Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-04-26
How Much OF a War /?

Were it within the limits Of reason to
infer that Russia and Japan agreed at
the outset that Russia would occupy
Manchuria and Japan occupy Korea,
and each entrench itself impregnably
and say to the other come on and
drive me out if you can" the happen
ings up to date would not be incon-
sistent with such a surnise. 1t is not
to DE imagined, however, that arr such
agreement was made Too many per-
sons would have to be intrusted with
the secret, and it would not keep. 1t
would be impraeticable 10 make such
an agreement and carry it out without
divulging it in some way.
But it is quite another thing to infer
from the cautious way in which each of
the contestants has thus far managed
its movements, that at the outset each
of them fully realized that the result
would be the same as if they had so
agreed. In other words, that the in
terests of each of them would compel
precisely the same conduct that would
follow such an agreement if carried
out
What was the situation? 1t was prac-
tically this,-Russia wanted Manchuria
and Japan wanted Korea. And both
ever would not consent to either Man
churia or Korea being taken from the
nominal sovereignty of China, for they
could make commercial treaties with
China to suit themselves, as China is
not in position to say mo- and back
it up with a powerful army and navy,
while both Russia and Japan would be
| found quite different customers to deal
with. A war between Russia and Japan
would give these two powers Just the
| opportunity they needed to pour large
| bodies of troops into these coveted prov
| inces of China and intrench themselves
there without exciting any suspicion.
! In fact If we stop to think for moment
we see that this could not possibly be
| done by Russia and Japan in any other
| way. We see it now. But it is a safe
guess that Russia and Japan saw it be-
fore they opened war upon each other.
| And they are availing themselves of
] the opportunity. Japan is occupying
Korea with an immense army and
Russia is doing the same in Manchuria.
The other powers are regarding with
complacency this condition of things,
although if Russia and Japan were at
| peace with each other and attempted
to do the same thing it would raise a
storm of eXpOStulation and armed pro.
test that would make its accomplishment
impossible.
What next? When Russia has rend
cred itself. impregnable in Manchuria
and Japan has become impregnable in
Korea. will either of them attempt such
a hopeless task as the dislodgement o.
the other? 1t is not to be expected
They will pursue the same caution:
tactics on land that they have followed
upon the sea. Every few days the
Japanese fleet appears in the vicinity
of Port Arthur, and keeping out o
range of the land batteries attempts
bombardment. Then the Russian flee
appears outside and offers battle under
the protection of its own land batteries
this the Japanese fleet declines, bu
seems willingly on account of its super
ior strength, to fight farther out at Sc;
where it will be out of reach of the lant
batteries The Russians refuse to d,
this, and after the fleets have looked a
each other for awhile the Japs with
draw. In another few days the same
thing is repeated. And notwithstand
ing the furious battles that have beer
fought in the head lines of the daily
papers, both fleets are still practically
uninjured.
The lesson of this is that neither
Russia or Japan is willing to tigh
unless an opportunity occurs that makes
success easy and sure,-as in the case
where large force of Japanese battle
ships and cruisers attached and sunk
two Russian gun boats at Chemulpo.
They will probably follow the SANE
cautious policy on the land. They wi.
do it not from cowardice at all, Sa
simply because it is not good general
ship TO fight. against overwhelming odds
and modern fire arms give the man il
the rifle pit or behind Il breast works SC
great an advantage against the man il
the open that it IS madness to attemp
stormiGg intrenchments in the old fash
Toned way. 1t must be done by !. sutfi
cient preponderance of artillery, by tn,
slow process of seige, or by such sup
eriOrity of infantry that the defensive
portion can be outflanked or taken il
the rear as well as threatened in front
This neither Russia or Japan can do
as they are about evenly matched II
soldiers and in guns. Russia's grea
distance from the field and Japans near
y IS to it making mp for the difference
! y tween their respective populations
1t seems unlikely that there can bt
much fighting either on land or sea
under these circumstances. But the
one thing certain is that the othel
powers will shortly find Russia impreg
nable in Manchuria and Japan impreg
nable in Korea, and neither of then
percertibly weakened in fighting power
as a result of the war with each other.