Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-18
PEACE HANGS BY
SLENDER THREAD
Unless Both Sides Yield the
Negotiations Will Be
Broken Off Tuesday
NOPE NOT VET ABANDONED
NOPE NOT VET ABANDONED

sls sprung 0uTP'SS w
snts That Will Put New and More
Favorable Aspect on the Situation
. Talk Of Roosev slt 40 . Mediator.
Portsmouth. Aug. 1s-The ..eace
conference began its sessions today at
e:55.
when the pleni potentiaries met in
was practically with the tacit UNDER
standing that at the end OF today's
session they would adjourn until Mon
day. "The prophets Of evil" as these
who persist in believing all hope OF a
treaty is gone arc called, predicted to-
day would witness final rupture, and
that, at most, there would be only one
more meeting, not for final effort to
reach accord. but to exchange diplo-;
matte amenities and bid each other
farewell. This d'oes not correctly rep
resent the situation. Unless something
entirely unforeseen on either side oc-
ours today. the Anal struggle will be
postponed until Monday to give both
sides time to hear the last word Of
Hheir governments. Article IL. (imita-
tion upon RMssia's naval power IN the.
Tar east). was pending when the plen-
4potentiaries rea.sembled. Indications
were that 1t also would go over with
out ANAL action. The last aricle, No.
10, relating to fishing rights on the
Russian littoral, may be yielded by
Russia, but neither No. 10 dnterned
warships), Nos. II or - presented in,
superable difficu ties.
Everything now harks back to in
dernnity ana Sakhalin. II they can be
adjusted, the remainder will be child's
play.
s. No matter what the written full
ipowers' OF plt.nipotentiaries extra
ordinary may be, these modern days
the cable and telegraph, which keeps
the ENJOYS in instant communica-
ation with their home governments, has
made more or less Of fiction OF Full
Powers" which,. in olden days were
given to envoys charged by their gov
sernments with negotiating and settl-
ing International issues. Diplomatic
negotiations are now conducted by the
emperers and governments, rather
than BY emissaries. Both sets of pleni-
potentiaries are in continuous COM
munication with their governments.
Reports Of the japanese are much
longer and mora complete than those
of the Russians, and the secretaries OF
both delegations, work day and night
preparing the deciphering messages.
Just before witte left for the confer
ence this morning he received iong
cipher cable Perhaps it contained the
answer to an important communication
sent after last nights conference. It
was too late to decipher at the hotel
and Witte took 1t with him to the
navy yard. where his secretaries could
translate 1t. It is difficult to fantnom
the Japanese mind, but as asserted in
the associated dispatches last night,
there have beer vague moves in the
conference chamber which indicate
that they are willing to consider the
disputed points together "EnBloc" and
this is the basis of the main hope
that they are ready to compromise
The Russians in the final test may
yield one of the two points. They will
not do more, If they will do so much. If
the japanese, therefore. do not yield
at least one, the conference is wrecked.
That can be reyarded as certain.
II the conference threatens at the
last moment te, go to pieces the Jap
anese hint vaguely at an attempt at
rescue by President Roosevelt They
offer no explanation, they furnish no
Perhaps tomorrow or
Sunday an emssary might be sent to
oyster Bay to sound the president
Perhaps If they personally believe in
one OF the main points and
their government is still obdurate.
they will ask Roosevelt to intercede.
to bring pressure to bear at Toxic.
The president might be asked stimuli
taneously to urge both the Russian and
Japanese emparors, in the name of
to make mutual concessions.
But old hands at diplomacy say the
situation created would be so delicate
as to preclude possibility of the presi-
dent stepping into the breach.
While article eleven was the subject
pf consideration, as matter OF fac.
the discussion was not limited to that
article. 1t was general and covered all
the questions at issue. It is expected
article eleven and the last article
number twelve (fishing rights) will be
completed early this afternoon and the
plsnipotentiari',s viii then revert briet-