Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-05-30
THE WONDERFUL JAPANESE.
Their Achievements During First Three Months of War with Russ
 sia Will Live in History. l

Less than three months have elapsed since the clash of arms between Japan and Russia. and already the most san- guine Japaphiles find that their pre- dictions of success were far below the mark of real accomplishment, says the Cleveland Leader. of recent date.
 Since the opening of the, war the Japanese navy has destroyed, disabled, crippled, or confined the Russian fleet in eastern waters. The fleet thus made in- effective was greater, on paper, at least, certainly far more imposing in battle ships and armored cruisers, than the entire navy of the United States at the time of the Spanish-American war. To do this the Japanese had sea force ir- ferior in numbers, though possibly somewhat more coherent and homo geneous. Through the operations at sea the mainland of Asia has been opened to Japanese invasion: and Port Arthur, the boasted Gibraltar of the orient. made innpcuous, if not untenahle.
 When the war opened Russia was dominant in the Korean peninsula. Russian ministers, agents and spies at Seoul had made of the Hermit kingdom a dependency of the czar.
 Tn less than three months the Jap. anese have assumed and enforced pro- tect0rate over Korea have freed the en- tire peninsula of Russian troops Cor practically sol, have landed an army of ofeense of 50,000 men, and another of occupation of 15, ,O00, with garrison of between 5000 and 5000 at Seoul, and have established an immense and well- guarded depot for supplies at Chemul- DO Under weather conditions that sug- gasted the word impossible the Jap anese troops have advanced to and oc- 1 cupied the east bank of the Yalu river. and are preparing to cross that boun- dary into Manchuria, with little doubt that Russian opposition to the crossing i will prove ineffective. Every mountain E pass on the road from Seoul tofthe Yalu has been fortified. the inhabitants have been pacified and taught to look upon the Japanese as their preservers from 1 oppression, and line of communica- I tion with the base at Chemulpo has been established, fortified and guarded, !. so that in case of defeat retreat could be accomplished with a minimum of loss. ! The physical and apparent accom- 1 plishments of these wonderful little i brown lighters are equaled by the nor ! al and speculative results attained. l The Japanese have made such effective use of torpedpes and submarine mines that the great powers of the world are forced to dehate in congresses and par liaments, and in their war and navy departments the question whether bat tleships, as weapons of offense, are, or are not. obsolete New possibilities Of strategy have been shown, and those who contended that under modern con- ditions no enemy could be deceived as l was once possible, are confronted with l the fact that Admiral Togo laid trap I for Makaroff baited it. and would prob- ably have utterly destroyed his oppo- I nent's fleet, had it not been for the lift I ing of a morning mist. As 1t was his I mines did in two minutes what two months might have been regarded as well spent in accomplishing It is sim- l ply marvellous that, so far as the world is informed. the only vessel of the Rus sians sunk by gun fire was the Variag.
 Tn the courtesies demanded of partici- pants in modern warfare the Japanese have been as conspicuous as in the sterner aspects No more graceful tribute was ever paid by heroic foe to his heroic enemy than that accorded Makaroff in Tokio. Russian prisoners, well or wounded, have been treated with exceptional Kindness; and if the Japanese are not civilized, as some as- sert, civilization might learn lessons I from those insular harbariafas.
 No matter what the final results may
 be. the first three months of the Russo Japanese war will go down in history as trenching upon the miraculous, and as teaching lessons to the world in pos abilities of offensive operations at sea.