New-York tribune., 1905-08-16
PEACE SEEMS NO NEARER.
Critical Points In apans Proposal Still To Be Discussed
TWO MORE. ARTICLES ACCEPTED
Intense Pessmm Prevails POsmouh-Ra Recession by Japan Though
To Be the Only Solution

foe who has strI half million men confront-
ing her in the field footing the bill for the cost
of the war as the price of peace would. the Rus
slams say change the character Of the military
struggle hencefortt from one for certain prin-
ciples to one for the exactiou OF blood money"
All questions relating co COTea and Man
ehuria. except the cessiou OF the Chinese East
ern Railroad and the main Siberian line run
ming through Northern Manchuria from the sta
tiOn Manchuria on the AmoCr. by way OF HarbIn
to Vladvostok. are settled in the five articles
already adopted. Some confusion has arisen
about those articles. and the following resums
can be accepted as absolutely accurate.
First Recognition of Japans 'preponderatins
influence in COTea. etc
SecOnd-NIutuaI obligation to evscuate Man
churia. Russia to retrocede to China all special
privileges. etc.
Third-Japanese obligation to restore the SOW
ereignty and administration of China in Man
churia.
Fourth-NIutuaI obligations to respect the ter
ritoriaI and administrative integrity OF China
and the principle OF the 'open door
Sixth-The surrender of the Russian leases to
the LaO-Tung peninsula. including Port Arthur.
Dalny and the Blonde and Elliott Islands
Article g. which was agreed to yesterday. IL
developed Today was Incorrectly stated TO h4
the cessiOn of the Chinese Eastern Railroad
That article comes later The third article per-
tanned to the restoration OF the Chinese admin
istration In the province of Manchuria and was
a necessary and natural sequence to Article :.
providing foc mutual evacuation and mutual
recognition of Chinese territorial integrity and
the "open door policy for which American
diplomacy has fought. The mistake was due to
the fact that the railroad question. involved
generally in the QUESTION Of the restoration oe
Chinese administration n IIanchuria. was
touched.
The remaining seven articles though not In
numerical order. are the cessfon Of Saghalen. re-
endorsement for the cost of the war. the cessioa
to China Of the Chinese Eastern Railroad the
article relating 10 that portion Of the main line
Of the Siberian Railroad running through North
ern ManChuris, which includes provision for po-
Icing the road by China and not by Russia
fishing rights the Siberian coast north OF
VIadivostok 10 the Behring Sea. the article ar
fecting Russia's naval power IN the Far East
and that providing for the surrender OF the Rus
sian warships nterned in Far Eastern waters.
To all of these Russia has more or less objec-
tiou.
Besides the articles relating to indemnity and
saghalien. Mr. witte will streuuously oppose the
surrender Of the inteTned warships. the Iimits-
ton G45;. sslisgia's naval power and the cessfon
of the Chinese Eastern Railroad 70 China. The
article relating TO the Chinese Eastern Railroad
is number = and comes up at the session to-
morrow morning The Russians are prepared
with documentary evidence IL the article is not
passed over. to show that the railroad is a
private corporation owned by the Russo-Chinese
Bank
Mr.. Pokotilor. one OF the Russian delegation.
was manager OF the bank i'm ST. Petersburg un-
til few months ago. when he sent to
Peking as Minister upon the death of Mr.. Lessar
Mr.. Berger. the attorney for the bank. Is also
here, and the fight this article is sure to
prove extremely interesting and possibly pro-
longed, as Russia will contest the Japanese con-
tention that the Russian government is the real
owner Of the railroad and that it built for
purely strategic purposes.
The only Jar in the sessions Of the conferences
to-day occurred at the morning session. when
rather spirited controversy occurred over tho
question Of the publicity OF the proceedings.
Each side manifested disposition to charge
the other with being responsible for the leaks"
and it was settled by renewed pledges 10 ob-
serve the strictest secrecy hencefOrth regarding
the proceedings. As a result. the correspond
ents tonight experienced additional difficulty
in securing information
The discussion on Saghalien went far enough
10 demonstrate the determined opposition OF
Russia TO it's cessiou. and there had been not
the slightest sign OF yielding when the agree
ment was reached to reserve the decision OF the
question until later. Competent Japanese au-
thority however still insists that japan will
never abandon this point II is declared. how
ever. that Baron Komura and Mr.. Takahira will
go to the extreme limit to secure the bases OF
the treaty of Washington" The Japanese do
not pretend TO say that they are assured the
treaty will be signed They do not even say to-
night that they are hopeful Their position may
thus be unoficiaIly stated:
Japan's pIenipotentiaries viii continue the ne
gOtiations as far as possible without yielding on
those points which Japan has long ago decided
are essential demands. II. after this earnest
effort il Is impossible to reach an agreement
with Mr.. Witte and Baron ROsen, Japan viii an
nounce that further negotiations are useless.
and her plenipOtentiarieS will regretfully take
leave of the President and the Japanese govern
ment viii Immediately turn her attention TO the
campaign ManchUrla II has been made
plain by Japan that both sides can conduct the
negotiations with "A freer hand and make con-
cessions on certain points with less danger or
embarrassment by public opinion at home II tho
negotiations are kept secret.
The President has not only ceased all efforts
in the direction Of an armistice, but IL is the
feeling among officials of the Washington sov-
ernmeut that, perhaps. in case the bases OF the
negotiations are agreed upon. the actual draft
ing of the treaty may be haStened II there is no
truce. Japan long ago let IL be known that she
would not consent TO an arunistice until the sue
cess of the negotiations had been assured oy an
agreement upon the framework OF the treaty.
and now il appears unlikely that she wiz coll-
sent TO a truce then unless Russia asks Tor
IL which Japan does not expect