The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-02-18

/ Somehow, after hours of delay, we
were allowed TO tale our departure
for a journey into the heart of the
Hermit nation.
Later | was at Chemulpo, where ten
days ago two Russian vessels went
down under the fire of japanese
/ fleet Chemulpo lies about two days
sail northerly from Masanpho, and is
important as the seaport Of the CAPT
tai of Korea, which lies inland TWEEN
ty-six miles. 1t has poor harbor,
! though the best that stretch of coast
line offers. The immense tides of the
Yellow Sea, leave bare at their ebb
great mud flats. Ships have to am
chor three miles out under the lee of
some islands. But the party that
would dominate the capital must hold
Chemulpo As I recall the city it
seemed even then to have been taken
by the Japs For Chemulpo, like Flu
san in the south Of Korea and Sensan
in the northeast. has become of late
very largely japanese settlement.
The Mil1ado's birthday was being
celebrated on the day Of my arrival
as a general holiday. From the flut-
tering Of japanese flags and the JOY
Of the people I can imagine how
Chemulpo must have looked when the
people there found victory perched
upon their banners. last week.
t., ,,4l e., 4
visitant. at what is now the objec-
/ tive point Of the present struggle
| Russia has grasped and held it thus
far with iron hand as her only pro-
tected harbor on the Yellow Sea. AS
| Peter the Great built st. Petersburg
! to have a window looking out on Eu-
rope, so Port Arthur has become a
window through which to look out on
all Eastern Asia. Russia has spent
on Port Arthur and its approaches
within the last six years as much as it
will cost us to DIG the Panama canal.
/ Russia does not design it for com
mercial port For that they are
/ building the new city of Dalny on the
coast and Hardin in the heart of
Manchuria Capt Soltan Of the Rus
sian Army and till recently the chief
government agent at Nun Chwang
told me what they want of Port Ar
thur in an expressive way. Doubling
his dainty fist he thrust it out at arms
length, as if in defiance of every
body and thing, ''That" said he, lis
what we want Of Port Arthur
The Japs want Port Arthur be
cause it was theirs by right Of con
quest eight years ago and Russia Dip
lomatic bulldozing robbed them Of IT..
Said Japanese gentleman to me as
we sailed into the harbor Ever
Japanese sheds tears when he enters
Port Arthur They want it because
a knockout blow there viii tell as
nowhere else They want it because,
as Prof. Tomidzer, law professor in
Toxic University has told me over
and again, GIVE are so little a coun-
try with so crowded a population that
we want Korea and we want Manchu-
RIA
Who will have this last great prize
when the war ends? Prof Tomidzer,
whose company I enjoyed for week
on the good ship. The Fairer Mary.
was just returning from spying ex-
petition through Manchuria from
Vladivostock to Port Arthur He
used to tell me the military strength
of Russia in the Far East was over
rated. He further said that outside
the Russians in government employ
there were five or six japanese in
Manchuria to one Russian For my
self I feel that if the Japs can take
Port Arthur from the Russians the
achievement will be marvellous. To
me the place seemed absolutely i'm
pregnable and its protecting navy to
have secure asylum. And yet that
navy is today a broken thing. The
soldiers of the Island Empire, are
swarming, in myriads, for struggle
Can Russia send along the long thin
line of their railway forces enough to
hold their bold advance to the shores
of the Yellow Sea?
Rev. A. Parker.