New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-20
TOGO'S TACTICS

Admiral Togo is certainly doing his work 1t
has been a long job and a hard one How
hard. our own recollections OF Santiago NAV re-
mind us. We have not heard Admiral Sampson
condemned for not going into Santiago Hsrbor
and destroying the Spanish ships at their an
chorage On the contrary, it has been recog-
nized as his part of wisdom to await their
coming out, their being driven out by the
operation of our land forces 1t would have
been madly rash TO go into the harbor for
them. Well. Port Arthur would have been a
ten times more dangerous harbor for Togo to
enter The whole task before him was incom-
parahy more trying than that before our fleet
But he has accomplished it, 1t was in brief
the elimination of the Russian fleet as q factor
in the problem of the war. He eliminated it
by holding it a prisoner in port and by DESTROY
ing 1t pIecemeal. Not single member Of that
once powerful feet has escaped to do further
service for Russia in this war. Now the last
battleship has been disabled and Togos work
there, so far as heavy fighting goes is done. A
few light cruisers can finish up the odd jobs
while the big fighters 20 eIscwhther
The work has been done at some cost. il is
true but at a most insignificant cost compared
with the results attained. and at practically
none at all so far damage done by the Rus
slams Is concerned. The chief loss was Suf-
fered through the explosion Of floating mines
been japanese. The salient fact is that the
Russians did not in direct battle destroy or dis
able single Japanese ship while the japanese
did destroy or disable a number of Russian
ships In what condition the japanese fleet
now is We are not informed but there is rea-
son To believe that with few executions the
ships are in first rate fighting condition and
quite ready to meet the bclated Baltic fleet if
ever ii reaches the scene of war. In such case
we must regard Admiral Togo as the hero of
one of the most successful and not least ardu-
Gus naval campaigns in history The whole
Japanese cause depended upon him The jan
anese government committed what most mill
tary critics would have called the amazing in
discretion of sending a great army overseas
while a powerful hostile fleet was i'm being in
those very seas. 1t depended wholly rpOn Togo
10 keep that hostile feet nnocuous and to pre-
serve for Japan the freedom Of the sea That
task Togo performed without single hitch or
single fault
What next There are stories that the fight
ing admiral is leading his victorious feet south
ward. to meet the Baltic fleet on It's wav and
to destroy ii piecemeal before its various divis-
ions have a chance to assemble. That NAV
he. The Baltic fleet is proceeding in at least
two major divisions. one by way of the Cape
Of Good Hope and one by way of the Suez
Canal, and they will meet somewhere west of
Singapore If Togo could meet them separately
he could easily make short work of them. But
the Indian Ocean is vast eXpanse of water
and he might easily miss his quarry altogether
and thus let il slip past him. II would seem
far more practicable for him to let the fleet
unite and come on to the narrow seas. The
natural route of the Russians would be through
the Malacca Strait: but if they went through
the Sunda Strait, or even away around through
the Macassar Strait he would he far more
likely to intercept them there than in the
open ocean. OF course, the two divisions of
the feet would there be united. But with all
the golfers and transports to protect the Rus
slams would he gravely embarrassed and Togo
ought TO be able TO win n complete victory. But
whether he seeks the foe in place or an
other waits his coming in the Yellow Sea-
we may confidently expect him to give good
account of the Japanese arms, which he has
thus far borne with distinguished proves.