Arizona republican., 1904-02-29
silly and Mi i,chievous Yarns .

Silly and MI i5chieVouS Yarns.
 There comes from New Orleans a story that Captain Robert M. Bruce, who commanded q troop or the volun- teer cavalry regiment. called the Rough Riders, during the Spanish war, is pub licly announcing that he and Major Hersey, of the same command, are or ganiaing a cavalry regiment of the Rough Rider pattern to serve with the Japanese army against Russia.
 Captain Bruce explains that. while Japan has refused to receive foreigners in it's military service, this regiment of cavalry will be accepted, "as the cav airy branch is Japan's greatest mlli- tary weakness" He also tells at length how he expects to evade the United States authorities. The regiment will be organized in Texas, where it will be drilled thoroughly and equipped with American arms and accouterments. The equipment will be shipped to Ja- pan separately. The men will leave as individuals and mobilize at some place In Japan. And so on.
 The story is rather unusually ri6,cu lous, because the weakness of Japan's cavalry arm is due not to lack of cav alrymen but to lack of cavalry horses, but it will serve we'll enough as 2. text for a few words concerning all such stories, of which too many find their way into the newspapers. They are all ridiculous on their face and yet mis- chievous. No man who really was en- gagged in such a plan as that described by Captain Bruce would publish his in- tentions. Because he would know that by so doing he would insure the defeat of his plan and probably involve him. self in serious trouble. The mere fact that Captain Bruce has told this story of Rough Rider regiment for Japan to a reporter is. granting Captain Bruce's sanity. strong indication that the, story isn't true. Captain Bruce has simply invited and will doubtless re- ceive the close attention of the United States secret service for while.
 These stories are mischievous bc- cause they tend to create a false inn pression abroad as to the attitude of the government of the United States toward this struggle in the far east. It is evident that the sympathy of the American people is almost altogether with Japan. But the United States government is in nowise responsible for the sympathies of the American people, and there is no fact to which any one can point as evidence that .t shares them. The attitude of the Unit ed States government is strictly and honestly neutral, and there is evsry indication that it will remain so to the conduct or utterances with which either Russia or Japan can legitimately find fault.
 But such fctions as Captain Bruoe's story would be. if they were facts. very good evidence that the neutrality of the United States was a mere sham The. effect on Russian public opinion and on the Russian government may be imagined should Russia hear and believe that a res gment of cavalry for the Japanese army was being openly recruited and drilled in the United States. without interference from the federal authorities. by officers of the American cavalry regiment of which the president of the United States was formerly the colonel.
 Sucn stories should receive no cred ence whatever. The United States gov ernment is now even more than ordi- narily determined that there shall be-, no ground for questioning its neutral ity. and the American who is foolish enough 10 undertake 10 act as a re- cruiting officer for the mikado in this country will land not in Japan but in jail.