The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-03-22
THE WAR SITUATION.

Admiral Alexieffs announcement that
$780, 900 men have been mobilized In
Manchuria between Port Arthur and
Hardin will probably not deceive the
Japanese as it seems intended to do.
1t is now pretty well known that the
Russian force in that neighborhood
when the the war began was not much
in excess of 100000 and that since then
the single track railroad covering dis
lance equal to that between Toronto
and Cape Horn, has been both broken
and congested Under such circun-
stances the transportation of l3O,Ooo
men and of supplies enough to feed
them and the 100000 already on the
ground. could hardly have been effect
ed in five or six weeks. The weather,
the amount of rolling stock, the condi-
ton of the line and of the commits
sariat. the state of military prepara-
ton in Russia proper-all these things
must be summed up in the scheme OF
probabilities against the Viceroy's COM
putation.
1t is strategy, however, in case Adj
miral Alexieff needs more time, to COM
pei the enemy to take more time Gould
he convince the Japanese that he mas
$50, 900 men in hand and more coming,
their own preparations would have TO
be prolonged. But it is likely that the
Japanese know as much about the
strength of the Russian forces as their
commander does. Their spy system
is so perfect that it extends into the
Russian official family; it pervades the
rank and file and has widely spread
among men of Nihilist proclivties.
Moreover Manchuria is full of long
uueued Japanese disguised as Chinese.
Little that goes on in the sphere of
Russian action in Korea long remains
unknown in Toxic. So If there are not
23O, 900 troops in Manchuria, Admiral
Alexieff cannot make the japanese
think so.
OF actual war news there is very Mt
tie but this does not necessarily imply
the absence of events. 1t is the APP
parent policy of Japan to permit the
publication of no news stories which
are at all concident in time with the
war occurrences described. But few
correspondents have reached the army
in Korea and these are not at the front;
indeed, they have been sent far to the
rear. An English officer lately arriv-
ing at Vancouver says the correspond
.ents are ''in despair" which is quite
likely. And their despair will prob
ably be intensified If they expect to be
able to put fresh stories on the cable
or to send anything in the nature of
forecasts. In the former war with
China uncertainty prevailed for week
in Japan itself as to whether the news
of the report of the capture of Port
Arthur was true; and the full account
of the event was withheld from the
American papers for five weeks. The
censorship then exercised has since
been increased.
An amusing sidelight upon the
bumptiousness of the Russian generals
is afforded by an interview with Kuro-
patkin in which that officer says that,
latter crushing the Japanese in Korea
and Manchuria, we will take their
Islands," For the representative of n
power, the navy of which has been
crushed and which could not put a
transport on the sea between Japan
and the mainland and give 1t protec-
ton, such a statement is at least I'M
expected. 1t has been doubted by eX-
perts that even the British could land
an army in Japan, so splendidly forth
fled and defended are all its harbors
and vantage grounds. Even If Kuro-
patkin killed every japanese in Korea
or Manchuria there would still remain
a triumphant Japanese navy and n
Territorial army, capable of indefinite
expansion, to defend the coasts. ia
pan is, in its location as well as its
defensive arrangements, considered the
most impregnable country in the world.