Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-16
FICTORS OF KISCHENEFF VAN
QUISHED BY JAPAN.

QUISHED BY JAPAN.
Whatever may be the issue of the
war between Russia and Japan there
must be an immense loss of prestige
by the COLOSSUS of the North" For
many years Russia has been the
scarecrow of Europe. The Gar and
Autocrat of all the Russians has mill
lions of men to take the field at his
command. So Europe has been very
deterential-indeed, almost timid-
IN its attitude toward the oligarchy
which controls the destinies of the
Russian Empire. England, the boasted
"mistress of the seas" has, since the
last Russo-Turkish war in IS77-'7S.
shrunk from conflict with the Bear,
preferring soft words to bullets. 1t
has long been the cardinal principle
of German policy to avoid trouble
with Russia-yet the German army
is considered by experts the most
highly organized aud the best-equip-
ped fighting machine in the world.
The Old World, by its attitude of
tlmidity, tacitly recognized Russia's
supremacy.
There were, to be sure, some skep-
tics who suggested that the Colossus
might prove after all only man of
straw, but there was no European
power willing to produce the proof.
SO Russia moved, with what seemed
irresistible might, along the path of
conquest in Asia, realizing her des-
tiny as her statesmen said, until her
armies had occupied one of the
richest of the Chinese provinces
Manchuria. At the extreme end of
the Manchurian peninsula, at Port
Arthur, a fortress second to none in
the world was built. Another fortress
was established at Vladivostok. At
both places Russian fleets were
stationed. Russian policy furthur
contemplated the absorption of
Korea. The Bear has a capacious
NAV. He wanted to be and intended
to be master of all this part of Asia.
He was so big and strong that he
thought he would terrify Japan,
which claims certain rights in respect
to this territory and fiuds expansion
as necessary to its welfare as it is to
Russia's. But Japan was not afraid,
and results have shown that the Mi
kado's subjects had no cause to be
frightened.
Since February 2 last Russia has
had ample opportunity to learn that
it is much easier to massacre unarmed
Jews than 1t is to fight men trained
in the art of war and equipped with
the most modern weapons. 1t is one
thing for her soldiery and peasants
to run amuck among the peaceable
and helpless Jews of Kischeneff, as
they did in the spring of 1908, and
slaughter women and children as well
as men. 1t is another thing to stand
up and fight the "little brown men,"
who have rifles and cannon and
know how to use them-little men
whom Russian general contemptu-
ously characterized as "half-dwarfs."
Not since their triumph at Kis-
chenef have the Russians won
decisive victory. Their record in the
war with Japan has been one of dis.
NAL failure. Their generals have
been outmaneuvered. Their soldiers
have been outfought, although often
displaying stubborn valor. Their
fleets have made a melancholy show
ing against the Japanese. Their
6ibraltar-Port Arthur-is belea-
guered and seems doomed. General
kuropatkin, who was to .'sweep the
Japanese armies into the sea-" has
proved an easy victim of the strategy
of Marshal Oyama and his generals
-Kuroki, Nodzu and Oku. It is a
pitiful exhibition of incompetency,
of inability to cope with Japanese
tactics, which Russia has given in
this war. From the first important
battle early in May, when the Japa-
nese forced the passage of the Yalu,
down to the great battle at Liaoyang,
the Russians, rank and file, have de-
monstrated their inferiority to the
"half-dwarfs" of Japan.
Japan has been adapting her civ
ilizstion to the standard of Western
nations for scarcely more than a gen.
GRAFTON, yet it is inconeeivable that
there could be a Kischeneff massacre
in the Mikado's dominions. While
the "littie brown men" have out
grown racial and religious hatreds,
while they do not slaughter women
and children who worship according
to the dictates of their conscience
and not as the state religion pre-
scribes, they have proved themselves
more than a match thus far for the
European nation which encourages
"Iew-baiting" and condones the mas
sacre of ino#ensiVe and industrious
people amply because they are
Hebrew.-BaltimOre San.