Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-23
ROOSEVELT'S PLAN.
President Outlines Scheme to
 End Far Eastern War.
JAPAN SAID TO AGREE TO IT
Under Its Terms Russia Would Buy Sakhalin, or Half of 1t, From the Mikado-Secret Messenger
 Goes to NJ. Witte.


 Mikado-Secret Messenger
 Goes to M. Witte.
 PORTSMOUTH, N. H., Aug. 23.- The suggestion of President Roosevelt for breaking the existing deadlock in the peace negotiations and rescuine the conference from failure is now semiofficially revealed. His solution would ingeniousy permit the satisfac ton of the Japanese demands for re imbursement for the cost of the war and at the same time enable Russia to face the world with the declaration that she had not ceded foot of terri. tory or paid copeck of war tribute to the victor. The solution is one which has heretofore been described as the natural and logical compromise. Terse ly stated, it consists in an agreement by Russia to repurchase possession of either all or half of the island Sax. halin now in the military occupation of Japan for sum the amount of which If the two countries cannot agree shall be decided by some method of arbitration hereafter to be determined, The purchase money, together with the sum Japan would obtain from the cession of the Chinese Eastern rail. road and the maintenance of the Rus. sian prisoners in Japan, would, it is estimated, about equal the amount claimed by Japan as her bill for the cost of the war. Practically, there. fore, the solution offered by the pres. ident involves recession by Japan up. on article 5 the cession of Sakhalin) and recession by Russia upon article 9 Gndemnity). It seems practically certain, though this cannot be affirmed positively, that the president has given NJ. Witte substantial assurance that Japan would be willing to accept such compromise. This is apparently sup. ported by the authoritative Japanese statement in reply to a question as to whether Japan had not decided to make substantial concessions:
 Tt all depends upon Russia"
 It was the presidents message to M. Witte which caused the sensation of the day. Early in the morning had come the official announcement that the meeting of the conference which was to have been held had been post poned The public reason assigned was that the protocols for submission at the sitting had not been completed. But a fn Ioto l,a n1 out. J. l.. McGrew, one of the stenog- raphers attached to the executive of fees at Oyster Bay, had arrived with a communication from the president for the Russian plenipotentiaries. M. Witte and Baron de Rosen had left the hotel ostensbly for a ride in an auto car to York Beach, but instead had quietly slipped over to the conference building at the navy yard to receive the message from Assistant Secretary Peirce. The most elaborate precautions had, been taken to insure secrecy, but it leaked out through tip from New York.
 For three hours NJ. Witte and Baron de Rosen remained at the conference building with Mir. Peirce. All those present decline to make any statements regarding what transpired at the navy yard, even refusing to admit that any importance attached to the matter. NJ. Witte would only admit that he had gone to the building ito send mes sage" and Baron de Rosen and Mir. Peirce absolutely refused to make any statements. Mir. McGrew took train to Boston, whence. according to re- ports, he took the Merchants Limited after first inquiring at the. intelligence office for the connections to Oyster Bay. He carried dress suit case, which probably contained the reply to the president This reply, 1t is be- lieved, was prepared by NJ. Witte and Baron de Rosen after Mir. Peirce had delivered to them the presidents mes sage. Its character is, of course, SC cret