The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-20
Fate Of Peace Conference
Seems Sealed.
HOPE STILL PLEADS
Pressure Even at Toxic is Being Ex
erted to Induce Japan to Moder-
ate Her Terms. Her ENJOYS
Have Yielded Nothing. Russia
Will Not Yield.
(By the Associated Press

Portsmouth, N. H., Aug. 18.-Black
night. The prevailing view is that the
fate Of the peace conference is already
sealed: that it has ended in failure and
that all that now remains Is for the
Observation-Disclosures to meet on Tuesday,
to which day they adjourned this al
ternOOn upon completing the Seriat1m
consideration of the Japanese terms,
sign the final protocol, 60 through the
conventions and bid each other fare
well. In other words. that the meet
ing Tuesday will be what diplomacy
calls the .seance d'adleu.
But there is still room for nope or
a compromise. Neither President
Roosevelt nor the powers will see the
chance of peace shipwrecked without
a final effort and that pressure is be-
ing exerted, especially at Toxic. to in
duce Japan to moderate her terms is
beyond question. Just what is being
done or is to be done, has not trans
rired King Edward is understood
to be now lending a helping hand, and
the financiers of the world are known
to be exerting all their influences. At
Toxic and st. Petersburg the final is
sue vii. be decided.
The Japanese have been implocable
throughout the six days sittings. They
have listened and explained, but they
have yielded not an iota of the sub
stance of their original demands. Mr..
Witte accepted outright seven of the
twelve Japanese conditions, one in
principle and four including the main
issues, indemnity and Sakhalin. he re-
jected. The other two, limitation of
naval power and the Surrender of the
intrned warshipS, might have been
arranged had there been any prospect
of agreement on the two points upon
which the divergence seemed irrecon-
ciliable.
Both Look HOmeward.
In the oral discussion Of the terms.
Mr.. Witte yielded upon two articles,
but substantially the result of the
thirteen sittings of the ENJOYS has only
been to emphasize the position taken
by Mr.. White in the written reply he
presented last Saturday to the Jap
anese terms. And now both sides turn
to home for the last word before the
cards are thrown face upward upon
the table next Tuesday. for the inn
passe reached today by the plenipo-
tentiaries is recognized to be only a
diplomatic fiction. If in the interim
fresh instructions are received by
either side compromise is yet possible.
slim. SO far as the Russian plenipo-
tentiaries are concerned there never
was a chance of their yielding both
indemnity and Sakhalin. The cession
of Sakhalin without indemnity was.
according to the best inside informa-
ton, the extreme limit to which Mr..
White would ever consent to go and
the Emperor has not yet given the
word even to cOncede that. And to-
nil fo hoc
introduced. which in the opinion Of
those most competent to judge. lessons
materially the chances that he might
do SO, namely. the issuance of his
manifesto granting a popular repre-
sentative body to his subjects. The
bearings of this historic document
as Mr.. White described it few days
ago, upon the issue are easily COM
prehensible. 1t is bound to anchor
ate that the internal situation in Rus
sia
The manifesto is Emperor Nicholas
answer to the Japanese demand for
the payment of war tribute. The
grant of this broad reform is regarded
as virtually an appeal to the Russian
people for support to resist it.
At Toxic it is impossible to tell
what view will be taken. Peace prob
ably can be even now secured by the
sacrifice of the indemnity. Vague in
timatiOns tonight come from the Jap
anese side that "the demand for the
cost of the war; might be moderated
but Mr.. Whites reply is that he will
pay literally for the maintenance Of
the Russian prisoners in Japan, but
mot copeck for tribute
Tonight the situation can be sum-
med up in a single sentence-prompt