Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-06-13
CONDITION OF PEACE.
interesting Analysis Of Russo. Japanese
Situation.

| There Is great cry Oh peace,
peace" says Walter Wellman, writing
to the Chicago Record Herald from
Washington, but so far there Is no
peace. President Roosevelt is dis
couraged, though he continues his ef-
forts Russia gives no sign Of willing
ness or ability to come to her senses
and to put an end to what seems in
foreign eyes an intolerable situation.
At this juncture am able to state on
the best Of authority the attitude Of
the Japanese government The posi-
ton of Japan is that II Russia wants
peace, II she can be made TO realize
that she Is beaten to her knees, she
can have peace by asking for 1t, and
then she must be prepared to pay the
price. Japan wants peace-there Is no
question about that-but Japan would
rather continue to fight as long as 1t
Is necessary than to make peace now
on any terms except those that she re-
CARDS as absolutely vital for her own
welfare and safety. She cannot and
will not permit repetition Of the
events following the war with China,
which were directly responsible for the
present war. japan then had China
defeated and attempted to take meas
ures to safeguard herself but Russia,
France and Germany stepped in and
England and the United States re-
mained Indifferent. Port Arthur, then
In the possession Of japan and hers by
right of conquest, was wrested from
her and given to Russia on a lease
and Russia was permitted to exercise
military control of Manchuria.
| II Russia and her allies had acted
squarely with Japan this war would
not have been fought. Japan. Of course,
could not defy Russia, France and
Germany and was forced to yield to the
demands Of the triple alliance.
But now Japan is In different posi-
ton. She is mistress of the far East.
She has vanquished Russia, England
is her ally by treaty, and neither
France nor Germany will fire shot to
sustain Russia. When peace Is made,
Japanese statesmen, declare, 1t will be
peace that will last for years and
which Russia cannot break when she
feels like 1t. Only when Russia real
ICES this, Washington now appreciates,
will 1t be possible for peace to be
made.
While the British government is Sec
onding the efforts of the president to
secure peace, the president has been
made to understand that, owing to the
DC ecullarly delicate position Of England
as the ally of Japan. the British gov
ernment can take no steps to induce
Russia to make peace unless she
should be asked to do so by japan. II
England on her own motion approaches
Russia the natural Interpretation that
Russia would place upon that action
would be that Japan is weakening and
is ready to make peace at almost any
price, which of course. would be
great injury to Japan. Nor can Eng
land as the ally Of japan be put in the
position Of inducing japan to abate
what Japan thinks she IL fairly enti-
tied to. England, like all the other
| neutral and disinterested powers, Is
anxious to see the war brought to an
end, but Japan is Englands ally and
she must stand by Japan. This Is the
reply which the British government has
made to President Roosevelts efforts
to induce 1t to use influence with ia
pan for a reduction Of the amount OF
Indemnity demanded Of Russia.
France, on the other hand, as the ally
of Russia, Is In an almost equally deli
cate position. AS the ally Of the van
quished. her position is a trifle less
delicate than the ally Of the victor. but
at the same time It imposes upon her
the necessity of acting with great cir
cumspection.
| Exchanges are going on between
Washington and the capitals interest
ed to ascertain the advisability Of col
lective action being taken by the Unit
ed States, Germany. Austria and Italy
to impress upon the czar the necessity
Of making peace. This must not be
misunderstood as being intervention In
any sense, nor would It In any sense
mean an alliance between the United
States and the three other powers, but
It would simply be four neutral powers
acting in concert instead OF Individual
ly, and In union there Is strength. The
voices Of four great powers expressed
In unison might penetrate the torpid
head Of the czar when the voices or
four powers In a solo and not In
chorus might not have sufficient force.
The strength of the combination would
be the United States and Germany,
but Italy and Austria are great Euro
pean powers for whom Russia has
respect and because of Italy's interest
In Albania and Austria's watchful eye
on the Balkans. where Russia has
much at stake, and also because Italy
and Austria are the formal allies OF
Germany. Russia could not decline to
hear what they might say. Still, there
is always the danger Of Russia telling
the powers to mind their own business
and not interest themselves In things
that do not concern them. and II the
reply should be couched In language
not exactly diplomatic trouble might
follow. II is to avoid offending Rus
sian susceptibilities and to make GER
tain that a bad matter will not be
made worse that the president is
obliged to proceed with such caution.
Another formidable obstacle In the
way Of being able to do anything with
Russia Is the difficulty Of locating the
Russian government at the present
time. The Russian government today
exists only In name. There Is practi-
cally no more a government in Russia.
There Is no one with whom foreign
ministers can deal. no one who can
make a promise that will be good over
night. That is one reason why the
Japanese are in no hurry fully to dis
close their peace terms. They do not
know whether they shall have to nego-
tiate with the peace party or the war
party; with Lamsdorff, the liberal, or
Alexieff, the reactionary; with the czar
In one Of his pious moods or the czar,