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Show OVERTURES BEGIN. Approaches Mado at Privato Confcrcnco Confcr-cnco In Northern Capital. PARIS, March 20. Inquiry lato last night tends to strongly confirm tho statement state-ment In last ovcnlng's dispatch that approaches ap-proaches toward pcaco between Russia and Japan havo already begun nt a private pri-vate conferenco In a northern European capital. In .view of tho statement from St Petersburg that pour parlcurs woro going on In Paris the Associated Press Inst night cnlled at the Russian embassy nnd tho Japanese location. Embassador NelldofT mated HpoclMcally that ho know nothing about such negotiations being In progress hero, nnd Minister Motono. while dcolinng to discuss the general question of ponce, authorized tho statement state-ment thnt no pour parlours woro occurring occur-ring In Paris. At tho Foreign offico It was also stated that officials thero wcro not aware of steps towurd peace. Progressing Elsewhere. Tho foregoing statements by Count Nolldonr and Dr. Motono, whllo Indicating Indicat-ing that negotiations aro not proceeding hero, do not niter the main statement that poaco preliminaries aro actually progressing progress-ing elsewhere. Tho real explanation Is probably to bo found In tho Parl3 dispatch dis-patch of last evening that a preliminary conferonco had already boon held at a northern capital. Thoro aro strong Indications Indi-cations that this capital Is Stockholm and that the negotiations will bo conducted at Stockholm If tho preliminaries prove successful. suc-cessful. Copenhagen also Is mentioned, but It Is understood that the point was raised ngalnst past or futuro conferences thero that a largo and Influential British element Is at that capital, whoso sympathies sympa-thies might bo hostllo to Russia. Who Acts for Russia. The personage acting for Russia In the preliminary stage of tho negotlntlons is described as a "lending general." Tho personage nctlng for Japan Is not disclosed, dis-closed, but he Is believed to be one who hns horotoforo taken no prominent part In Japanese affairs. Thero Is reason to bollevo that St. Petersburg and Toklo arc aware of tho results of tho meeting, and thnt similar Information Is In tho possession posses-sion of certain diplomatic circles In Paris. This simultaneous receipt of Identical Information In-formation In St. Petersburg nnd Paris probably accounts for St. Petersburg's view that tho preliminaries actually occurred oc-curred here. ' As to Final Results. Concerning tho final result of peaco efforts, ef-forts, they seem to hlngo less upon tho actual terms than upon Japanese willingness willing-ness to pauso during tho successful culmination cul-mination of her military campaign, ns Japan is proceeding on tho theory that once In possession of Vladivostok she can dlctato her own terms. Including Indemnity, Indem-nity, which Russia thus far has strongly resisted. |