The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-05
RUSSIAN SENTIMENT on THE
EVE OF THE CONFERENCE.
witte Chased with Alexien ~ Advising
Payment Of the Price Of Peace.

Payment OF the Price Of Peace.
From q 81. Petersburg letter Of June IL IN ths
Fortnfohav Reviev for July.
For three days past the small portion OF
St. Petersburg society which takes any In
terest IN politics has been lsnsuidly discuss
carefully prepared offer 10 Russia and Japan
to appoint plenipotentiaries for the purpose
OF concluding q peace. Hope, 1t must be
said. has outstripped faith. While there 10
no party whatever In Russia which desires
peace at any price, there 10 no party which
believes that Japan will offer acceptable
terms. Tho attitude Of the liberal party
changed on tho day Mr.. Roosevelt's message
appeared. Since the battle OF Mukdsn II
had olamored loudly for peAoe. and - the
Csars advisers seemed stubborn on war, no
reservation was made - to terms. When
peace elimmered on the horizon all was sub.
ordnated to the question, Would Japan offer
bearable terms2 The anti-war newspapers
ono and all limited at impossible humillstions.
and. like the reformers' congress- just con-
oluded at Moscow. began TO talk Of making
the continued war; rendered inevitable BY
Japan's greed. national affair. Or tho
zemski' sober Tor representative assembly, Of
N. Bulysufne. they said. must solve the ques-
tlon. The autocracy was not even At 10 make
peace. Such was the popular attitude. As
regards the chances Of success. diplomatic
circles expressed frank increduiity Ad-
hitting. what every one knew. that Presi-
dent Roosevelt had issued his public note
after private consultations which left no
loophole for Misunderstanding. it was pre-
dicted that his Intervention would end In
disastrous fasco, the effect Of which. by
frishteninE other would-be intermediates
Oh the ground. would be to prolons the strus-
Gle beyond It's normal length. The Car
will not, Of course, -ejec: che oheT.' said
the skeptics; "he has already In private &C.
copied 1t. But be accepted 1t 80 convener
of The Hague conference and to put himself
right before the world. As AutocrAt OF all
the Russias he has no intention Of making Z
surrender which will make his AL tocraey q
laughing stock Old time diplomatistshers
gibed mildly at Mr.. Roossvelt's va8ue human
itaranism. and most of them arc now quite
willing to make even bets that vladivostok
will be under siege next Christmas Day.
Taking into account the instability OF Rus
sian liberalism and the increduity Of diplo-
mats such attitudes were perfectly normal
and characteristic. But 1t Is now becoming
sion Of peace are not so much the extrava-
gance Of Japans expectations. even from
Russla's point Of view. or the new diplomacy
OF Mr.. Roosevelt. but the hopelessly unprAc-
tlcal attitude Of the st. Petersburg Foreign
ONCE. 1t has. Of course. Ions been a matter
Of common knowledge here that Nicholas Ii.
desired TO continue the war. 1t was easy for
his Ministers to advise ending = vain strussfe.
But the pain and shame Of surrender would
fall upon him and be historically associated
with his reign. The opposition threatening
his autocrAcy would find the nsw cry "hu-
initiating peace" moro potent than the old
one. "inoapably conducted war But when
Nicholas H.. abjuring his old oaths and reso-
buttons. sanctioned the preliminary nesotia-
tions which led 10 Mr.. Roosevelt's note, the
whole situation changed. Tho st. petereburs
Foreign once at onoe adopted Q lofty and
Indifferent tone. limited that:
There's but the twinklins Of q SCR
Between Z man Of peacs and war:
and that Russia really cared nothing for the
issue. which was. II not . Joke. Z side issue
and interlude In Z campaign which was Stin
to be continued till the Cars armies were
victorious. The Foreign once soemnly
diligently considered Mr.. Rooseveltb note
solely to please America and to please Japan.
Yesterday the important piece OF news was
given to inauirers that Russia had no inten-
ton OF appointing plenipotentiaries. She
had no intention Of making peace. But TO
show her reasonableness, abe would be very
pleased To learn the terms expected BY Japan.
She would appoint representatives. not pleni-
potentisriss. who would listen TO ana report
would be very glad to hear 1t. a. a matter OF
abstract interest. The fact that Russia had
been beaten on land and sea was OF no Inn
portanoe. She was the agerieved party;
Japan had begun the war. and Russia must
continue her projects for INJECTING hastise-
ment But the essential problem-whether
the war had to be abandoned and an abate-
ment Of Japans preliminary demands Sc
cured. or whether the struggle could be
f,,l, In
too exactins-was left altogether out Of ac-
count. Such were the conditions yesterday.
To -day the Foreign ONCE announces that II
has agreed to appoint "plenipo ten aries" In
name. But the function OF these plenipo-
tontiaries is still not to consider terms of
peace, but to hear what Japan has TO say and
report 1t to the Emperor. II the terms are
not alto sether impossible. Russia. - the re-
suit, may consider the possibility Of nesotiat-
ing for peace. At present she Ia doing no
such thing. And so on. In the same lofty
strain.
Thus, while the empires military prestige
and civic tranquility are dead or bleeding
to death, the diplomatic policemen are dis
cussins remote Issues Of intellectual interest
and refusing hatly to consider facts before
their eyes. Their attitude. Of course. may
change before anything written 10 st. Peters
burg can appear. Peace may be assured
obscurantist policy which Russian statesmen
apply in all cases Of peril. both we'll informed
natives and foreigners here are gloomy be-
yond words. Though the Ministers and
ofiicial advisers Of Nicholas II. have ben In
favor OF peace since the fall Of Port Arthur,
II Is known that only two have the courage
to adj payment Of the price which peace
entails. M. Witte and the supposed maker
Of the war. the viceroy Alexieh. who after
vstniy nHortnH Ma rAAiHnA tlun nv aAvs
boldly that there 10 no more Far East 20 far
a. Russia ID concerned. and that the dream
dissipated as the result Of his own support
OF Messrs. Besobrazof. AbaIa 4 Co.. must be
abandoned forever.