The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-30
MASTERY OF SEA DECIDED Russian Admiralty Dazed
 by the Defeat. EMPEROR IS PR0STRATED Nicholas Said to Have Wept
 in Grief. Effect of Disaster Terrible Blow te Csar's Gevornment-Nation May Turn to M. DeIcasse in the
 Present Crisis.


 After waiting vainly all day and evening for direct news from the scat tered remnants Of vice-AdmiraI Rojestvensky's destroyed and beaten fleet, the Russian admiralty at midnight no longer attempted to hold out against the overwhelming evidence pouring in from all directions that the fleet on which all their hopes were centered had suffered greater disaster than dId the combined French and Spapish fleets at Trafalgar.
 More bitter even than defeat is the Japanese claim of the virtual annihila- ton of the Russian fleet with practs- cally no loss on their side, though many officers cling doggedly to the be- lief that vice-Admiral Togo must have suffered heavily.
 With every ship of Rear-AdmiraI Nebogatoffs reinforcing division either sent to the bottom or forced to strike It's flag, and only six of Rojestvensky's original sixteen fighting ships absent from the list of the vessels sunk or captured. and with the Japanese pur- suit still continuing, no naval authority has the temerity to dream that Russia can again attempt to wrest the maste- ry of the sea from Japan in the pre- sent war. The captured warships alone will furnish Japan with ready- made endorsements which will be more than a match for the fourth Pacific squadron, now about to sail from Cronstadt The Emperor was completely prostrated by the news and acording to reports he broke down and wept.
 A TerrabIe BIow. The effect of the disaster will be a terrible blow to the goverpment. Tha futility of trying to stagger on. on land, l. t. ynnrn nf e l for peace at any price" Is sure to be raised This time 1t is believed the | government cannot resist such cry. l Indeed. the radical liberals are openly
 rejoicing in their hour of their coup try's humiliation. They declare that tho disaster means peace and constiFpr I tion and that the deaths of thousands of their fellow countrymen and the loss | of over a hundred million doliane' worth of warships is not too big price to pay.
 The friends of peace in the govern ment are already representing the war party with forcing the issue between Togo and Rojestvensky. When the fleet apbeared in the straits of Malacca they tried vainly to persuade the Emperor that the time was opportune for the opening of peace negotiations, but the war party convinced his majesty. and Rojestvensky for the honor of the navy insisted that the fleet should be given a chance to retrieve the dis asters suffered on land.
 Diplomats entertain no doubt that the bellfgerent faction will continue to urge the war be fought to the bitter end, but the friends of Russia abroad and especially France are now bring ing overwhelming arguments to bear In favor of peace
 The Associated Press has excellent tr hoI tnT government in this crisis will turn to M Delcasse. the French foreign minister, in whose ability and in whose loyalty as Russias friend the emper- or and his ministers have Implicit confidence. Some time ago 1t seemed likely that President Roosevelt would play a big role in the peace negotia- tions. but now his share Is apt to be determined by Nj. Delcasse's decision. The later may, of course. consider 1t wise to place the negotiations in Pres ident Roosevelts hands-
 The War Party. The war party. however, will insist now, as they did after the battle of Mukden. that peace is impossible on the heels of defeat. The members of this faction are alHady prociatming that the naval disaster in no wise al- ters the situation on land, Lieutenant Gen gal Linevitch having prepared his plans as if the fleet did not exist.
 The censorship is taking the posi- tion that 1t Is improper to accept the Japanese reports fin the absence of of ficial news and has forbidden the pub lication of foreign despatches giving details of the defeat. Nevertheless. news of the magnitude of the dis aster spread like wildfire throughout the city and the main facts were ern- bellished in picturesquc details not withstanding the official declaration.
 The admiralty is without reports of the defeat. Private sadvices are said to have reached the city from Vlad- ivostok according to which Rojestven- sky is alive, but that he had a nar~ row escape. He is said to have trans ferred his flag from the Einiase Souv- aroff to one of the attleships subss- quently sunk and that he was woundA ed and picked up by a torpedo boat.
 4 large portion of the ohleers and sailors of the fleet were residents of St. Petersburg and evidences of grief are seen on every hand. Wives and children are besieging the admiralty and are visiting the churches to pray for the escape of their loved ones. Many of the people of St. Petersburg refuse absolutely to credit the news from Tokio and are cIutching at the belief that perhaps 1t is not official
 The government undoubtedly fcarn the effect of the news of the disaster upon the country. as evidence of which Governor General Trepof has taken personal charge of the censor- ship in St. Petersburg.
 Peace demonstrations are generally expected, though pending the decision of the government regarding the open ing of negotiations it is impossible 10 predict what stand the nti-govern- rnenf forces may take.