The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-19
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Portsmouth, Aug. 1s.--Black pessim- ism reigns at Portsmouth today. The prevailing view is tbat the fate of the peace conference is already sealed. that 1t has ended in failure and that all now remains is for the plenipotenti- aries to meet on Tuesday to which day they adjourned this afternoon upon completing the seriatim consideration Eof the Japanese terms. sign the hnal protocol, go through the conventions and bid each other farewell. . Tn other words, that the meeting Tuesday will be what diplomacy calls the "seance d'adieu." But there Is still room for hope of a compromise. Neith- CT President Roosevelt nor the powers will see that chance of peace ship wrecked without a final effort, and that pressure is being exerted especially at Tokio to induce Japan to moderate her terms. is beyond question.
 Just what is being done or Is to be done has not transpired. King Edward is understood to be now lending a help ing hand and the financiers of the world are known to be exerting all their influences. At Tokio and St. Pe- tersburg the final issue will be decided. The Japanese have been implacable throughout the six days sittings. They have listened and explained, but they have yielded not an iota of the sub stance of their original demands. MT. Witte accepted outright seven of the twelve Japanese conditions. one on principle and four including the main Issues, indemnity and Sakhalin, ne re- jected. The other two. limitation of naval power and the surrender of in- termed warships might have been ar- ranged had there been any prospect of agreement on the two points upon which the divergence seemed irreconciliable.
 In the oral discussion of the terms Mir. Witte yielded upon two articles, but substantially the result of the thir- teen sittings of the plenipotentiaries has only been to emphasize the position taken by Mir. Witte in the written reply he presented last Saturday to the Jap anese terms.
 Both Sides Turn to Home.
 Now both sides turn to home before their final cards are thrown face up- wards upon the table next Tuesday, for the impasse reached today by the pleni- potentiaries Is recognized to be only a diplomatic fiction. If in the interim fresh instructions are received by either side, compromise Is yet possible. But the chances are recognized to be slim. So far as the Russian plenipo- tentiaries are concerned, there never was a chance of their yielding both
 
 of Sakhalin without indemnity was. &C., cording to the best inside information. the extreme limit to which Mir. Witte would ever consent to go and the em- peror has not yet given the word even to concede that
 And tonight. suddenly a new factor has been introduced which in the opin- ion of those most competent to judge lessens materially the chances that he might do so. namely. the issuance of his manifesto granting popular rep resentative body to his subjects. The bearings of this historic document" as M. Witte described it a few days ago upon the issue, are easily com prehensible. It is bound to amelior- ate the internal situation in Russia. It is the entering wedge for the real ization of the century-old dream of the Russian people.
 Tt will create enthusiasm at home" said one of the most prominent mem- bers of the Russian mission. because all thinking men realize that 1t means eventually a great change in the com position of the Russian state. It will be followed by a true parliament. a responsible ministry. premier, and Russia will become a constitutional monarchy"
 It is pointed out that the manifesto Is timed like what the French call a coup de foudre. and that its significance Is too plaia to be questioned. It was to have been issued last Saturday when the Russian reply was presented but 1t was held over until the conclusion of the oral consideration of the Japan ese terms. Meantime the terms had been published everywhere throughout Russia The press, even the liberal press. had replied that Russia could not pay money for the privilege of get ting out of Manchuria. The Emperor had publicly proclaimed to his subjects on July 2S in reply to a telegram of the Oremburg clergy: The Russian people can rely on me. I will never conclude a peace humiliating or un- worthy of great Russia"
 The manifesto Is Emperor Nicholas's answer to the Japanese demand for the payment of war tribute. The grant of this broad reform is regarded as