New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-23


may stand pat" after ALL and retain the SEM
blance Of the power which has actually been
taken from him. That may be- He has long
been noted 1or his pachydermatous indifference
to humiiations and defeats When he is worst
treated he simply goes 10 sleep for a Few hours
and forgets all about II. II he IS kept IN pace
must conclude that the st. Petersburg gov
eminent thinks that will be the better way OF
saving its fcce'-its own face, not his
The problem Of supply is a serious one for the
Russian military authorities 20 deal with.
Simply to carry 20 an army of 800 600 men the
necessary food Will occupy one-half the carrying
power Of the railroad Munitions of war and re-
Inducements to keep the ranks full will occupy
the other half. Such is the estimate Of the best
military authorities OF Europe, who therefore
conclude that TO maintain army Of 100000
men AT the front Is the utmost that Russia can
do. But what can an army of 100000. with no
supporting fleet do in attacking a fortified army
OF 4JOOO0 supported by powerful fleet?
little while ago Russia was saying, in reference
10 Manchuria, "J'y suis, J'y reste.' But now 1t
is Japan that is able TO say that with reference
source or supply. IL Is rich ana pro-
ductve agricultural region, exporting large
quantities OF grain yearly. But its entire sur
plus product would not supply the Russian
Army for more than few weeks and II the
Russians took more and plundered the country
thew would be transforming it into an unpro-
ductive wilderness. that while they might get
much from 1t this year they would get nothing
next year. Moreover indiscriminate lOoting
would soon antagonize the already unsympa-
thetic inhabitants, and a general uprising OF the
warlike Manchus against them would not aid
the Russian cause.
Reports OF Russian purchases OF warships. in
South America or elsewhere. should be taken
with a pinch OF salt. The sale Of warships by
neutral power TO n belligerent during the prog
ress Of the would scarcely comport with the
international relationships contemplated by in
ternational law.
The Russian bitterness against Americans In
Manchuria now reported. is due TO several en-
tfrely inadequate causes. One is the fact that
before the war. or rather before the Russian
occupation of Manchuria. American commerce
was far ahead Of Russian in that province. and
American Industrial influences prevailed. The
chief hotel at Hardin itself called the New
York Hotel Another cause is the Russians
own underestimate OF Japans strength, and
their consequent entirely groundless suspicion
that Americans have been helping Japan with
ships guns and men. third is the vtruent
newspapers which ought to know better have
been waging. There is really no good reason for
the slightest anti-American prejudice.
Those tales of Russians marching down tho
east coast Of Corea do not seem TO be verified.
There is no confirmation Of the alleged Russian
occupation Of Pul1-Chon. A French dispatch re-
fers to the Russian troops massed in North
eastern Corea and says a brigade OF infantry
with five thousand Cossacks is within sixty-siX
miles of the Tumen River Thus worded. that
would seem 10 mean the troops had not yet
reached the Tumen, in which case they are not
Yet in Core2.
For the Japanese who are reported to be land
ing at New-Chwang to effect a junction with
those who are reported to be landing near the
mouth of the Yau would not be as easy a mat
ter as it seems TO appear to some jocund CORE
spondents. 1t would involve a march of more
than hundred miles across the base of the
Liao-Tung Peninsula, cutting the Russian lines
between Port Arthur and Moukden. When the
Japanese are able TO do that, there will be little
left of the Russians in Shing-King.
Reports that the Coreans restless and on
the verge Of revolt under Japanese occupation
of their country are quite plausible. The
Coreans have never liked the japanese. much as
they are indebted to them. They remember the
ancient hostilities between the two countries.
and the humiliations imposed upon them by the
warlike islanders. and they fear the reimposi-
ton OF Japanese rule. Besides, many of them
have in the usual fashion been won over TO the
Russian side. There Is little reason to suppose.
however. that any Corean disaffection or OPP
position can seriously embarrass the japanese.
NIL and the japanese will see TO it that IT re-
mains so.
Whether the Coreans all like it or not. the
japanese occupation of the peninsula is an ac-
complished fact and bids fair TO remain so. In
Fusan the chief city of Southern Corea, the
japanese number about fourteen thousand. or