The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-07
BELIEvES JAPAN
CAN WHIP RUSSIA
WILL BE MOSTLY NAVAL WAR
SAYS WAR CORRESPONDENT IN
SPEAKING OF PROBABLE TROUBLE

Bases Belief in Jnpan's Victory ON
Actions of Her Troops While With
the Allies During the Boxer Out
break-Combine Intense Patriot
ism with Religious FervOr-Navy
Drilled by an American-War Must
BE Short and Decisive or Russia's
Great Resources VIII Overpower
the Little Nation.
Clifford S. Sanford, war correspond
ent for one of the newspaper syndi-
Gates, passed through Savannah yes
terday en- route for New York. From
New York he will go by rail to San
Francisco and sail thence for the Far
East. Mr.. Sanford remained in Sa-
vannah for several hours and talked
Interestingly of conditions in the East.
WAR is bound to come sooner or
later between Japan and Russia" he
said, land when it does, just keep
your eye on the Jap. He is q diminu-
tive little fellow compared to his great
antagonist, but he has some things
about him that will make the Bear ever
after beware of bees. I am confident
that the Jap will make a great fight
and astonish the world, and have good
reasons for making the assertion.
81 was with the allied troops in China
during the Boxer trouble, and L saw
some things there that taught me
it's army represented and 1t was a
good time to make comparisons. The
United States, Great Britain and ia
pan were the only ones whose troops
seemed at all DESTROYS of decisive action
and the way the Japs handled them
selves was a revelation.
"Nine-t enths of the fighting, 1 be-
lievee, will be on the sea and here ia
pan is immeasurably superior. Not in
the number of ships, but in the quality
and in the character of the men that
man them. They are plucky, active,
capable of great endurance, and their
officers use their heads. They were
practically trained by an American, a
graduate of Annapolis, and they are
thoroughly modern. 1t is on the sea
that 1 expect them to make their best
showing.
COmbine Religion and Patriotism.
THE Japanese army has one great
superiority over that of any nation in
the world, in that they combine reli-
gion and patriotism. They look upon
their Emperor as a god and his pho
tograph is one of the most sacred
things to Jap. He is descended from
the gods, they believe, and his curious
intermingling combines a, naturally in
tense nafrinticT11 with fhn IF
hgious fanatic. 1t is no wonder, there
fore, that they will fight to the last for
their Emperor, and in a cause which
he has made.
1.-The free soldiery of Japan is also
in great contrast to the Russian sys-
tenn, a veritable slave-soldiery. Half
IF the Russian army won't know what
it is fighting for. They are good fight
ers, however, and not to be despised, a
lesson which they taught the entire
world when the great Napoleon invaded
their empire. But still. man for man,
the Jap is the superior.
"Russia's illimitable resources will of
course eventually defeat Japan if the
war is a. prolonged one. expect, how
ever to see a few decisive battles and
then a settlement. If the war is long
drawn out no one can say what the
consequences will be. for 1t will in
NOlVo pIdCllSdlly all the HdItOIlS. Eng
land will help Japan before she will
see the little fellow whipped.
Japs Will ARtOnish World.
eff long drawn out / think that you
will see trouble develop in the Bal
kans, region not any too quiet now.
And if it comes to that and all the ma
lions take a hand, there will sure be
something doing. But remember
what / say he said in conclusion,
1.-THE Jap is going to astonish the world
and will make things lively in the
Orient"
Mr. Sanford talked at length on
Eastern conditions and the relative
strength of the two nations. The
showing made by Japan when acting
with the allies was the basis for his
opinion that they are going to make
the war, If there is one, interesting. He
is thoroughly familiar with the two
armies and is confident that his pre-
diction concerning the victory will be
fulfilled.
Mr.. Sanford will remain in New
York only long enough to get instruc-
tions and will then start on his long