Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-06
CEREMONY is NOT AN ELABORATE ONE
Principals Sign Simultaneously and Then
Exchange oOpieL
ABSTRACT OF TEXT OF THE CONVENTION
Formal Agreement Between Russia and
Japan is Given to Public.
soTH ARE TO LEAVE MANcHURlA ALONE
japan Has Free Hand I'm CoreR and
IL Given All Russian Rights
at DaIny and Port
Arthur.

Arthur.
PORTSMOUTH. Sept b-The treaty OF
Portsmouth was signed shortly before 4
o'clock this evening in the conference room
of the navy general store at the navy
yard The firing Of national salute Of
nineteen guns was the signal which told
the people of Portsmouth, Kittery and
New Castle that the peace OF Portsmouth
was accomplished fact, and the church
bells in the three towns were soon peal
ing forth joyful refrain.
For forty-seven minutes those outside the
conference room anxiously awaited the ag-
nal. Suddenly an orderly dashed to the
entrance of the peace building and waived
his hand to the gunner a few feet away
| and the opening shot of the salute rang
out on the clear air OF the soft September
| afternoon, procaiming peace between Rus
| sia and Japan.
saIutes for Envoys.
The Russian plenipotentiaries reached the
| yard at a quarter OF three, and received
an ambassadoral salute of nineteen guns
| The yard presented lively scene as the
automobile bearing NJ. witte and Baron
de Rosen dashed up to the conference
| building. on one side in special full dress
were two companies OF marines commanded
/ Dy mayor moses, WHO rendered the pre-
scribed honors as M. Witte and Baron de
! Rosen passed their front. Grouped in
front of the conference hall were large
number of correspondents who had been
admitted to the navy yard at the special
| request of NJ. White, and they gave him a
hearty cheer he allghted from his
automobile and was greeted in the vesti-
bule by Mr.. Peirce, the third assistant
secretary of state; Admiral Mead, COM
mandant of the yard and Commander
Cameron MGR. Wlnslow. commanding the
| Mayhower and the Ave midshipmen who
were ordered here for duty In connection
with the peace conference. The midship-
men we're Harrington, Bagley, Blackburn.
lngersoil and Leary, who appeared in spe-
cial full dress uniform
The Russians went at once to their pri-
vate offices adjoining the conference room
to await the arrival OF the Japanese, who
did not reach the navy yard until pollock.
Baron Komura and Mr. Takahira were
also saluted with nineteen guns as they
entered the yard. They were ushered at
once to the japanese ofice at the east end
of the conference room. Then the Rus
sian secretaries Immediately came over and
began the comparative reading Of the Rus
sian and Japanese copies which required
about twenty minutes. Upon the COM
pletion of this task they prepared the two
copies of the protocol of the final sitting,
leaving only the exact hour to be filled In.
Final Conference begins.
1t was just S:45 when the plenipoten-
tiaries entered the conference room from
, their respective Offices. They merely bowed
to each other and took their accustomed
seats at the long table around which their
negotiations have been conducted. Grouped
around the table were the other members
Of the two missions and the invited wit
nesses.
Mr. Peirce, the third assistant secretary
of state, as the personal representative Of
the president; Admiral Mead, commandant
of the navy yard; Captain Winslow. com
manding the Mayfower the governor OF
New Hampshire and the mayor OF Ports
mouth.
AS soon as the delegates had taken their
seats Mr.. sato left his chair and went
to M Whites side with the japanese
copies of the treaty, which he placed be-
fore him At the same time M. Plancon
placed the Russian copies OF the treaty
before Baron Komura. Almost at the
same moment the two selected pens from
the center of the table and signed their
, names first to the French and then to the
English text. The copies were then signed
by Baron Rosen and Mr.. Takahira. Mr.
signatures Of Baron Komura and Mr.. Taxa
hira. NJ Witte and Baron de Rosen af-
, fixed their signatures to the Russian copies
| and the treaty Of Portsmouth was signed.
the ceremony being completed at $3.50
! To this moment no word had broken
the silence of the conference room Throw
ing his pen aside, M Witte, without a
word, reached across the table and graspsd
, Baron Komura's hand. His conferees fol-
! lowed and the Russian and Japanese dele-
gates remained for a moment in silence,
I their right hands tightly clssped across ths
a conference table. The war was over. Rus
STA and Japan were once more friends
= speech by Baron ROsen.
9 Baron de Rosen was the first to break the
silence. Rising from his seat. the ambassa-
dor looking Baron Komura and Mr.. Taxa
hira straight in the eye said few words
which one only need to hear 10 know that
: they came from his heart. He began by
saying that he wished on behalf OF M
Witte. as Russian plenipotentiary and In his
own name to say few words. He con-
tinued:
= We haXe just signed an act which will
8 have forever place in the annals of his
n tory. il Is not for us active participants
= in the conclusion OF this treaty 10 pass
: As negotistors on Behalf Of TIE empir,
> OF Russia. as we'll as the empire OF Japan
n we may Win trdnqun conscience say thai
- Ne have done all that was IN our powei
n in order to bring about t,ie pesee for whicf
[ the whole civilized world was longing. Al
plenipotentiaries OF Russia we fulfill 4
most agreeable duty in acknowledginI
that in negotiating with our hitherto ad
= veFsaries, and from this hour our friends
y we have been dealing with true anS
happy to express our high esteem anC
D. personal regard. We earnestly hope tina
{. friendly relations between the two en-
N pires will henceforth be- firmly estab
4; lished and We trust that his excellency
d, Baron Komura, minister OF foreiEI
e. affairs and one of the Leading statesmen
OF his country. will apply 10 the strength
" ening OF these relations the wide expert
ence and wise statesmanship he 80 con
" spcuously displayed during these negotia
tions which have now been so ausplcious sll