The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-08-15
5FRaNiS AND STARTLING ADMis-
SONS FROM a RUSSIAN K
STATE OFFICER TO
FRIEND.

4 The following extract from the let
tier OF a Russian. taft officer nj the
front, addressed to a Journalist who
has distinguished himself BY his
Chauvinistic articles il a st. Peters
number OF the "Osvobozhdenie,s the
i organ of the Liberal Opposition, pub,
jlished at Stuttgart, and requires no
.lcomment. says the London II lines
/ IF our official SOURCES OF informa-
i ton are occasionally compelled, for
political reasons. to observe silence,
We can all understand why silence
was maintained as to the loss CT near
| ~ 5000 men sWafang-kau, (Telissul,
/ and also as to the loss by one reSi-
| ment of its colors, that sacred object
! of military honor. We can all under-
stand why nothing was said as to our
l5hasty retreat before an enemy only
equal in numbers. But what we can
journalists to keep the public in an
optimistic frame of mind by distort-
ing facts as much as possible. and to.
write of that of which they know
nothing. II ya,, will read attentively
the official report You Will see that.
on June IA the enemy had only two
incomplete divisions. while we had
two and a half. Shoreorer. with us
regiment consists Of four battal.
ions, save in the East Siberian units.
which have three. We had also two
brigades of artillery-that is, &c guns,
besides Cossacls horse battery with
dragons. and two regiments of Cos
sacks.
Our force, as you see, was not q
small one To the assistance of the
Japanese came iivision-the STAFF
report says brigade--of infantry
with two or three batteries, while
three regiments We're sent to us by
rail. But you talk of this as our he
roic battle with an antagonist three
times our strength! We have always
known how to die with some eXcep-
tions), but this does not mean that |
an enemy so rare from military
point of view as the Japanese is not
which our custom is to shower. upon
this civilized Nation. have a right
to speak, for have spent a consid-
cradle time in Japan, and / tell you
frankly that I often blushed for my |
country when l compared many things
there and here.
An enemy SO dangerous, whether as
persistence, readiness for
war. or moral strength, Russia has
never met. Japan is a dangerous en-
envy for this reason: Our soldier, I'M
despite valor and resig- I
nation. is inferior to the Japanese sol
der in discipline and-what is still I
more important-fghts with indiffer-
this war is for an idea
which penetrates all without excep
ton from the minister to the husband
man. Here you have the reason for
such incidents as occurred at Chong-
chu-you are probably unaware of
ELSEWHERE the Cossacks refused to
charge, and as a result we lost three
officers. 1t is from this fact and not
rom the color of the uniforms, which,
,ver since Kuropatkin's arrival, have n
,een undistinguishable from those Of i
he men, that the true reason is to /
,e found for the large percentage of
osses among the officers. /
Our Trans-Baikal and Siberian /
,ossacks are our weak point. In con-
equence of their loose behavior and
rant of preparation for active service {
hey are of little use to US The army I
waits with Impotence the arrival of !
be Fifty-first and Forty-ninth Fifty
econd) dragons It is hoped that 7
hey will help to place the scouting on i
proper footing. I
Our officers, as a whole-especial- \
Z those trained in the Junker schools a
are undoubtedly inferior to the Jap-I p
nese as regards professional train
lg The majority, it is needless to- Il
~, go under fire not for the sake q
an idea (the only idea that could II
ave any force with us would be self 9
lterest), but for the sake of tradi- "
on or distinction But they do not q
ike, for its good, because it is evil G;
snt, upon anything like an attentive q
Of the matter, that we II
e in the wrong. If you only knew u
hat we did during the Chinese cam g
aign! Ones heart bleeds. It is not e
ithout reason that the Chinese 1o
and openly on the side of the Jap IN