Arizona republican., 1904-03-21
PHOENIX, AR1z.. MARCH 21, 1sO
some Light on the Cossack.

L-l
 American newspaper readers have heard so much about the terrible Cos sacks" who form an important part oi the Russian army that there is gen eral desire to know more of MT. Cos sack. Some interesting information Is furnished by James Creelman, the war correspondent, whose wide travels in the far east have enabled him to gather much valuable information al first hand.
 MT. Creelman in contribution 10 the New York World gives it as his opin- ion that the Russian Cossacks must play a tremendous part in the land fighting. The Japanese army has ord inarily less than 10000 mounted men while the Russian army has at least 117.OOO horsemen. There Is grea' scarcity of horses in Japan. It is said that there are more than 2O,OO0'OOt horses in Russia. The country Tn which the Japanese and Russian forces are approaching each other for death grapple is rough, the distances are great, and the natives are almost without horses.
 The Cossacks are the only hereditary soldiery in Russia. Every soldier Tn Japan carries with him the heroic traditions of the ,samurai-the profes- sional soldier and gentleman. They are his inspiration on the march or in battle, teaching him patience, frugal ity, courage and scorn for death above all. loyalty to the demi-god em- peror. The Cossacks, alone of the Rus sian fighting men, are the descendants of a warricr caste. There are 60,00O of them under the colQrs today.
 These fierce horsemen, who form the vanguard of the czars forces in Man churia. are descended from the only democratic people ot Asia. There was a time when the Cossacks elected theiI own rulers CT hetmen. They lived by the sword, like the samurai of Japan but until they lost their independence they maintained a primitive republi- canism, and so fearful were they ol monarchy that their hetmen, elected by popular vote, could only serve a year at a time.
 MT. Creelman tells us that so free was the spirit of the ancient Cossacks that they fought first for enc country and then for another-now for Russia now for Poland and now for the sul- tan, or even the Tartar Khan. But when under their great leader Mazepp1 they served Charles XII. of Sweder against Russia, Peter the Great de- prived them of their privileges ant destroyed their military organization It was the Cossack brigand Yermal who, in the. reign of Ivan the Terrible explored and conquered Siberia ant this earned his pardon from the ozar
 The Cossacks, alone Of Russia: armed forces, are irnbued with the military instinct, in the opinion of MT Creelman. The rest Of the army is z conscript mass without individual in itiative and helpless beyond the rudi ments of drill. The ordinary soldier i! a dull, patient man, who receives fol pay about forty-four cents every thre' months. and is almost useless withou an officer The Ccssaoks, however furnish their own horses and equip ment, except rifles and ammunition which are supplied by the government and find their own food by foraging- most of the time.
 But unlike the descendants of th' Japanese samurai.. who have auster' and noble traditions Cf self-sacrinct and a separate literature, the Cossack: inherit the sentiments and methods O ruthless robbers.
 The Cossacks or Siberia, who ar, now swarming in front of the Russian army in Manchuria, hold their littl farms subject to the feudal military obligation of their race. When tn cEar's messenger rides through thei villages carrying a red flag in the day time and a red lantern at night, shout
 
 tioa!" they must report at once, witl horse and equipment, to the neares military post.
 These men are the backbone of Rus sian authority In Siberia. They are t be found everywhere from the Ura mountains. to the Pacific. It is sal, that the conditions of life on the Si berisn plains have become so sever, and the Cossacks have grown so poo that they have in many cases beer Bnable to furnish their own horses fo service in the war against Japan, anC that probably explains why Russia ha. been shipping SO many horses over tn, Siberian railway.
 It is certain, however, that beror, many weeks events in Manchuria O