Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-09-02
FRAMING PEACEI TREATY
Martens and Dennison, Legal
Advisers, Working on 1t.
JAPAN DISAPPOINTED AT TERMS
So Is Russian Government, Accord
ing to Information - Whites
Victory Adds to His Laurels.

PORTSMOUTH, ~ H., Aug 3D.
Actual work Of drafting the treaty OF
Portsmouth" has begun. NJ. de Mar
tens and Mr. Dennison, acting as Legal
advisers for the respective sides, are
working on ii. While the "bases" OF
peace have been accepted by the plen
ipotentiaries, considerable detail re
mains TO be worked out In the elabora
ton of the articles of the treaty. This
is especially true in regard to the arti
Giles dealing with the Chinese Eastern
railway and the surrender of the leases
of the Liautong peninsula and Port
Arthur and Talienwan port Arthur
NJ. Pokotllof, tie Russian minister to
Picking, who was formerly manager of
the Russo Chinese bank at Picking and
who has intimate knowledge of all the
details relating TO those matters, is as
sisting NJ. de Martens.
A very anomalous situation exists as
to the impression created by the con
clusion Of peace While the outside
world applauds in Japan there is eyi-
IDENTIFY great disappointment in the
terms, and in Russia, where it would
seem that there should be universal re
joicing over the great diplomatic vic
tory NJ. White has won, the govern.
ment seems to have received 1t coldly.
With the people it will make NJ. White
great and popular figure and add to
his laurels, but at court evidently the
xrfpfn1.u NJ XAiftn huG 1ahintyaH
makes it all the more bitterly resent
ed. 1t is an open secret that the mill
tary party" hates and fears Witte and
that when the emperor appointed him
chief plenipotentiary they expected
him to fail They did not want peace,
and it was freely predicted in st. Pc
tersburg when NJ. Witte left that he
had been given an impossible mission
and sent to America to break his
neck" They expected him to fail in
the negotiation or to make a bad
peace and either would have spelled
political ruin.
Instead, upon the very terms upon
which the emperor told Mr.. Meyer he
would make peace and upon which the
military party did not believe it posi-
bic for peace to be negotiated NJ. White
succeeded in securing treaty honora-
BILE and under the circumstances favor
able to Russia. This has evidently only
eXasperated his enemies the more, and
intrigue is again at work to diScredit
him. Since Japan was in conciliatoIy
mood they now say he made Il mistake
in surrendering half of Sakhalin. Yet
he did so by the cars orders, and
himself insists that personally he
would have stuck to the end to his orig
inal declaration not TO cede territory or
give indemnity.
In Japan the situation is reversed
The government recognized the advisa-
bility of concluding peace even if all
demand for indemnity had to be with
drawn. But the people We're incensed
even at the suggestion of the division
of Sakhalin. That was evident from
the expression in the Japanese press
Tuesday And that was before there
was even a suggestion of waving de-
mand for any indemnity whatever To
day Tokyo is silent. Not a word or line
about the receipt of the news comes
out of Japan. The government has its
hand upon every wire. And among
those who best know Japan here it is
ominous of the popular wrath the re-
ceipt of the terms of peace has raised,
and they recall with shudder past
tragedies when ministers have been
unpopular. In view of the situation
both at Tokyo and st. Petersburg
alarmists are inclined to make much
of the facts that the minutes of Tues
days fateful meeting have not been
signed by the plenipotentaries of the
two powers. 1t is pointed out that Ell
Their side could still repudiate the
agreement, but both plenipotentiaries
refuse to admit even the possibility of
such a thing happening.
One additional and interesting as
well as important detail in regard to
the conditions of peace and most inn
pOrtant of all is the fact that the
formal recognition of Japan's posses
sion of the Chinese Eastern railroad
below Kuenchengtse, the junction of
the branch to Kirin, involves payment
by Russia to China of a sum estimated
at $75,000,000 This is the Chinese in
terest in the road and for it China
must be remunerated.
The question of the ultimate posses
sion of the road is a matter to be set
tied between Japan and China. Japan
can keep the road or surrender it to
China, demanding in return the money
paid by Russia to China. If she elects
the latter course Japan will therefore
obtain as an indirect "spoI of war"
from Russia the above mentioned sum
in addition to reimbursement for the
cost of maintaining the Russian pris-
Oners of war; for which Japan win
present an itemiZed bill Japan is
known TO have given her word 10
China not to retain the railroad, which
was really built for strategic purposes.
But if China prefers the money to the
railroad Japan could not be accused of
faith Ia T.,