The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-11


Baron Kornura and his encourage are
content to give the other side all the
time required. At the meeting yeSter-
day Mr.. Witte promised to give a re-
sponse at the earliest possible moment.
They readily accepted this answer and
did not even suggest fixing time linn
it Among them a feeling of relief
seems to be manifested that the events
of yesterday are already history. They
have patience and know how to wait.
Among the Russians it is already ap-
parent that the japanese terms, espec-
ialIy those asking Russia to foot the
bill for the cost of war. cession of ter
ritoTy and to put a limitation upon their
naval forces in the far east, are, conSid-
cred absolutely unentertainable. On
there points the Russian answer is sure
to be a non possimus-
War Cost to Date $65O,OOO,OOO.
Nevertheless this will not end nego-
tiations. M Witte is sincerely desirous
of making peace, and the Russian ere-
ply plainly stating what points can
and what points cannot be accepted as
base of negotiations, will leave the way
open for further proposals and
counter-proposals.
The Russians would doubtless like
to proceed by a process of elimination,
agreeing to some and rejecting or
making counter proposals to others
But the japanese are not expected to
agree to enter upon the diplomatic
game of give and take until after the
general principles are accepted. Their
rejoinder to the Russian reply is ex-
pected to be practically an ultimatum
"a statement of their irreducible
minimum which they will ask the Rus
slams to take or leave. AS far as the
cost of the war is concerned, while
the Japanese have mentioned no sum,
it is understood they estimate the cost
to date at about $65O,000, 900. The
advantage from this point of view of
not naming a fixed sum is that it
,I-,.e. aIa hot he fr1a ir11a of
money compensation which they have
adopted is the cost of the war, which
will continue at the rate of about ST.,
600, 900 a day as long as the war con-
tinues.
The publication of the dispatches
giving the japanese conditions Gre
ated a great furry at the hotel among
the guests and the newspaper corre-
spondents who had only been able to
guess at the terms
Among the Russian newspaper cor
respondents they were regarded as i'm
possible and the opinion was ex-
pressed that they would be received
with resentment by the Russian peo-
pie. The PRONUNCIATION of the scheme
for a national assembly in the i'm
perial manifesto tomorrow, according
to their opinion, would come oppor-
tunely to strengthen the hands of the
Russian plenipOtentiarieS
In their opinion the. answer of the
Russian people of all classes, barring
of course the radical revolutionists
would be against a cession of territory
and the payment of an immense war
indemnity.
Considered Extreme.
Berlin. Aug. 1.-THE foreign office,
without giving judgment on the equit-
ableness of the japanese terms of
peace, as exclusively obtained and
summarized by the Associated Press,
believes that negotiations will continue
until an agreement is reached. The
foreign office is convinced that the
desire of both powers for peace is
strong enough to lead to mutual sur
renders
Abstracts of the conditions were cir
culated among the diplomatic agencies.
They are, as the Associated Press
learned at three embassies, considered
extreme The prevailing view is that
Russia cannot be expected to accept
/ them but that they are not an 1mpos-
sible first demand and that negot1a-
tions may begin on the basis of these
declarations to be ultimately conclud-
1 ed, on some mething quite different
The publication of the condition
produced no appreciable effect on the
hourse. unless it was an indisposition
to trade in Russian securities until
something further is known
Declared to Be Excessive.
st. Petersburg, Aug. 1.-THE Jap
anese terms We're known early this
highest officials, who carefully guard
ed their knowledge. The newspaper
offices were informed on the terms
through the press dispatches from
Portsmouth and they rapidly became
known.
At the embassies and among the Off
cials of the various departments the
terms were declared to be excessive
and impossible of acceptance if they
constituted the Japanese ultimatum,
but generally they were regarded
merely as a basis on which to nego-
tiate further 1t was argued at the
embassies and in other quarters that a
settlement might still be possible if
certain features, such as relinquishing
of the interned warships and the
limitation of Russian naval power in
!. fication, and that consequently the
chances of reaching an understanding
were not shut out.
British View of Peace Terms.
London, Aug. 1.-THE Japanese
peace terms exclusively given in the
, Portsmouth dispatches of the Asso-
clated Press are not considered exces-
Sive by the government, nor as being
SenSibly reducible in the main points
. The terms the emperor of Japan pro-
posed were not communicated to the
allied government. but after the battle
of Mukden the foreign office was in
formed as to what terms would ther
. be accepta BILE and has since become
f aware that with the victory in the sea
r of Japan and the occupation OF
= -Sakhalin, the demands would be in
: creased. Since the naval victory anc
the occupation of Sakhalin the Jap
+ anese have added the cession of the
island, the grant of fishing rights, the
handing of the interned warshiDs ove1
and the limitation of Russian nava
, strength in the far east to their pre-.
: vious demands.
The expenses of the war to the Jap,
, anese are estimated here in the
I neighborhood of $55O,O00,0O0, and i
is thought this about the amount tha
will be demanded as reimbursement.
= Russians in London consider tina
e the naval limitation and fishing right
= are inadmissibIe, but incline to the be
s lief that Sakhalin will be ceded, ant
f expect negotiations on the subject o
S reimbursement for war expenses.
e Dodging Begins.