Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-06-25
CHINA VS.. RUSSIA.

We have fallen into the habit in this
country of considerinr the Chinaman as
a very inferior sort of being, who can be
imposed upon and maltreated with i'm
punity in consequence of his lack Of
pluck, but those who have Travelled at
all in the interior of that empire know
that this judgment is an exceedingly
faulty one. While the Chinese soldiers
may not be the ''tige, S" and ''fre-eaters"
that they profess themselves to be, neither
are they the towards that Americans
rate them, as they are strong and hardy
in physique, patient under discipline,
and have about as much personal cour-
age as the average European or Ameri-
can. Everything considered, they con-
stitute excellent material out of which
to form a powerful army. Their weak
ness consists in the ignorance, conceit
and dishonesty of their leaders.
If by any chance a great military
leader should come to the front in the
war that now seems imminent, he might
test the resources of the Russian empire
severely before the contest was over. The
generalship at the outset will, of course,
be given to Tso Tsung-tang, who now
has command of the Chinese armies in
the western part of the empire, and who
has shown his ability in defeating and
DISCRIMINATING the forces of Yakoob Beg
and other rebellious leaders. But, when
pitted against Russian general, trained
in the modern science of war, Tso would
be compelled to change his tactics in
many ways, or suffer an inglorious de-
feat. That he has confidence in himself
is shown by the fact that he is one of the
foremost in demanding that war shall be
declared against Russia. But the Chi
nese army has been best handled when
placed under the control of foreigners, as
it has been more than once at critical
moments The American Gordon, who
had command of the imperial forces dur
ing the great Tientsin rebellion, succeed
ed in drilling and arming his troops SO
that in the end they became a really
formidable army, and, as the Chinese
government recently removed the re-
striction it placed upon foreigners serv-
ing in its forces, it is quite probable that
they will soon have among their officers
a number of well-trained Europeans, and,
possibly, a few of our own countrymen
As to military supplies, they are by nc
means wanting in these, for within the
past year large quantities of rifles and
ammunition have been shipped from this
country, on account of the Chinese gov.
eminent, while German advices state
that Herr Krupp has sent to the same
purchasers not less than $50 of his bes
cannon, and those who are to superin
tend their use have had thorough
training in the artillery branch of the
German army. With an ineXhaustiblt
supply of men who can be conscripteC
for service in the army, with large &C
emulation of arms and ammunition, al
that Gen. Tso needs to make him the
worst enemy that Russian commander,
have encountered since the Crimean wal
is the entire confidence of his government
and military genius. The latter he may
or may not have, but, if he keeps thu
former, while operating against foreign
enemy more than 1000 miles distant from
the capital, and out of communication
except that which comes by post riders
it will show that there has been consid
cradle abatement in the traditional jeal
ousies of the court of Pekin.