The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-03

forces in the belief that we would not
venture a frontal attack.
II take it from the dispatches re-
ceived, that we have now practically
secured control of both banks of the
Yalu. In consequence our base will
probably be moved to Antung."
Must in Time Take Defensive.
Reviewing the whole future of the
struggle that has just commenced in
such deadly earnest on land, Baron
Hayashi said
"The duration of the war must lie
rather with Russia than with Japan.
For the moment the military advantage
Is with us, for Kuropatkin has extend
ed his front and we can strike where
and when we will. Our aggressive
movement may be carried on to Muk-
den, perhaps to Harbin, and perhaps
even further, but before long there
must come stage of the campaign
where Russia will assume the role of
the invading power and where we must
act solely on the defensive. From the
beginning it has been so, and our ag-
gression is and has been but a means
towards the eventual repulsion of an
invading army.
Gen. Kuroki himself probably cam
not say at this moment at exactly
what point our aggression will be
changed into the defensive. Kuropat-
kin, so 1 believe, says he will not un-
dertake to drive us back until he has
100000 men ready to take the field.
think what that means is that at least
5 per cent. of that force will die from
sickness, so that to keep his force at
the maximum required Kuropatkin
will always have to be transporting
$4,000 men from ST. Petersburg-no
small task
Food supply Threatens.
This years harvest ia Manchuria,
l learn, promises to be bad. A mil
lion Russians there. in addition to
the army, must be fed. We have,
or shall have, closed every source of
food supply except by the Siberian
Railway. Even with double tracks
| and no men or munitions of war to
| transport, the problem of feeding the
Russian population and army now in
Manchuria would be in itself intense
y serious. but with a single track
road. which is Russia's only vital
| sinew, it seems almost impossible, and
famine appears inevitable.
ITO help US sit down and wait all
these contingencies, we are working
| day and night on the Korean Railroad
and by October the unfinished portions
| of the road between Fusan and Seoul
will be completed, and new line from
Seoul to Wiju will also be ready. Lo-
| comotives are coming from the Unit
ed States and as soon as these ar
rive, we will have strong and rapid
line of communication through all
Korea, which will almost touch our
own mainland and we will not be like
ly to suffer from want of supplies or
| reinforcements.
VIII Starve Out Port Arthur.
LAS regards Port Arthur and Via
divostok, the situation is somewhat
different. l cannot say anything of
| the movements of our other armies
that have been mobilized, but there
| is no doubt that the Liao-Tung pen
insula will be cut off from supplies
If any success attends our land force.
Neither Port Arthur nor Vladivostok
can be taken from the sea front, but
l think you will find Port Arthur
either taken by our land forces or
starved out by September. The Chin
ese are smuggling provisions into Port
Arthur now from Che Foo, but only
to an immaterial extent, and that will
soon cease.
"Vice Admiral Togo doubtless will
remain on watch outside Port Arthur.
BY September, when the hurricane sea-
son comes, he should be able to safe
ly house his fleet in japanese port.
No fleet, Russian or Japanese, could
be particularly effective then. 1 scarce
ly think Russia will send her Bal
tic fleet to face our autumn hurricanes.
If the ships go before then, they will
encounter the monsoon period, which
lasts from May to August, and in
which coaling at sea en- route to Japan
would be exceptionally dangerous, if
not impossible, and coaling at sea is
the only way the Baltic fleet can take
a hand in the war .