Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1905-06-14
IS RUSSIA'S choice
PEACE negotiations IN PARIS,
JAPs WANT WASHINGTON,
II 10 Thought Russia Will Give In
Russian Government Thanks Presi.
dent Roosevelt for His Good Work.
Details Of War Council Of Russia
Some Wanted War Continued.

St. Petersburg, June 11.-Paris is
Russia's choice for the opening Of
peace negotiations. II Japan insists
upon Manchuria or Washington. Rus
STA doubtless will agree. but Paris is
preferred, and the emperor already is
prepared to issue instructions to M.
Nelidoff, the Russian ambassador to
France to act as plenipotentiary to
receive the Japanese conditions.
The Russian government has COM
municated to the administration at
Washington its consent to the publ
cation Of Russia reply to President
Roosevelts appeal, at the same time
thanking the president warmly for the
friendly and lofty spirit in which it
was conceived.
The Associated Press Is now able
to give some additional interesting de-
tails of the extraordinary council pre-
sided over by the emperor, which met
recently at Tsarkoe-Selo, and at which
the practical, although not the final,
decision was taken to terminate the
war If the conditions were not too
onerous.
Besides the older military members
Of the imperial family, all of the cab
met ministers were present-M. Man.
ukhin, minister of justice; General
Fredericks, master of ceremonies;
Prince Dolgeruki, Count Solsky, Bar
on Beese and members of the imperial
encourage. General Bragomiroff and
Vice Admiral Doubassoff were there
as strategic experts of the army and
navy.
With Grand Dukes Vladimir and
Alexander Michaelovich as leaders, all
the members of the imperial family,
except Nicholas Nicholaevitch favored
an attempt to conclude peace. Only
General Sakharoff. the minister of
war, and General Lobko, from among
the ministers, held out for the prose-
cution of the war. The former dis.
played a telegram from General Line
witch reporting the strategic position
Of the army as good and expressing
not only confidence in his ability to
defeat the enemy, but even to assume
the offensive General Sakharoff's ar
gument, however, was easily out
weighed, as were the considerations
presented by the other ministers, es-
pecially as the emperor from the be-
ginning manifested a strong disposi-
ton to end the struggle if honorable
terms were procurable.
There was a wide divergence of
opinion as to whether Japan would
attempt to impose impossible terms,
but the consensus of opinion was that
Japan is too wise to desire now to
humble its gigantic neighbor and force
conditions which would forever ran
kle in the heart of Russia and only
make peace an armed truce till the
Russian empire could make further
preparations.
An enduring peace, 1t was agreed,
was impossible if Japan tried to force
upon Russia humiliating terms such
as the surrender and disarmament of
Vladivostock and the absolute limita.
ton Of Russia's naval strength in the
Pacific.
The emperor, therefore, was already
prepared for the reception of Presi-
dent Roosevelt's message, which was
conveyed to the emperor by Ambassa-
dor Meyer personally the following
day, and his majesty accepted it cor
daily, especially as he had good rea-
son to believe that the president had
taken pains to disabuse his majesty
Of any idea that the United States was
unfriendly to Russia, or desired to see
her destroyed as power in the Pa
cific.
Japan has agreed to President Roos-
evelt's suggestion to appoint plenipo-
tentiaries to meet those of Russia.