The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-26
A VIEW OF RUSSIAN-JAPAN CON
DITIONS.

Editor News and Observer:
Your correspondent has just had an
interview with Mr.. Peter Cooper who
recently returned from Vladivostock,
Siberia. Mr.. Cooper is a Russian or
Japanese student who spent several
years at Oak Ridge Institute, and is
now an American citizen. He has
large interests, however, in Vladivos.
took, where he had recently been up
to the breaking out of the war be-
tween Russia and Japan.
Mr.. Cooper thinks that it would be
8 great deal better for America as well
as for his individual interests for ia
pan to win in this conflict and he is
very enthusiastic about the prospects
of ultimate victory for the arms of
Japan. He says that the Russian gov
eminent of Vladivostock, which is a
city of about sixty thousand inhabi-
tants half of whom are Russian SOL
diers or marines, is very imperfect.
He says that the police regulations are
very meager and inadequate and that
there is no detective system worth
mentioning, and that the sanitary ar
rangements are very bad. He thinks
the Japanese, who are a much more
orderly and law-abiding people and
much more Clearly in personal habits,
would introduce a new scheme of af-
fairs that would be far better He
wants the Japanese to win out be-
cause they are a much more thorough
people and are in better state of
preparedness, that the Japanese have
been making their arrangements for
the last five or six years and that they
have almost every plan of campaign
thought out in advance to the smallest
minutiae. Speaking of the sortie of
the Russian fleet from Vladivostock
last week he said the Russian fleet
would be compelled to retreat because
there are signal stations on almost all
of the islands at the mouth of the
sea of Japan and that the Japanese
fleet would be informed of the pres
ence Of this fleet from VladivostCck.
He says that the Russian generals
leave almost everything to their
subordinate while they indulge in
ADJUSTMENTS, that the Russian people
are playful and are much given to
personal enjoyment, such as bear
fighting, cock-fighting, attending the
theater, ETC. The courts of Russia
are very exorbitant in their charges
and it is almost impossible to get
anything done without resort to bri-
berry or, what we call in this country,
graft. He doubts whether the Rus
slams, who are good soldiers, are
equal to the Japanese who, he says.
are very patriotic and ready to die
for their native land. Mr.. Cooper
will remain in this country until the
war is over when he will probably
return to see that his affairs are in
good shape and dispose of his hold
ings, making America his permanent
home. In connection with American
trade in the Orient, he says, that ex-
cept in the free ports of Manchuria,
our trade had dwindled away almost
entirely Our tariff on sugar was met
by a Russian tariff on almost all
American goods and the United States
was no longer able to compete with
The Germans in NladivostocK and
other Russian localities outside of the
free ports; and, hence American
manufacturers and wholesale houses
have withdrawn their agents. He
thinks our policy of high tariff has
not been a wise one from any point
of view. y.
Oak Ridge, N. c., June 20, 1904.