The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-08-10

New York, Special.-The Kaiser
Wilhelm der Crosse, with Mr.. Sergus
Witte, the senior Russian peace en-
voy, arrived in quarantine Wednesday
afternoon. Mr.. Witte was in good
health. The ship had a good passage,
the sea being smooth, except on Sat
urday and Monday, when it was a lit
tie rough.
On shipboard, Mr.. Witte was gen.
orally reticent when the subject of his
mission was mentioned. However, to
a correspondent who accompanied him
from Cherbourg, Mr.. Witte said:
Almost everywhere in Europe, as
well as in America, not only Russia,
her forces, her resources and her
power of resistance, are not known,
but the people are even mistaken
about the true results of the war. The
Russians have had reverses, but this
does not signify that they have lost
the power which was known to the
Muscovite empire before the war; it
does not mean that Russia has become
negligible quantity nor that the
Japanese have acquired by the result
Of the recent victories such a suprem.
acy as to make the Russian empire
consider them truly redoubtable enc
N.Y."
Mr.. Witte recognizes the good quail
tiles Of the japanese military, naval
and administrative organizations and
does not believe any other European
nation would have been able to resist
Japan as Russia has done.
All the foreign officers Of the Euro
pean armies. he said, who followed
the war, were unanimous in affirming
that the Russian troops, both soldiers
and officers, fought with truly admir-.
able bravery, but they had to with
draw on account of a combination OF
circumstances with which their per-
sonal valor could not contend. On the
sea the Russians found themselves
constantly in inferior conditions. The
squadron of Rojestvensky was sent
against Japan, not because the Rus.
SLAMS had much confidence in its sue.
cess, but because they could not re-
nounce from a military and moral
point Of view any chance, no matter
how uncertain. of obtaining even a
partial victory. The Japanese, he de.
clared, had not made such progress
as was generally believed; in fact,
they would have to advance four times
as much as they have done in the last
year and half to reach Russia prop.
er, in which case alone they might
consider themselves in a position to
impose the conditions Of peace. Ac-
cording to the Russian plenipotentiary,
those who do not know Russia well
oppose to the reasons the spectre
of the internal conditions of the en-
pire, imagining all kinds of cataclysms,
DuI even dUOul lnlS, uS Sdiu, tuCy
were mistaken. Mr.. Witte did not wish
to discuss at this time the events in
Russia, affirming, however, that they
have not the character nor the grav-
ity attributed to them.
Mr. Witte indicated, notwithstand-
ing these views, that he does not
mean to say that he will not make
every possible effort towards the con-
clusion Of peace, adding that he IS IA
vorable to peace as Russian and
as a man, having always worked to
prevent war and understanding that
at present nearly the entire world de-
sires the end of the conflict He re-
peated that he will honestly do all that
his conscience may suggest to bring
about, if possible, an agreement which
may be equally satisfactory to the in
terests Of Russia and Japan. After
having done this, no matter what the
results may be, Mr.. Witte feels that he
will have accomplished his duty. He
emphaticaiiy denied having said that
Japan's peace terms were intolerable.
He also denied positively that he had
predicted that the conference would
break up in week.