Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-24
RUSSIAN HONOR AT STAKE
She VIII Not Take Husk for Kernel,
Shadow for Substance

BY Associated Press.
The following authoritative statement
to the Associated Press explains the
Russian position with regard to the
latest stage of the negotiations:
Statements have appeared in PROM
inent American and English papers,
which, while eloquent, studiously mod
crate, and we'll intentioned, are unhap-
PLY calculated to mislead the world
as to the prospects of peace and the
general character of Japans so-called
new proposal, with which 1t is con-
tended Russia can close without loss
of dignity. The regrettable mistake
into which the representatives of those
journals have undoubtedly fallen is
obviously the result of misleading data
leavened with real but secondary facts.
Thus, it is quite true, as those papers
predicted that the envoys of Japan
came forward at today's sitting with n
proposal which was new in form but
old in substance. 1t is also equally
true that that proposal lacks the two
contentious clauses stipulating that
Russia shall surrender to Japan her
disarmed ships and limit her naval
strength on the Pacific and that it re-
duces the difference between the two
powers to the compass of what is in
appearance a single question, the sale
of Sakhalin. Seemingly, therefore,
Japan has also struck her pen through
the most obnoxious clause of all-that
which deals with indemnity-and all
that she now asks Russia to do, in adj
dition to the terms already agreed
upon, is to purchase the northern half
of Sakhalin for the sum of one mil
lard and two hundred million yen
Q,200,OO00O0) and this alleged simpli-
fication Of terms is supposed to pro-
vide Russia with an acceptable basis
for peace treaty.
"At first sight the offer may perhaps
seem new to some, but closer exam
ination will show it to be in all essen
tials identical with the proposal already
rejected by Russia's plenipotentiarie
But only person unfamiliar with war,
in love with humanitarianism foreign
to Russia and incompetent to Judge of
Russia's national honor and dignity
could descry in those terms a new i'm
pulse to the peace negotiations, for a
grievous mistake is committed by those
who imagined the plenipotentiaries
OF the czar, the representatives of the
Russian nation, will take the husk for
the kernel the shadow for the sub
stance. A person of average intelli-
gence can see that what is new in this
proposal is merely the phraseology in
which It is couched.
Concessions Amount to Nothing
1.-THE elimina ton of the two clauses
stipulating that Russia's dsarmed
her naval strength on the Pacific re-
stricted bring no new element into the
transaction. For the withdrawal of
these claims, which were obviously put
forward with the intention of being
waived in the course of the negotiations,
is devoid of Importance. The dsarmed
ships in question are Russia's by right
and to ask that they be handed over to
Japan is to demand a breach OF the law
of nations.
again, the Limitation Of Russia's
naval effectiveness on the Pacific IL
meaningless because she will be un-
able for quarter, or It may be half
century to dispose Of warships
enough to keep a squadron there equal
to Japan's. while it would be fruitless