The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-24
Japan EAGER TO FIGHT RUSSIA
,,rwS or GUSTAJUS r. KIRBY.
WHO'S BEEN IN THE ORIENT.
mia. whole Country AfIame with lingo
spirit. He says-Russia is steadily
E,IIus Manchurla with COIOnists
Many Japanese In Port Arthur.

Many Japanese IN POrt Artnur.
cpstavus r Kirby, lawyer and the
..,, NJ Thomas Z. Kirby Of the American
Ar, Association, has just returned from a
,r,n through the Orient Mr.. Kirby made
eoroe observations Of the state Of mind Of
ttn Japanese. the Chinese and the Rus
a;o,s toward one another which have
,ro,tv interested the friends with whom
=, HAS talked since his return, in view of
,ho critical state Of International politics
in the Far last
Japan" said Mr.. Kirby yesterday, lis
srolnr for fight. The lingo spirit. the
des-e 10 show aggressive patriotism. per-
,reatss the atmosphere. The whole coun-
,rv ia M on its toes. The coolies in the
,,reets share the feeling with the aristo-
crats and with tho statesmen of the Diet
They are in perfect fighting trim. They
have the utmost confidence in their ability
10 win. They want to prove it and they
hate Russia. 1t has seemed good to Rus
sia. apparently, to let that feeling be inten-
ssed by the utterances of her own high
officials. The Russian Minister of War,
for instance has been quoted as volunteer
ing the comment that Japan is no good
II ia rather remarkable to me that the mere
statement, coming from such high source,
has not been enough to start war.
IT took no particular acuteness of OBJ
sorvation to see the state OF mind of the
Japanese To shout Long live great
japan" in the street was enough to start a
hurrah and whirlwind Of demonstra-
ton. Amember of the Diet, talking to me,
said soberly and seriously and with intense
conviction:
We can lick any one nation on the
faceo the earth.
Surely said, you do not really mean
that"
II do he said with some feeling. I
repeat: We can lick any ore nation on
the face Of the earth" And he did mean
II lust as lie believed it, and just as his whole
nation believes il. And they can come
pretty near doing it too. for time at any
rate
Mr. Kirby believes that If it were not for
the British Japanese offensive and defensive
alliance Japan would have been at Russia 3
throat long before now. Great Britain ia
bound to fight when japan fights. and Great
Britain doesn't want any more war for
while. she IL still sore from her last. How
long the British restraint will be effective
tha's tn" question.
The particular incentive to all this hatred
AS Mr. Kirby saw things, is the Russian
possession Of Port Arthur. The Russians
stole Port Art ur from the Japanese after
the China japan Wat by process Of inter
rational agreement, Japan will never be
content until she gets Port Arthur back
She IS willing to risk her national existence
Ia take Port Arthur away from the Russians
Russia has Manchuria, The Trans-Siher-
ian Railroad runs from the town Of Man
churia on the Siberian border, right down
to Port Art thur. Mr.. Kirby travelled over
the lira The Russians built the road so
that il lodged most Of the important Man
chu towns But as YOU travel along the
line you find a long succession Of Russian
towns populated almost exclusively with
R ssiaAs and with Russians farming tho
country adjacent TO them for many miles
back from the railroad
1t NAV be true that Russia is gong TO
withdraw her garrsons from Manchuria
next fall according to her agreement; bur
she is sending her people overland by the
thousand 10 settle on the land and live on
il and occupy il and make their homes on
II along the line of the railroad, Siberia
j. great country. beautiful country;
but Manchuria IS better--it is more fertile
These trainloads Of immigrants, and
NJ Kirby passed four or five Of them,
crammed full, every day, are not being
unloaded in Siberia, but in MarchuTla
The railroad, to all intents and purposes
runs through Russian territory, The open
door is all well enough; bur suppose every
seat IN the house inside that open door ia
occupied by a stold Russian who is very
comfortable where he ia, thank vou'
Port Arthur impressed Mr. Kirby very
much especially after seeing the pictures
Of the place which have been published
here Instead of a sparse settlement with
a few Notifications, Mr.. Kirby describes
Port Arthur as n crowded and busy fortified
CITY The harbor is an almost circular
bayset into the end Of the peninsula, which
nuns out 70 the Gulf Of Pechii. 1t is big
enough 70 hold all the Russian feet The
fact Is in there now, or was when Mr. Kirby
was there.
The entrance TO the bay is so narrow
that TWO bGttleships cannot pass in abreast
without great difficulty On either side
Of th" bay are Notifications in which tire
mnNdouslv heavy guns are mounted. The
hay is surrounded by hills. There are
fortifcations in a circle on these hills back
of tho harbcr Outside the hills again
is a trench fifteen feet deep and thirty feet
wide, running from water 10 water. II
j. apparently an impregnable fortress, so
far az any fortress can be impregnable.
But" says Mr. Kirby, that doesn't
near that Port Arthur cannot be taken.
Nobody knows how many japanese there
are inside its walls right now Nobody
knows how many have been there ever
since Russia took possession. | was driv-
ing abou' with missionary who had been
for wears up in Manchura He pointed out
cooe 10 me See that ChinamanT he
asked | saw him; he was an unusually
fire looking Chink See his pigtalY |
saw H. Bet il would come OF if you pulled
Il he said He isn't Chnaman; he is
jan
Then he told me Of an experience he
had mp in Mauchuria. He was watching
some coolies AZ work on some Russian
improvements One of them spoke up
and said
How are YOU. doctor?' He didn't
know the man. but the man spoke excellent
English ard spoke il COlloquially. He
found ont after awhile that the man was
Lieutenant in the Japanese Army A
Chi'aman'S pgtail is mostly an artificial
product anyway. 1t starts out genuinely
and things are braided into it until II drops
TO his heels
The two races are SO much alike that
i Is a very easy matter for "a Japanese
who has Iet his hair grow for year or
Two 10 fake up n pigtail that is as good
as the Chinese grown article. | haven't
NE slightest doubt that Port Arthur ia
iut e japanese and what that will mean
H. case Of war nobody knows. IL may
mean that Port Arthur will be blown sky
nigh the day war is declared We Will
nav" 20 wait and SEQ,
>, TIL" campaign will he right there at
PGr Arthur, anyway The japanese VIII
NhlrHbt"dy g M the gulf and strike
acr' ~ 10 cut the railrC adj When they have
Goh" that II will We case Of starve-out
D.. al nFt