The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-31
Curious Attitude Which the Two Interested Govern
 nlentS Assume. WITTE'S ENEMIES
 ARE EXASPERATED Expected Cars Envoy to Fail in Mission and Dig His
 Political Grave. Tesxio shows Some Disappointment, while St. Petersburg Seems to Regard the Great Victory in
 Diplomacy With Unne-
 eessary Coldness.

POrfemOuIn, W. H., Aug, oU.--ACtudi work of drafting the Treaty of Ports mouth" began today. It is being done by MT. De Martens and Mir. Dennison, acting legal advisers for the respec- tive sides. While the bases of rAace" have been accepted by the plenipoten- tiarIes, considerable detail remains to be worked out in the elaboration of the articles of the treaty. This is espe- cialiy true in regard to the articles dealing with the Chinese Eastern Rail- way and the surrender of the leases of the Liatoung peninsula and Port Ar thur and Talienwan (DalnyO MT. Pokoti1off, the Russian minister to the Russo-Chinese bank at Pekin and who has intimate knowledge of all the details relating to those matters, is assisting MT. De Martens.
 A very anomalaous situation exists as to the impression created by the conclusion of peace. While the out side world applauds, in Japan there Is evidently great disappointment in the terms. and in Rnssias where + woulc seem that there should be universal re- joicing over the great diplomatic vic tory Nj. Witte has won, the govern ment seems to have received 1t eoldly. With the people 1t will make M. Witte a great and popular figure and add 10 his laurels. but at court evidently the very victory that M. Witte has achieved makes it all the more bitter Iy resented
 It is an open secret that when the Emperor appointed M. Witte chief pienipotentiary "the military party expected him to fail. They did not want peace and 1t was freely predicted fin St. Petersburg when M Witte left that he had been given an impossible mission. They expected him to fail in the negotiations or to make a bad
 aH political ruin. Instead, upon the very terms upon which the Emperor told Mir Meyer he would make peace and upon which the military party did not believe 1t possible for peace to be negotiated, M. Witte succeeded in se- the circumstances, favorable to Rus sia-
 Witte's Enemies DiapIeaSed.
 This has evindently only eXaspera- ted his enemies the more, and intrigue is again at work to discredit him. Since Japan was in a conciliatory mood they now say he made a mistake in surrendering half of Sakhalin. Yet he did so by the Czar's orders and him self insisted that personally he would have stuck to the end to his original declaration not to cede territory or give indemnity.
 Not a word about the receipt of the
 
 the situation both at Tokio and St. Petersburg, alarmists are inclined to , make much of the facts that the min utes of yesterdays fateful meeting have not yet been signed by the plen- fpotentiaries of the two powers. It is pointed out that either side still could repudiate the agreement. but both plenipotentiaries refuse to admit the possibility of, such a happening.
 The great strain under which pleni- potentiaries attaches, correspondents and summer guests have been laboring for three weeks. is over. Peace Is con cluded Only the actual framing of the treaty and the formalities of it's sigma lures remain. It has been decided that the room in the conference building where the plenipotentiaries yesterday came to an agreement shall be the scene of the final act in the treaty of Portsmouth" which Is to put an end to this historic war.
 The plenipotentiaries yesterday ad- journed subject to call. Unless some unexpected dispute arises there will not be another formal meeting until the draft of the treaty is completed, and even should a controversy occur 1t would not necessarily compel formal meeting as the plenipotentiaries, liv- ing under the same roof, are in a posi- tion to consult freely, either in person or by letter, Dr. DeMartens and MT. Dennison, acting respectively for Rus sia and Japan, have already begun the work of drafting the treaty and their first meeting was held this afternoon at o'clock at the navy yard.
 Mir DeMartens is receiving valuable assistance from MT. Pokotiloff. who. on account of his thorough familiarity with fine whole Far Eastern situation. and especially the leases of Port Arthur and inc L,iaotung Peninsula and all matters aftecting the Chinese Eastern Railroad, is particularly qualified to render aid.
 Exchange of Notifications.
 When the signatures are attached, the axchange of notifications by the Elm perors of Russia and Japan alone will remain Emperor Nicholas in the ere dentials given to M. Witte formally pledged his word to approve any treat ment his plenipotentiary would sign. While the credentials of Baron Komura, under regular Japanese procedure, re- served to the Mikado the right to sane ton the treaty. that is regarded as a mere formality
 The Russians continue to regard the agreement reached yesterday as a won derful diplomatic victory The highest Russian authority, speaking of what would have happened if peace had not been made, said:
 Consider the military situation from the Russisn standpoint in the moat fa-