Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-08-17


in the peace negotiations upon which the
eyes of the world are fastened IL APP
preaching rapidly and the end Of this
week or the first of next at the latest
should witness the deadlock and the end
If the conference is to go to pieces. Two
more of the II articles, numbers four and
six were disposed Of to-day. Article four
consists Of mutual pledges to observe the
integrity of China and the policy of the
open door for the commerce OF all ma
tons and article six covers the surrender
of the Russian leases to the Lao Tung
peninsula. Port Arthur. Dalny and the
Glondc and Elliott islands. TO article four
both parties gave ready assent, and the
official statement of the adoption Of that
article took care to state that 1t was
agreed to unanimously"
Article five, the consideration OF which
WAS postponed until later. provides for
the cossion of the Island of Sakahalin.
Discussion appearing useless at this
stage on account of the firm negative
given in the Russian reply it was de-
cdcd upon the motion of the Japanese
to defer its discussion, thus revealing
the Japanese intention of postponng to
the end the life and death struggle.
This is the usual procedure followed in
diplomatic negotiations enabling the ne
gotators to come to an accord upon all
possible points before tackling the cru
cal issues and the fact that the Rus
slams acquiesced in the proposition
shows that they, too. are as careful and
anxious as are the Japanese that the
world should not accuse them Of being
responsible for precipitating the break,
IL break there is to be- and wrecking tho
conference.
This in itself is a hopeful sign. BE-
sides by postponing the ldrn.ng ques-
tons tn the end the psychological mo-
ment for bargain and compromise arrives.
Then hurriedly the last trump cards and
the GAM, is done. And there is a growing
hope Of compromise To the Closest OBJ
servers the final solution begins to
crystalize quite naturaliv-the Russians
yielding the cession of Sakhalin. Japan
foregoing the cost Of TIE war" but taxi
| ing compensation in the money to be
| refunded to japan by China on account of
the transfer to her of the Chinese eastern
railroad which Russia contends belongs
to- a private corporation therefore uncon-
| fsrable by japan the Russian govern
mcnt property in Port Arthur and Dalny
and remuneration for the maintenance
of the 10000 Russian prisoners in Japan
According to the Russian view. Japan
has already secured all and more than
she dreamed of claiming before the war.
'rc insist upon a foe who has still half
million mon confronting hAr in tho
| field footing the bill for the cost of the
war as the price of peace would. the
Russians say change the character of
the military struggle henceforth from
ono 70. certain principles to one for the
exact!on If blood money" All que stions
relating II Korea and Manchuria, ex-
| ccpt the ccss;on of the Chinese eastern
| railroad and the main Siberian line run
ming through northern Manchuria from
the station Manchura on the Ariur via
Hardin to Vlad!vostok. are settled IN the
! i've articles already adopted. Some con-
fusion has arisen about those articles
and tho following resume can be accepted
| as absolutely accurate:
THINGS AGREED UPON.
1-Recognition Of Japan's "prepon-
derating influence" In Korea. etc.
Mutual obligation to evacuatc
Manchuria, Russia to retrocede 20 Chi
ma all special privileges. etc.
s-Japanese obligations to restore the
| ma In Manchuria.
Mutual obligations to respect the
territorial and administrative integrity
Of China and the principle of the
open door,
1.-The surrender of the Russian
leases to the Liao-Tung peninsula. in
GLIDING. Port Arthur. Dalny and the
Blonde and Elliott islands.
THINGS RUSSIA OBJECT TO.
The cession Of sakhalin. reimburse
ment for the cost of the war the ces-
| sion to China of the Chinese Eastern
| railroad. the article relating to that
portion OF the main line OF the Sibcr-
| ian railroad running through northern
Manchuria. which includes provision
| for policing of the road by China and
not by Russia fishing rights on the
Siberian coast north of Nladivostok to
The Boring sea. the article AFFECTING
Russia's naval power in the Far East
and that providing for the surrender
OF the Russian warships informed in
far eastern waters. To all OF these
Russia has more or less objection.
| Besides indemnity and Sakhaiin. Mr..
Witte will strenuously oppose the sur
| render OF the interned warships, the
Limitation upon Russia naval power
and the cession of the Chinese East
ern railroad to China. The article re-
lating to the Chinese Eastern railroad
is number seven and comes up at the
session tomorrow morning. The
Russians are prepared with docu-
mentary evidence If the article is not
passed over. to show that the railroad
is private corporation named the
Russo Chinese bank. Mr.. Pokotilon.
one of the Russian delegates. was man
ager OF the bank in St. Petersburg
until few months ago when he was
| sent to Pekin as minister. upon the
death OF Mr.. Lessar.
Mr.. Berger. the attorney of the bank. il
Also here and the fight upon this article il
sure to prove extremely interesting and
possibly prolonged. as Russia will con-
test the Japanese contention that the
Russian government is the real owner OF
the railroad and that it was built for
purely strategic purposes
A JAR OVER PUBLICITY.
The only Jar in the sessions OF the con.
ference to-day occurred at the morning
session when a rather spirited contro.
versy occurred over the question Of the
publicity OF the proceedings. Each side
manifested a disposition to charge tho
other with being responsible for the
"leaks" And IL was settled by renewed