The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-01-05
CRUSHING OW.
St. Petersburg Has Not Been Informed
of the Surrender Of the Garrison

at Port Arthur.
ST Petersburg. Jan. s.--yyllile there
Is no loager any doubt in official cir
cles in st. Petersburg that the fate.
OF Port Arthur has been decided and.
General StoeSsefS long and gallant
defense ended, news of the surrender
mas not yet been allowed to reach the.
public Foreign kilograms regarding
the matter have been withheld from.
fhe newspapers pending the issue OF.
utie uITlclai u-1tuunceTnenL Itre.s Tnei
government is following the dictates
of its own Judgment in this case but
the public SO far is unprepared for
news which will prove a serious blow
when it ONE The newspapers so
Tar merely intimate hat the defense
of the garrison is proceeding as usual,
but every one has realized for some
time that the end was approaching
and there is no question but that the.
Taojrity, ii they We're prepared by a
preliminary announcement by the gov
eminent, could forgive the loss of the
fortress in admiration of the ~garrison'Si
heroic defense.
Possibly some of the hesitation of
the authorities to make the announce
ment Of the fall of Port Arthur is due.
to threats and nlo of radical de-
mands coupled with the absence of the
emperor, at is certain that nc dem-=
on~stration is likely which could assume
serious proportions, and the radical
Headers would be sure to ALLEVIATE the
sympathy Of many, even of the more.
liberal Russians, if they chose such a.
moment for a revolutionary ~delnonstra-
ton.
1t has been learned that the last teIe-
gram sent by Emperor Nicholas to Gen
eral StoeSsel vested the commander Of
the Port Arthur forces with discretion
airy power and urged him to exercise it
rather than allow the defense to so to
the last ditch, This may account for
the apparently brief time required to
conclude the negotiations between the
Japanese n Russian commanders, no
time having been occupied iii commune
eating With Emperor Nicholas.
1t is equally certain that General
Stoessel did not surrender without pre-
vious authorization
In diplomatic circles last night, where
there is every reason to believe there
is the best information regarding the.
plans of the Japanese, it is regarded
that the fall of Port Arthur Will be
promptly followed by an offer of peace
from Japan. 1t is understood that a.
strong effort will be made to have the
offer come through President Roose-
Welt. 1t is even suggested that the
terms include an arrangement which
- NAN-sANb sLih y iiA ~ -
sian gulf. There is, however, no indi-
cation as to whether an effort to in.
duce President Roosevelt to move in
the matter would be likely to succeed.
1t certainly is regarded as unlikely
that such q suggestion should come
through The United States unless the
president has had the strongest init
nation that it will be. favorably de-
cided by Russia.
1t is known that Emperor Nicholas,
has regarded the war With the greatest
adherence, but there IS nothing to in
dictate that his government intends to
recede from the plan of fighting to a
finish, as has been announced.
1t is runored that Admiral Rojest-
yensky's squadron Will return to the
Baltic to await reinforcements, and
proceed east next summer, Where it,
will be decidedly superior in strength
TO Admiral Togo's fleet, but there is
nothing authoritative to support such
q report.
The situation, so far as Vice Admiral
Rojestyensky is concerned, is not different
from that at the time the squadron sailed.
1t is known the vice admiral had altcrna-
tive Instructions when he sailed, covering
such Il contingency as now has arisen. So
far as known he has no Intention Of alter
ing his plans owing to Gen. Stoessel's sur
render.
The situation in the immediate future
may be such as to ncccSsitatc curtailinS
the cmperor's trip, and require his return
to st. Petersburg, but the report that his
pilot train had been blown mp is untrue.
There has been q number of misllaps to
freight and passenger trains, owing to n
blizzard prevailing in central and southern
Russia in the last few days. One train
vas dGraiicl near MinSk, and this Doubt
less occaSioned the rumor cabled to the
United States that revolutionists had
wrecked the train preceding the royaf
train.