The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-26

'oSsacks knout, Russia for the Russians and
education for our people"
] have not one word of depreciation or thought
OF disrespcct for the policy or the sentiments Of
the present Car. lie does not rule Russia; Rus
sia rules him. II is, however, my firm convic
ton that the Russian empire is rotten to the
core, and that it only requires a war with
Japan some other country to demonstrate
my contention. That the car can put two mil
lion troops in the field by stamping his foot, |
am well aware; but that the integrity of his
empire can never be successfully assailcd BY a
foreign enemy, | emphatically deny. The Rus.
sian empire is like lump of dough- not easily
to disntegratc, but not difficult to tramp on
Russia is practically bankrupt; her executive
administration is horribly corrupt; she has a
larger army than she can properly feed. Even
her navy is not free from the prevailing
ruption, or her own pubcists are unpatriotic
mahgners and iasiterS. Her peasantry arc sunk
in Incidence, drunkenness and superstition, OF
Count Tolstoi is prostitutng his genius to ex.
Corate the class among whom he lives and
labors, and the circumstances Of whose life he
infinitely, laboriously and dramatically por.
trays.
Russia therefore, will not go to war with
Japan il she help it. The Russian govern
ment will give Japan and the world any guar.
antccs that will allay their rising suspicious.
nut Nllssld CONeItIy plcahS every assurance she
coycrtly makes when it. suits her purpose so to
do. Russia cannot back out of Manchuris. But
Japan plainly intmatcs that she must, that
the disintegration Of the Chinese empire must
go no further than il has already gone. The
Boxer movement upset all Rissias arrangements
Tor her aggrandiscment in the province Of
Manchra, Shan.si and Shcn.si, the three north
ern and richest quarters of the Middle Kingdom.
II Russia had succeeded in obtaining the en-
70 10 of ia
Europe and the United States, little as they
would relish it, would have perhaps accepted it
as an accomplished fact, one which Russia
bound to effect sooner or later in the
meantime compensatlng themselves with such
detachable slices of China as suited their fancy.
But Japan has prevented or rather frustrated
all this. Her slogan is Glands of Manchura" ="
In policy Japan has the moral support Of all
Europe and the United States. She wants moth.
ing more, except it be of Great Britain to keep
France in leash while she is hunting the Rus
sian bear across the AmoOr.
That Japan can do needs very little study
OF the relative strength and its disposition in
the East. The Transihcrian railroad is not fin,
ishcd within seven hundred miles Of its psoS-
pcctivc designation. This is no trhe in sys.
ten which is built for strategic purposes. Not
only is it incomplete as a military highway,
but it is imperfect and unreliable throughout
Port Arthur is impregnablo; but it cannot sup
ply the Russian army or navy with a base, for
Japan can throw into China at once an army
treble the strength OF anything Russia can bring
into the field, or has at hand. The japanese
navy is entirely superior to that of Russia not
only in the number ships and the men to
man them, hut in the morale of the men be-
hind the guns, The japanese navy is the best
in the world for its size; the Russian the
worst among the great naval armaments Of the
world. The Russian sailor has been disciplined
out Of all conception Of personal initiative and
selt-respect, II may be said that | am not cred.
iting Russia with her immense reserve of strength
and enormous resources. | can give her no
credit for resources 5000 miles away by sea with
an enemy confronting her with double her naval
strength, not TO speak Of the fact that Russia
has practically no transports to carry them across
the stormiest and most trcacherous waters in
the world, the Indian ocean and the South Pacific
or by land on railroad in its present stage
almost worthless for the rapid transportation OF
troops.
,ne uncertainties of war are pro,crbial. While
however, the course or results OF great war
cannot be prognosticated with anything like
eXactitude the errors, or at least the more ex.
Uayagant of them, arc due to the scnilc afec.
tation OF patriotism ignorance OF relative facts
and bumptous csotism arising from prejudice
and partidlity. II Russia and Great Britain were
to go to war, | suppose that nineteen out OF
twenty who have a real or imaginary grievance
against England should expect that Russia would
sweep her OH the face of the earth in good
shape in couple OF weeks at most and would
point to the Boer war as the most convincing
proof. They will not make the same mistake
in regard to Japan il she should wage war
against Russia, because the blindness of their
prcjudices and prcpossessions will not stand in
the light OF their impartial Judgment Yet
Great Britain could, without extraordinary en-.
dcayor in military sense place as many men
in the field as either Russia or Japan--say two
hundred thousand veterans and as many impro'
vised troops she wished to arm. Her incom-
parable fleet stands alone. | am tempted to
make this digression, for after all it may be
England and not Japan that shall be forced to
give the first shot,
Japan, then, in the opinion OF the most com.
pctcnt Judges can meet Russia in arms in Man.
churia in the Yellow sea aud give her all
the beating she needs, that is to say presently.
In few years more Russia will have perfected
her railway system into the Orient and then
not only China and Korea would be at her
mercy but likewise Japan herself As ] said
before, | do not believe that It is the destiny
Of Russia to become the conqucror OF Asia. We
do not know the Asatc well enough to pre-.
dict anything of his future and we are almost
as ignorant of his past. But Japan knows that
Russia is potentially powerful and that the Chi.
ncse are sayishly submissive 10 any authority
| which permits them to exist on suferlnce China
| under the heel Of kusSa would cut of Japan,
and for that matter the rest Of the world from
| the privileges of tree trade as effectively as if
| the Dowager Empress had IL all her own way
at treaty making. II is, therefore, now or never
| with Japan, and in my humble judgment Japan
| is not only prepared TO fight, but she will fight
| with the unsymbolized but none the less per-
| fcryd blessing OF every other government inter.
| estcd in the trade Of China, our own included.
p, NJ Greer,
| Scranton March