The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-27
No RUPTuRN YEF.

N&KWat8&lNA# Over at Portsmouth.
 Portsmouth, N. H.. Aug. 2s.---As in- dicated in these despstches last night there was no rupture in the peaes negotiations today. Peace in by no means assured. but an important crts- is has been tided oyer and the fact that the life of the conference has been prolonged into next week adds materially to tho chances of favsr- able issue.
 According to the Russian vereian. it was Japan and not Russsa which weakened this afterncon. N. wifta publicly announced after the sitttnw that it was Baron Komura who asked for an adjournment untII Monday .sn order to have time to submit q nAw proposition. Yet ik ia known that Ak. Witte has received inyvrucricna, sent after the Presidents intereession at Peterhof through AEnbassadcr Meyer. to agree to the division Of HaMnNfaN and to permit liberal compensation Tor the Russian prisoners of war and kke cession Of the Chinege Eastern Rasi- road, but to continue absolutely to xa- fuse to pay war tribute under any guise. This was described as Ruseia. q .ultimatum." leaving the same old
 
 block to. an agreement
 In the regular course of procedure after the presentation Of the Japanese compromise proposition on "Wednesday the diplomatic move paesed to Russia and 1t was M. Witte's turn naturally to present the counter proposition of hia Government. If he succeeded. as is inc
 timated in withholding his card ana forcing the Japanese to play again, he undoubtedly gained a point ia tho game. but no adequate account of kha proceedings at today's meeting is forth coming. The plenipotentiaftes bw agreement excluded the secretaries. There wee no minutes. There ia ro record. This in itself is extremeiy sig ntficant. When men who ara lighting a desperate battle lock themselves in a room alone, 1t is the best evidences that they are terribly in earnest. It ia a hopeful sign. All that ts formally announced is that the minutes of the last session were approved, and upon Baron Komura's motion, the conference adjourned until Monday at o'clooks but whether or not the counter propb- sition of Russia was submitted at this afternoons session. it seems to be up i to Japan" to formally renoumce her de- mand for the 'fraise de guerre'' and try
 to obtain partial recompense in ns-
 other way-for instance, by a bona fl@ S&kn0lfUa EmperOr's Last Word.
 Emperor NichoIass response to Mr.
 Meyer and his instructions to M wttts are believed to be his last word 90 far
 as indemnity is concerned. A compro-
 mise by which Japan can secure ccSa-
 paratively moderate sum of money 10
 still open, but the gulf to be spanned is still wide between the two adv8r@ saries. Russia is now willing to divide Sakhalin. Japan. on Wednesday. claim ed the entire island by right of oceu. 1 patton. offering only to sell back the
 northern half at the price of "the eossi of the war" And 1t should be bofne in
 mind that the elimination of Articles 10 and II (surrender of Russiass in- sias sea power) was conditional upon her acceptance of this proposition. Ba- ron Komura and Mir Takahira want time to consult their Government be- fore agreeing to yield further.
 The most competent Japanese au- thorities said tonight: The question of peace or war still hangs in the balance"
 For the first time there appears to be some dissension in the Japanese camp as to the advisability of making another conoiliatory step. Many of the | attaches are strongly of the opinion that they should not recede another luCns 4ne HlOoI pEOtlAnouS OL InUtA said tonight to the Associated Rress.i
 We only offered one-half of sak- halin upon condition that we should
 receive for 1t the price we fixed. The island is ours by right of conquest. If Russia imagines we will give up half of it for nothing she is mistaken. Our answer should be Come and take it. . The main hope of peace rests. a8 before, upon the fact that both sidee are at heart sincerely anxious to end the war, that all the principles involved In the quarrel have been settled in ga- vor of the victor and that with each days prolongation of the negotiattons the pressure on both sides will increa6s not to allow a mere question of money to stand between them.
 The medium of communications be- tween Baron Kaneko. who is acting for Japan in the pour parlers. and the rea- ident and the Japanese Dlenipotsntia- ries has been discovered. It is Mr. JJchida. the Japanese consul general at New York. After Baron Kanego'B visit to Oyster Bay yesterday q long account of the interview was tramp mttted by telegraph in cipher to Baron Komura by Mir. Uchida-
 MT. Witts made the following etate~ poent to the Associated Press regarding today's session: We approved th0 minutes of the late session and at Ba~ ron Komura's request adjourned until l nm