The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-07-28
TOGO, JAPANESE DEWEY
SOMETHING ABOUT YICE-ADMI-
 RAL TOGO HEIHACHIRo.

He Said Only asYes, sir,' When He was
 Mnde Chief of the FIeets-But His
 Guns Said the Rest on Port Arthur.
 In one of the many conferences of the elder statesmen before the throne in the days when war between Nippon and Russia was imminent, and it was a question of the best man to command the Nipponese navy. Marquis Ito said: Send Togo. He struck the first blow in the Chino Nippon war. and he will strike first now-and hard" So Vice Admiral Togo Heihachiro was summoned to Tokio, where he speedily found himself in the navy de- partment listening to rather an impor- tant communication.
 So we have chosen you for the chief command" l" finished Yamamoto Gombei, the minister of marine. at the close of three hours of instructions. There are the ships"
 And Yice-Admiral Togo said:
 "Yes, sir
 The minister of marine glanced at him inquiringly and waited for more. But Vice-Admiral Togo stood before him silent and inscrutable as a granite Buddha, and the audience was pres ently at an end.
 But this laconie reply to such com mands, delivered at the close of such complicated directions, was past under standing, Even Togo the Silent must have some unknown grievance rank ling in his soul that had voiced itself in this miracle of curt speech. And a man with a grievance was at best but a half-hearted fighter. This must be Hooked into with care, for the navy could be trusted in this juncture to no man who would take the command with a mental reservation.
 I The minister of marine sent trusted emissary upon the admiral's track. The emissary went to Sasebo, where he remained for several days without ada ling to his store of knowledge. But something had to be done.
 So the minister's emissary pursued his investigations among the officers of the fleet. From them he gained no en- l llightenment as to the admiral's state of lmind, but the admiral was very speed l fly enlightened as to the marine minis lter's state of mind, for within twenty -four hours the whole fleet rang with tthe news that Vice. Admiral Togo was discontented-was angry beyond repair twas so offended that he might refuse to lead the fieet-and no one knew why. l Said Vice Admiral Togo then: Ut has come to my ears that sundry fools are busy spreading false impressions. l I will give a feast to celebrate my ap- lpointment to the command, and it shall be the greatest feast the navy has ever Iseen. That everybody may be joyous on that day all the officers and men of this squadron have leave to invite their wives and children and their near rela- ltives''
 So the feast was given on the hill- slopes of Sasebo It was memorable for its magnificence and for its unre- lstrained joyfulness.
 That was on February 3. Next day the admiral made tour of inspection, Icalling upon all his ships. As he ex- Ipected, he found all in perfect order, with every man at his post All was in readiness for the word from Tokio. | Upon February came the intelli- gence that war had been declared and that the fleet under Vice-Admiral Togo was to proceed to Port Arthur without delay and attack the eneny's ships at that port.
 When the message arrived the admi- lral summoned all his officers by signal Ito the flagship. They assembled as swiftly as might be and when all were ushered into the admirals presence. He stood silent as usual, and before him was the sannbo, a tiny table of pure l white wood, upon which lay the three and half incfes'the short sword or l dagger of the sanural.
 No word was said on either side. I Still as death the admiral and his cap tains contemplated the emblem of hon orable death before them. This dagger meant victory or kappuka, and it spoke to these men of modern Nippon as I clearly as 1t had spoken to the samu- raj of old.
 After while the admiral spoke. l tGentlemen,n he said, "the feast at which you gave me the honor of your presence two days ago was the parting feast. Never could the sailors of Nip- lpon have revelIed thus with their wives and children about them unless 1t had been that parting which is the end. Tonight we sail to attack the enemy, land from that voyage there is no re- Iturn. Be in readiness to weigh anchor lat the signal Good day"
 l That night the fleet sped ghostlike out into the Yellow Sea
 I On the night of February 8 the first Russian war ships were torpedoed and Esunk at Port Arthur.
 I Togo Heihachiro is a member of one I of the most famous fighting families in the famous fighting clan of Satsuma. Born October IA, 1857, just four years after the squadron of Commodore Per- " dropped anchor in the Bay of Yeddo, he opened his eyes upon the new Nip l pon, and he has grown with her growth. &
 Doubt of his ability to carry to a suc- cessful conclusion any enterprise to which he may have set his hand is as far from him as doubt that the sun lrises. in the east.
 4 With all his confidence and decision