New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-03
JAPANESE MARCHING on.

The great battle" in Manchuria does not yet
appear TO have been fought. II It has, the
world has not been informed Of the fact. But
then II does not seem to matter much whether
it has been, or is to he. or not. The japanese
are marching on. If they thus gaining their
ends, il is so much the better TO have them do
SO without the great battle. Or If General Kuro-
patkin is still Turing them on 10 their destruc-
ton" as he said, why, he is certainly succeed
ing in the Turing part e the game, and it is so
much the better 10 have him do that without
the great battle.
The latest dispatches indicate that the Jap
anese are advancing into the Lao Valley at
a great rate They have driven back the Rus
slams at several points in what really looks
much like 4 rout. and are compelling them 10
abandon base after base. A little while ago
Kai-Ping was the Russian outpost at the south,
then Tashi-Chiao, while the main army was
supposed TO be massed at HaI-Cheng. Now Hal
Cheng is all but abandoned and the Russians
are in full retreat upon An-Shan Chow. which
is also called An-Shan-Shan and various other
/ names, a place on the railroad twenty miles
north OF Hal-CbenG. At the same time Gen
| eral Kuroki has struck toward LaO-Yang and
has driven the Russians before him in the di-
rection Of An-Ping. which IS town a dozen
miles east Of Liao-Yang, whence they will prob
ably fall back upon Lao Yang itself The ques-
Kuropatkin will succeed in getting all parts OF
his army together and massing them nj Lao
Yang, either for battle or for retreat or whether
General Stakelbergs division of IT, at the south,
will be cut off by japanese advance westward
between HaiCheng and Liao-Yang, and thus
be forced TO surrender. After that will come
the question whether what is left of kuropat-
kin's army at iao-Yang will fight or will re-
treat upon Moukden, and, in the latter case,
whether 1t will be able to retreat or will find
itself 1anked at the left and cut off by Kurokis
right wing. The sum of the matter is that
things are going dsastrously with the Russians
In that region. Nor is 1t TO be wondered at.
We have hitherto pointed out in these columns
that General KurOpatkin was both outnumbered
and outplanned. He had an army Of not more,
and perhaps much less, than 100000 men. in an
inferior position and was confronted by armies
aggregating about 100000 men, in superior po-
sitiOns. Against such odds what could he do?
1t was all very fine few months ago to talk
of the overwhelming numbers which Russia
would put into the field. of Turing on" the Jap
anese TO destruction in the interior and of driv-
ing the Japanese into the and debating
peace at Toxic. But fine words butter no pars-
nips, nor do TREY defeat hostile armies. The
fact of the present situation is that all Man
churia below Moullden is potentially lost to the
Russians, and it depends upon the Japanese to
say whether points further inland even to Har-
bin itself, shall or shall not be left to them.
! Nor is consolation for Kuropatkin's losses to
be found at Port Arthur. Day by day the be-
sieging Gordon is drawn more tightly around
! that doomed fortress. The latest report is that
! the Japanese have captured "Shantaikow"
! There is some uncertainty as TO the identity OF
that place. 1t may be railroad station far to the
north Of Port Arthur, or it may be Taku-Shan
which is an important fertilization, situated as
| its name indicates upon hill. This latter Mace
! Is not IN the chain Of forts which encirces the
city but stands alone, some miles outside OF
that chain, at the southeast Japanese possess
sion OF it would not directly menace the civ
with commandment. but It would afford the
japanese valuable vantage ground from which
! to press their attack upon the encirclng forts
The best bit of news, for the Russians If true
is the story that Admiral BeZobrazoff has got
into Port Arthur to take command of the fleet
There is reason to doubt the story, but it NAV
be true and, if it is, we have in it promise OF
some stirring work. For that daring and re-
sourceful officer will scarcely scuttle his ships