The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-11
Does Russia Want Peace?

Although the purport Of the orders
said to have been received from the
Car on Thursday by the Russian pleni-
potentiaries is not known, it may be
guessed from the opinions which the
St. Petersburg newspapers are permitted
by the censorship to express and from
the acknowledged recovery of ascen-
dency by the war party in the sovereign's
council. There is, no doubt, ground for
the encouragement which, after the
receipt of the dispatches, was eyinced
by the diplomatists assembled at Ports
mouth, some of whose associates, who
are in a position to acquire accurate in
formation, do not hesitate to say that
peace Is at this time unattainable and
that the conference is likely to adjourn
permanently in week.
In such result there will be nothing
to put an end to the war in the Far East.
Tho Presidents proceeding was exem-
plary in respect Of motive and highly
impressive as demonstrating the re-
spect in which this Government and its
Chief Magistrate are held by both bel
hgerents. Yet to many it has seemed
scarcely reasonable TO expect that 80
long az the great army under Gen. LIME
WITCH should be able to maintain its
lines in front of Hardin Russia would
bring herself to accept what would be in
all likelihood the irreducible minimum
Of Japan's demands. Those advisers of
NICHOLAS II. who provoked the war by
the refusal to evacuate Manchuria and
by the encroachments upon Corea would
naturally oppose the payment of hun
dreds of millions of dollars by way of
indemnity, because they would prefer
to handle the money in prolongation
Of the contest. II t':o war were brought
to an end and the financial resources of
Russia were taxed to the utmost to COM
pensate Japan for her outlay it is obvi-
Gus that the opportunities for pecula-
ton, embezzlement and graft would be
minimized for years to come.
Th6 promptings Of greed, moreover,
might be seconded by those of fear.
The temper Of the reservists lately
called under the colors and sent to the
Far East has not been calculated to
feassure the upholders of the autocracy
Or to convince them that LINIEvITcH' s
army, continually leavened with disaffec-
ton by the newcomers, would prove, il
now brought back to Russia, a trust
worthy instrument of repression.
Perhaps even more creditable argu-
ments might be advanced at st. Peters
burg for preferring a continuance OF
the war to such conditions of peace as
the Japanese would probably grant
Honest and intelligent friends of the
RomanoE dynasty-there are such, Mr..
WITTE ~ one of them-must desire to
Gee 1t enter ON the experiment OF con-
stitutionsl government with the smallest
possible loss Of prestige. They may
well think. that if Russia is doomed to
be mulcted'of both large tract of terri
tory and huge indemnity the reepon-
eibility for such sacrifices should be
devolved by the sovereign upon the
peope's representatives. They feel, in
other words, much ms JULES FAvRE felt
In 1870, when, unwilling to damage the
Provisional Government irretrievably
IN the minds of his countrymen, he
told BIsMARCK, in tthe course of his
futile negotiations, that France would
never give an atom Of her soil nor a
stone of her fortresses. The time was
to come when France would give a big
slice Of her territory and more than one
fortress, besides an unparalleled in
demnity; but it required the National
Assembly, convoked, at Boudeaux, to
assume responsibility for the payment
& ~