Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-11
STRATEGY IN THE EAST
SOME UNFULFILLED PREDICTIONS
AND THEIR CAUSE.
Why There Has Been No Great Con-
fiict Between Russia and Japan
Climatic Conditions.

Strategy" remarked The Stars war ex-
| pert today, lis nothing more than common
| sense applied to the operations of war; The
| trouble is to find out what is common sense
and what is not The greatest master of
strategy has told us that 1t is learned by
| hard work and not by the light flash of
genius. Napoleon was asked to what he
| attributed the remarkable success of his
| combinations. and he answered 'Je couve
| la Carte This untranslatable expression
means broadly, spread myself out over
| my map like an old hen Matching eggs
| When we call to mind the intensity of pur-
| pose, the unreasoning and uncomfortable
| instinct of the hen-ighting when dis
| turbed. not diverted by hunger or thirst
| and even when sick unto death still at her
positive may understand the meaning OF
| the man who in all history has brought TO
| the study of strategy the greatest intelli-
gence combined with diligence.
1T was lack of careful study that led SO
many to predict that Port Arthur would
| fall within the first month. that Korea
would be the ground where bloody battles
would be fought that the Russian fleet
would stay whipped that the Siberian
railroad would not be able to bring a pre-
| poEderating force into the field with the
| necessary supplies for campaign.
"These matters have been pretty well
d
to ask the question whether or not this
war will be a success or disappointment?
That is. whether professional soldiers Will
| get the lessons out of 1t which they hoped
| to derive from watching the collision OF
| two modern armies
There is no doubt about the spirit of
| either side. Both are highly trained. Both
have been rather blind followers of
ishes for the other the hate that springs
| within the hearts of men of diverse color
| creed and interests.
'why, then. should not this be the &C.
| casion for a blood-lettng that will cleanse
| the world Of many foul humor make
hateful the thought of human combat ard
give the arbitration party new arguments
based on the horrors and essential vileness
| Of war? Why should it not furnish a test
| of the system which is the outgrowth of
the developments of the last thirty-four
/ for new ideas that will replace the old?
| The answer seems to be that the adverse
ries will be fighting, first, against nature,
and, second, against each other
Climatic Conditions.
TN Manchuria the season f1uctuates from
wet to dry, from hot to cold. The winter
season is very severe. A thermometer
which registered 80 degrees below zero
| went degrees out of sight. In the high
| mountain passes traffic is stopped by the
| snow, but in the lowlands the marshes and
become hard and smooth and all roads are
filled with carts and sledges, in the fun
| flow of business 1t was in the dead OF
winter that the Japanese conducted their
last campaign in Manchuria, from October
till March, and, Notwithstanding great
hardship and suffering, it Is quite clear
that it could not have been conducted at
any other time. The japanese showed
great energy, but the enemy was not
! great obstacle, and from the Yalu to Yin
kow the progress was about one ana
| they are travelling now from Seoul to the
| Yalu which they have reached only with
| their advanced troops after more imam TWO
| months. The two months just endeo nave
| completed the period of campaigning, ana
| II looks as if operations would have to stop,
| except near the coast and on the railroad.
1.-The thaw has now begun. At this time
the ice breaks up in the harbors and on the
| rivers. The frozen crust of earth is sof-
tened in the valleys and becomes DOG.
| Transportation becomes difhcult ana traV-
| eIers are apt to find loaded carts stanoins
| where the thaw caught them. The perlod
| of the tbaw is variable. but it Is usually
| followed by a good season of short dura-
| ton in May and part of June, during Which
! the roads become dry. The soil is pllaDIe
| loam which is mire when wet and dust
| when dry, both conditions being equally
| disagreeable for travel
| early in June the rains begin, and con-
| tinue during the summer. The rainfall Is
great the rivers become torrents in
NIGHT and the traveller is often detained a
| month in a single spot. 1t begins to freeze
! again early in October.
Campaigning in Manchuria.
| "We thus get an idea of what campaign
| ing is in Manchuria. Along thousands of
| miles of trade routes there is not one yard
metaled The so-called Imperial highway
| is as bad as any, and the government has
| ALWAYS ignored the subject of good roads.
"Perhaps YOU think me pessimistic,s but
| T am looking at this war from the point
| of view of one who is expecting to witness
| a good boxing match and is disappointed.
| 1t is as if the champions, after all the pre-
/ liminaries are arranged for ring nght In
| comfortable hail. should go out into the
! barn yard and fight in the mud up to their
| knees / believe that the audience Is be-
| ginning to feel disappointed and that it is
| right.
"The action of the navy in supporting the
| army is also restricted. In winter the
| fresh-water ports are all closed and the
| coast is bound with a fringe Of ice, which
| is said to interfere with the landing OF
| troops. In summer the Ice disappears and
| the coast line becomes shallow mud fiat
extending five to sSven miles out to sea.
| should think that the ice on the coast
! would be less troublesome than the mud
| but as the Japs have not attempted any
| landing operations 1T would seem to afford
| a barrier.
/ "It therefore looks as If natural causes
would exert a great influence on the cam
| paign. Movements of large bodies will be
| tied to the railroads, the coast and the nav
| igable rivers.
| so that with every confidence in the
| skill and bravery of both combatants we
may expect that for long time the waf
| on land will continue to be slow and color
| less and that LaO-yeh, the great god of
| war, will be frequently stuck in the mud.
|
Promoting Total Abstinence.