Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-30

was not yet safe for her to leave
Meanwhile the mikado became insist
ent-so insistent, in fact. that the pow
ers that be at st. Petersburg deemed
| ii necessary to create a diversion. This
diversion was enthusiastically Rus
sian. Affecting to regard the Manchu-
rian matter as 4 res Gdjudicata." Rus
sia began to encroach upon Korean ter
ritOry. Just what steps she took in that
direction the methods of diplomacy
will not permit of our knowing for
some time, but it is certain that she
sought TO break down the predominant
ing influence OF Japan in the Hermit
Kingdom. Indeed, she went much fur
Their than the proper regard for the
rights of an ostensibly friendly nation
should have permitted her to 20. Nat
urally Japan wanted to know what she
was about. Then began negotiations
concerning Korea. Russia actually had
the assurance to propose to Japan
terms with reference to Korea. 4 coun-
try with which. so far as the facts are
generally understood, she has as much
right TO interfere as the United States
would have. the position of watchdog
of Korea by common consent among
the nations of the world having long
since been accorded to Japan by reason
of her proximity and later because Of
her having fairly won the distinction in
her war with China. But the purpose
of the Russian government had been
accomplished, and Korea appeared TO
be the issue. while Manchuria was, at
least temporarily, forgotten.
But, shrewd as are the GEARS diplomats,
the mikado has about him n few men,
like Ito and Komura, who know q bit
about diplomacy themselves. They
had permitted the Russians to go on
and on and on assuming that the Japs
had forgotten that Manchuria is still
on the map. They were merely biding
their time. Therefore when the Rus
sian statesmen. in response to one of
their notes dealing with Korea and the
tissue there, received Il communica-
ton from Tokyo bodily shifting the
whole discussion back TO Manchuria,
whence it had originally begun and
where it really belonged, there was but
one thing to do-asSume to ignore it.
This they did, and this Japan refused
to accept as being a warrantable posi-
ton on the part of Russia. AS Russia
could not well afford to- back down
after having been checkmated in what
she had regarded as a very clever bit
of land grabbing, a clash then became
inevitable.
When two nations spring at each |
others throat, figurativey speaking. |
there are more things TO be considered |
in specializing upon the probable out |
come than mere numbers of men or !
ships. After all, il is the individual |
who brings success. American soldiers /
are regarded rs being OF more value |
in the field than the soldiers of any /
nation, and yet from the strictly tech /
nical standpoint they are probably the !
for the handful of men who constitute |
the regular army, the United States /
has no troops ready TO do field duty as /
it is understood in Germany and Rus !
STA and even in France. The condi- |
tons render that unnecessary. But. |
as has been demonstrated On several !
occasions. the American in six months
is converted into the most valuable
man the world has ever seen.
THAT is because he is Il thinking indi-
vidual. Your we'll drilled man is all
right so long rs he has officers to lead
him, but the moment the head disap-
pears the army becomes Il disOrganiZcd
mob, not knowing what tO do or how