The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-05-15
JAPAN AND RUSSIA.

The Japanese, since they tried their
strength in 1894, have always believed
that they We're strong enough to whip
| the Russians. Comparison with the SOL
diers of the white powers on the allied
march last year for the relief of the
legations at Picking, added to their con-
fidence. In discipline, smartness, dash
| and endurance, the Japanese troops not
only matched the best Of the Euro
peans, but they We're Individually su-
perior to the Russians. The latter gave
a sorry exhibition of the soldierly vir-
tues before Picking and their conduct
made every Japanese observer feel that
the task of humbling the Cars power
on the Asiatic coast would be simplified
by the personnel of his infantry.
The Russian infantry soldier is logy,
ignorant and stupid; not apt in the
initiative and hampered on the march
by a great commissariat. On the
other hand the Japanese soldier of
any branch of the service is alert,
quick to learn, eager to bring on
a fight and exceedingly mobile. The
other qualities which make him great
are courage, Inconsistencies of fear,
indifference to life, fanatical patriotism,
obedience to officers such as he gave
for centuries to his feudal lords, a
marching capacity which ages of
Professionalism has perfected and the
ability to get along with a ration of
compressed rice, which enables him to
make long marches from his base of
supply without wagon trains. So high
are MS qualities as soldier that in the
war OF lss4-95 not single man de-
serted, not one struggled from the fir
ing line, not one was cashiered for
cowardice or punished for disobedience.
Moreover 1t is no slight thing, that be-
hind the personal qualities of the lit
Tie Drown warrior stands a nation
winch Is sensitive in high degree to
the honor OF its soldiery. A man would
rare badly indeed, even in his own
nome who came back from war dis
honored. 1t We're better for him TO
come back in his funeral urn.
The chances of war so far as thesI
personnel of the fighting men is con-
cerned favor the Japanese rather than
the russians, Other considerations are
that Japan is close to the field of opera
lions ana Russia-or that part of Rus
STA which is effective for recruits and |
supplies OF foods thousands OF miles |
away from IT, and connected with 1t by |
800 AApb Ntil-utltlutu Oh |
railway. Japan has as large a fight |
ing population as had the North and |
south combined in the American civil |
war and can place as many soldiers In |
the field, By keeping command of the |
sea, Japan could, in one months time,
land fve hundred thousand men in |
CHINA and Korea; and her naval
strength, in Asiatic waters, is so far
superior to that of her possible enemy
as to enable her to count on clear seas
Tor her transports.
IL Is a consciousness of strength. n
sense of injury due TO the fact that
RUSSIA with the aid of Germany and
france gathered the fruits of the Jap
anese victory OF 1894, and a desire TO
Do recognized as an equal among the
great powers, which has caused the
war spirit OF Japan to flame so high.
When nation Is unanimous for war
ana mas the power TO wage IL on a,
great scale, the chances for peaceful
settlements are few. And so, unless
Russia loosens her grip on Manchuria,
sooner or later. she will have to meet
.he issue which Japan seems deter
mined to raise.