally sympathizes
with the presidents proposition. no
matter how 1t may be regarded by his
imperial master and the latters adj
yisers. 1t is a mistake to suppose that
In considering such proposition the
emperor consults a regularly ordained
council. Throughout the conference he
has been calling in counsel such ad-
vssers as he deemed wise, some of his
relatives. the grand dukes. members of
the court and certain chosen ministers.
The Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaie-
witch, one of the most powerful of his
relatives, is known to be absolutely OPP
posed to yielding an iota beyond what
M. Witte has already conceded.
President Comparatively Unsupported
The spirit Of all the advices received
has been such as to preclude hope of
an eleventh hour change. The general
belief here is that President Roosevelt,
who has the moral support Of one of
the neutral powers. has not received
the active aid he expected England's
declination to offer advice to Japan. is
disappointing. though the motives that
actuate her In refusing to do anything
that might be construed as an attempt
to exercise pressure upon her ally and
tend to rob her Of the fruits OF her
victory are fully appreciated.
There are evidences here that CO.
operation by Great Britain would have
been resented by Japan.
Among the Japanese the only note of
hope is sounded. With general re-
luctance they seem almost resigned to
the shipwreck of the conference. They
declare that their position is unchanged
and they speak Of renewing the war
with a snap Of their black eyes which
speaks volumes for their confidence