Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-10-06

In some respects the strategical stu
alton Of the armies in central Manchu-
ria is now similar to what il WAS six
or eight weeks before the battle of
Liaoyang. Telling and Mukden, the
husslan positions, now correspond to
Laoyang, Haicheng and Tatchekiao
then. The Lao valley and the Mongo-
liam frontier lie to the west OF the
Russians, as before, while to the east
are the same mountain ranges with the
japanese forcing one after the other
the passes that command the most i'm
!, portant roads.
We still have the great weight of
Oku's and Nodzus armies grimly
astride the railroad, preventing any
possible expedition to the relief of
Port Arthur" and at the same time
ready to deal the sledge-hammep
blows that will force the Russians still
farther northward when the time
comes. We still have Kuroki in touch
with the Russians Oh the east and do
ing the most important work over the
mountain trails.
During the week General KurOpat-
kin has reported in repeated dispatch
es the progress Of part Of Kuroki's
force along the roads from Bentsia-
putZe to Fu-ling and to the Fushun
mines, which lie respectively ten and
thirty miles east Of Mukden. Kaotou
Pass, where there was a skirmish,
seems to be on one Of these roads,
while an official Russian dispatch from
Hardin reports a fight on the south
bank Of the Hun River on the road
leading to Fu-ling. The Japanese are
said to have had two divisions here,
rather large number Of men, and to
have been repulsed Farther east, on
the road running northward from Sal
matse, the Japanese advanced to an
attack on Da Pass. An official tele
gram given out at Toxic tells Of the
japanese capture Of Telling, which
may be one of the passes just men
toned, or some other, as it clearly
cannot be the City of Telling north Of
Mukden.
How far and how fast these move
ments will progress cannot be told, as
that depends on factors Of weather,
transport and men, concerning which
we are but poorly Informed. We may
expect, however, in due time to see
Mukden abandoned without hard fight
ing, much as Haicheng was abandon
ed when the Russians We're concen-
trating on LiaoyaIg. If this is not
the case it will probably be because
Kuropatkin sees hope Of retaining for
q while longer his control Of the i'm
portant Fushun coal mines.
The opening Of the circum-Baikal
railroad during the week will mean
much for Russia, as her reinforce
ments can now be sent forward to the
full capacity Of the Trans-Siberian
Railroad, and not merely to the capaci-
ty Of the steamers and ice-breakers
across the lake.
If we had any solid facts to go on
the news from Port Arthur would
probably be vastly more interesting
and important than that from the az
mics farther north. But we have still
nothing but rumors gathered at Che
foo from refugees from Port Arthur
and DaIny. The accounts agree that
another general assault has been be-
gun, with Japanese successes at sew
eral points, and we are also told that
Port Arthur is in desperate straits for
food, for water and for coal. But
what weight TO give to the reports we
do not know.
For some reason the Japanese gov
eminent has thus far declined to pub
lish any account Of the fighting at the
southern tip OF the Liaotung peninsu-
Ia SO what is happening must be
pieced out from the story of Lieuten-
ant Radziwill, who reached Chefoo
with dispatches from Stoessel, and
from reliable Chinese" who, in mill