The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-05-03
THE JAPANESE STRATEGY.

The theory first advanced by the
Advertiser that the plan of the Japa-
nese campaign may be to hold Korea
and the sea, not advancing into Man
churia except to MAKE raids on the
railroad and other points near the
Yalu base, is re-enforced now and then
by an expert opinion. This paper
quoted the corroborative views of
member of the general staff of the
United States Army sometime ago and
now finds similar expression in the
war letters of the London Times, The
London writer is the same military
man whose forecast of what happened
to the naval Russians at Port Arthur
and Chemulpo has given him VIDE
fame. He says: TT would be a fatal
mistake for Japan to carry the cam
paign into the enemy's country. Hav-
ing become master of the sea, of Corea,
and of Port Arthur, Japan should, l
think, rest upon her arms In my
opinion, if she attempts to push on
toward Hardin, the difficulty of main
tanning communication with her base
OF supplies and the decreased utility
of her navy, might so lessen her
strength that disaster would follow
Even If the Japanese were successful
in occupying Hardin, the Russian army
need only establish new base few
hundred miles westward on the Sibe-
rian railway-perhaps as far west as
Lake Baikal-and when its strength
had sufficiently augmented to outmatch
the Japanese army at Hardin, advance
upon that position, when the Japanese
would be compelled to retreat from
Hardin as did Napoleon from Mos
cow
The Argonaut, which quotes the
Times writer's comment, thinks 1t in
teresting but does not agree with the
conclusion. 1t says: "There are many
arguments which may be urged against
the view he takes. 1t may be asked for
example, if, in case Japan stood pat
on her mastery of Corea, the Russians
would not merely delay conflict until
they were able to place on the banks
of the Yalu an overwhelming force.
Whatever the defects of the transit
berian railway, given time it can trans
port to Manohuria an indefinite num-
Der of men. 1t will not be necessary
for it to transport all the provisions
the troops will require. Manchuria Is
a rich country, and if, during the sum-
mer, the Russians hold it, while the
Japanese remain inactive in Corea'
there is no reason to suppose that
Manchuria's production of wheat ana
fodder will fall short of many millions
Of bushels of wheat and many hundred
thousand tons of fodder. Japan, on
the other hand, is a poor country, and
she can not maintain a costly war Tor
long. Russia has today fewer troops
in the Far East than she will have ut
any time later. Why is it not Japan
cue to force the fighting while her
opponents are numerically not far
superior-if any-to her own forces'
The Argonaut lacks precise informa-
ton. Manchuria is not rich country
in the agricultural sense. Its soil be-
gan to wear out hundreds of years age
and is only kept going by intensifyine
processes. a village of three or foul
hundred people finds two wicker watts
about the size of 5000 gallon water
tanks, enough to store its winter sup
Plies of mlllet, beans and corn. There
is very little rice. If Russia should
impress these crops as fast as they
are raised, the swarming inhabitants
would go hungry and make trouble
something Russia could not afford.
Generally speaking the Cars army
must depend upon supplies by rail; and
it is said that the Siberian line can
only carry enough food to supply the
wants of 100000 men. That is the
limit of it's capacity and is the reason
why double-trackage is proposed.
AS to the capacity of Japan to carry
on a long war that is a matter OF
finance and not of food. All the Japa-
nese soldiers really need in the field
is compressed rice, dried fish and tea
and a limited amount of forage, There
is enough food of this kind available
in the Empire TO supply all its In
habitants, no matter where military
levies may be stationed. The latter
are fed at home and can be fed IN
Korea so long as the japanese COM
mand the sea.
As TO finances a dollar will 80 fur
Their In Japan than II will In Russia
So intense IL the patriotism that the
soldiers are willing TO fight for nothing
II need be. and the farmers sell their
wares at cost Japan holds that II
can. on the present scale 81 outlay
fight for iva years without a foreign
loan, A cutting down ~ expenditure
IN the way We have suggested Woult
estend lhe limit AZ Tor loans lh'
prnssnt domestic one Was auhseflhn'
srseral times over, ana lapan's fleai
abroad Is probably az seaa as lius
Mas A. lfasi her Interest lhiu 4
nnl MHhsf
- nn iha Nhals lne lspsHfas siiNa
lion Il rs n4 mfana bad Hht nan
hnaNn mfn hess hn WgHF'un Az 90
lhnmsnltaa aalaIafea n hnf pHli.tH
laF
lfnuHl eua HHlAHn htH
MN a...# &