Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-02
A Russian on the Peace Conference.

n nuSStdU vi SuC SoSS SSs'~
In the latest number of the North
American Review there is an interest
ing and valuable article on the Kittery
peace conference from the pen of Pro-
lessor De Martens, the legal adviser of
Russia at that conference, and the
man who acted in a large capacity for
Russia in the final drafting Of the
peace treaty. To be sure, Professor
De Martens is guilty of speaking of it
as "the Portsmouth conference" but
a lot of good men have erred in the
same way and, of course, it is hardly
fair to expect Russian diplomat to De
accurate in little matters of local
geography on the New England coast
In the first place, Professor de Mar
tens assures us that President Roose-
welt was never at any time guilty. u
the slightest suspicion OF lmpertiilefice
IN the estimation of the Russian gov
ernment's representatives, notwltn-
standing insinuations of this nature
in certain quarters. Perhaps he es-
,ab,isbed some rather bold precedents,
but the great Russian lawyer thinks
he was fully justified in doing this
by agreements made by the arbitra-
ton congress at The Hague. He acted
as a man of his forceful and energetic
character, who does not shrink from
taking the initiative, might be ex-
pected to act; but he in no way Of
Tended against the rules of internal
tiOnal etiquette.
Professor de Martens speaks with
admiration of the outspoken, straight
forward diplomacy of NJ. White, al
though it must be admitted that such
policy was good deal of de-
parture from former Russian methods
of diplomacy. 1t stood White in hand
to adopt such n course at Portsmouth.
1t was part of his game of bluff. we
infer, too, that Professor de Martens
made the intimate acquaintance of the
great American newspaper man at
Portsmouth. OF him the professor
says:
"The pressmen or correspondents of
the American dailies know no secret.
In their eyes, the public has right to
be told everything that interests it;
and, as the Portsmouth conference
held the attention not only of the
American people, but of the whole
world, the American press considered
it to be the duty of every newspaper
man. worthy of the name, to take all
possible means TO put the public au
courant of everything said and done at
the navy yard, and elsewhere, too"
Whether this course pleased De
Martens or not, he pays the American
''pressmen" decided compliment when
he says:
81 am certain that in no other coun-
try, and at no other international con-
gress, has the press played SO impor-
tant a part as in the United States at
the Portsmouth conference; and l con-
slider it my duty to add that never per-
haps has the daily journal exercised so
beneficial an influence as during these
proceedings. The fact is that, as the
whole universe and the United States
in particular most earnestly desired the
end of the war and the establishment
of peace the American press put itself, |
at the very beginning of the Ports
mouth negotiations, at the service of
this noble idea.
1t is evident from the opinions ex-
pressed by Professor de Martens in
his article that the European estimate
of American methods was immeas-
urably increased as the result of the
outcome of the Portsmouth peace con-
ference.