The Washington times., 1904-05-16
GEOGRAPHY TO
DEFEAT RUSSIA
Opinion Expressed by Edi-
tor GrOsYenOr.
SHOULD HAVE WON AT FIRST
Distance Too Great-Facilities Too
PoOr-Task Too Big for
the Bear.
SHOULD HAVE WON AT FIRST

Those persons who are consoling
themselves in Russia's recent defeats
by pointing to the past and saying thai
she has never been beaten. that she Was
al FIRST whipped numerically by Charles
Xii Of Sweden and Napoleon. but in the
end destroyed both these famous ger
erals, would do well TO consider the
following points:
following points, said Gilbert II. Gros-
venor. editor of the National Geo
graphic Magazine" today:
I'D The fights against Charles XII
and Napoleon are not similar 10 inc
present war The Russians are not
lighting in their own country, but IN
land 1900 miles away, and IN the ml1st
Ct millions OF people who are Tar froIa
friendly. The Russians are In certain
sense invaders instead of defenders cl
their homes
At the Wrong End.
''C0 All the might and power in the
world can avail nothing when il is 5000
miles from the field of action, and the
only connecting link is one single-traCk
railway Russia may have Sl50,O0,ON
ana 100000 soldiers, but they are at
the wrong end of the line. Japan. with
45OOOOO0 can pour into the war region
by her ships hundreds of thousands Of
men and keep them supplied with food,
guns, and powder How is Russia gOir 2
10 transport her soldiers and at tia
same time feed those there and keep
them supplied with shell and powder"
Any railroad man can give US some
pretty good ideas as TO the possibilities
al a single-track railroad All ito
1duck, perseverance. and skill OF the
russians cannot overcome the lmpOS-
sible Furthermore. they have got to
keep more men in Manchuria than zoe
japanese, because they have those
miles Of railway TO defend
Needed Early Successes.
90 AS result of the geographic con-
dltfons, il seems TO me that Russia 5
one chance of success was to succeed at
the beginning If she is beaten at first,
because of unpreparedness, she cannot
recover from the defeat. She cannot add
10 her resources, to her power in the
field, as rapidly as can Japan. The Yalu
River fight will be repeated many times.
as it is going to be-the same story right
MISUNDERSTANDING numbers of men
and overwhelming numbers OF cannon.
We may assume that one Jap equals one
Russian, but there IS no doubt admit
ted even in the Russian official reports
that the japanese cannon are vastly
superior in power and range Russia
one hope was 10 win at the beginning.
especially at sea; having lost the begin
ming she Will lose all. For her sake 1t
IS unfortunate that her ships were so
scattered and that she so despised and
moderated her enemy
Once Gone; Gone for All.
80 When the Russians have lost Har-
bin and all south OF it, how are they
going TO get back? They can't. because
they can't get the men and guns and
supplies necessary for a powerful in
vasion-
'Tn a word, geography, NOT history or
Russian might. is going TO decide this
war We have no war in history like
this. It is not a question OF history re-
peating itself. that is, of Russian ten
acity winning in the end again. it is a
question of geography, OF Unsurmount-
able ographfc conditions. II the Japs
were inferior in science, strategy, and
courage. the geographic conditions might
be overcome. but being at least the
EQUALS of the Russians in these respects,
the geographic conditions handicapping
the Russians will inevitably defeat the
latter fight as long and stubbOrnly as
they may. One thing more about the
Japanese, they have been preparing for
the fight since 1S95-nine years. That is
like them-no other peOp-e would have
been so patient, so careful. and so fore
sighted. In our admiration for Russian
grandeur and invincibility in the past we
must not forget that the Russian has
met a different man, a different brain,
under different conditions. We have no
but we have got certain indisputable
Il So