Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1904-04-18
A French View of the War.


Undoubtedly, the comments ol
French statesmen upon the events ol
the war very accurately represent also
tho Russian viewpoint. Russia ana
France are allies, and the two govern
,nents are in close accord. Interesting
therefore. as rejecting Russian as wen
nc French sentiments, are the obserVa-
tions of the official of the French gov
eminent who was quoted in Paris
dispatch, printed in yesterdays Repup-
lican, as saying:
"Tbis (the loss of the 'battleship Pet
ropavlovsk) is a further blow TO rus
sia's prestige, and every such blow VIII
add TO the length and bitterness OF the
war. If Russia ultimately wins, as we
believe she will, the loss of the Pet-
ronayloysk will be one of the largest
items of the war indemnity. which
Japan will have to pay"
This utterance, cabled at the same
time TO Japan, of course, will cause
the Japanese to smile. The Japs have
a pronounced sense of humor, and they
will quote the classic recipe for COOK
ing the rabbit: First catch your
hare" 1t is safe to say that nothing
is disturbing the japanese people so
little at this time as thoughts OF the
indemnity which Japan may have to
pay to Russia as one of the penalties
of Japan's defeat in this war. 1t is
barely possible that the mikado, and
hn CT behind
the counter when settlement day ar
rives, and that Russia, and not Japan.
will be called upon to pay heavy
indemnity. The mere thought of such
an outcome of the war seems absurd
when one considers the unlimited re-
sources of Russia in men and guns,
but Japan's victory over Russia on
both land and sea is not an impossi-
bility. Indeed, some competent OBJ
servers believe that Russia is certainly
doomed to defeat. Walter Wellman,
the Washington correspondent of the
Chicago Record Herald, telegraphed
his paper Friday night:
THAT Russia is already hopelessly
beaten and must soon swallow her
pride and sue for peace is the opinion
of some of the diplomats of highest
rank at the capital. Such views were
expressed by members of the diplo-
matte corps who met socially not
many hours ago and talked informally
of the outlook in the far east. These
men are not unfriendly to Russia, they
are simply statesmen of the world,
well-informed and able through wide
knowledge and long experience, to
catch the first faint shadows of COM
ing events.
"One of them, we'll known on both
sides of the Atlantic for his skill as a
diplOmatist, made use of the following
words: Russia is fast going the road
to ruin. The war is virtually over,
and Russia is vanquished. Japan has
command of the sea, and the command
of the sea in modern warfare is VIC
tory. Russia cannot win without re-
covering the superiority of sea power,
and that is impossible, unless she is
willing to prolong the conflict three
years, or until she can construct new
fleet of battleships. That would mean
the ruin Of the Russian empire, hope
less bankruptcy, commercial panic,
revolution at home
THE foregoing words summarize
the best opinion in the diplomatic
world. They would create a sensation,
if the name of the man who spoke
them could be given. 1t is the belief
If diplomats that now, before any
great land battles have been fought
and Japan has made only trihing sac
rif1ces of men and money, Russia
could secure terms of peace which
might be regarded as favorable under
the circumstances. That is to say, by
merely granting Japan's original de-
manos."
The diplomats mentioned by Mr..
Wellman take an extreme view, but
they are no more unreasonable than
the French and Russian statesmen
who are already talking about the in
demnity that Japan will have, to pay
the car.
Much more acceptable is the opinion
Of the French official that the eIimin-
alton of Russia as a sea power may
have 1.-The beneficial effect of reducing
European naval ornaments, which are
now adjusted with reference to each
OtheT. II IS TACT that each of the
great powers of the world finds the
most potent argument for a greater
navy in the construction programme
Of rival powers. Thus, in our con-
gress, when a bill providing for more
battleships ard cruisers is up for con-
sideration it is sufficient to silence
most of the opposition to say that
Germany has provided for so many
new ships, France for so many, Rus
STA for so many. and so on; and that
the United States cannot afford to be
left in the race. And the same argu-
ment is made in the French chamber
Of deputies, the German reichstag. the
British parliament, the Italian cham
ber' and the cars cabinet. The lead
ing nations of the world are in mad