The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-04-07
CONVICTION is THAT
WAR WILL BE LONG
Movements of the Japanese Are Showded in Mystery and Pre-
paratons Are Being Made for Lengthy Struggle
he Whole Nation Anxious for War
By Frederielt Palmer specIal correinon

BY Frederick Palmer, Special Correspond
ent of Golfers Weekly.
Toxic, March 4. 19O4.-One conviction
here is universal: Unless Russia wishes
to give up in the midst of humiliation, the
war will be long. To the general stafr,
planning campaigns to extend over years,
the impotence of the correspondents TO
be at the front comes as the patter of
rain on the window-pane. These master
iacticians and strategists are like so
many machinists directing a plant under
cover Now and then one comes out and
and chats politely with the inquirer and
slips back to the inner mysteries .,..
Once the whole powerful machine is in
action, the engineers. with a Japanese
smile, will pull aside the curtain. The
first tableau was the diplomatic coup that
caught Russia unawares. The second was
the occupation of Seoul and the victory of
Port Arthur. The third will be the APP
pearance of big army at some strategic
point. Even in peace times the Japanese
never say what they are doing; they an
nounee in due time what they have done.
Five men in the whole country, not more.
know the plan of campaign, even in its
general policy. A cabinet officer put
question to one of the five, whose answer
was: 1T is better that you should not
know 1t will help us none IL you do
Know and you might in an unguarded
moment, let a hint pass. your lips" The
correspondent who complains must recall
That Stonewall Jackson never took his
own staff into his confidence.
In this land. where authority comes di-
rectly from the emperor, one man. or a
set of men, bears all the responsibility.
The business of the rest is to obey. The
major-general himself may not know
what is the object of his division. He is
as essentially one of the chessmen as his
own privates moved by the great players
in Toxic. When local paper says that
an officer of the imperial guard has de-
parted, destination unknown" Il is tell
ing as much as the officer himself knows.
Ten days ago Toxic was full of soldiers;
today 1t is again town of peace At the
office of the general staff. where Lieu
tenant General Baron Kodama. the mas
ter of the army's work. its plans. and its
ambitions still remains the mill grinds
with the same regularity and fineness as
in time of peace.
Movements Unknown.
The Imperial Guard has gone, "destina-
ton unknown" The next tableau will
show them in action. The system that
carries them from Toxic to Korea or
Manchuria seems almost as obscure to
foreigner as that, of Caesars transports.
Ten days ago trooper packed trains were
running out of Toxic; the nearby villages
were alive with flags. BY way OF welcome
the artistic ingenuity Unborn in every Jap
anese gave the inspiration of its patriot
rism full play in decorations. Little crowds
gathered to cheer the glimpse of uni
form. Now the regular train schedule is
hair afalA t-1a and 1e,r
who looks out of the window at the fig
ures, turning the ground for the sowing,
might well ask If the country was really
at war. This total absence of confusion,
heretofore considered Inevitable to prepa-
ration, is the marvel that continues to
impress one who waits upon the word of
the general staff to go to the front
+ 1t is this state of peace which partly
answers the question whether or not
Japan can afford a long war. 1t is now
clear that the funds will be forthcoming
to keep a great army in the field for two
or three years, II necessary. With the
Russian navy off the seas, Japan can put
back into commission all her merchant
ships not actually needed as regular
transports She is conducting operations
away from home No subject of the en-
peror not actually with the army need
ever hear a shot fired. This people Is as
widely separated from the devastation Of
Philippines. Three or four or five hun
dred thousand of her producers are alb
sent OF these 10000 are regularly in the
army To take the places of the others
is an increasing population OF 100000
year. The loss from Interrupted human In
dustry then, is inconsiderable. AS much
land will be TILED this year as last. Japan
can go on raising her silk, rice, and tea,
and buying and selling in the summer of
1904 as she did in the summer of 1903. The
excess of consumption due to the army
will give an impetus to production. Most
of what the army uses, outside of -four,
meats and some ammunition, win be pro-
duced entirely at home. The old saying
that no nation that ever wanted to make
war was kept from 1t by lack Of funds
has a sound economic basis.
Nation Wants War.
This nation wants to make war. Every
man, woman and child is for bloodshed
without end till victory comes. In nation
al finance at such a time, belief is the
most valuable asset next to productive
ness. If the people distrusted the gov
eminent; II they boarded their gold and
refused to subscribe TO the war bonds.
then we should really be in the midst of
a crisis The contrary is magnificently
true. To a war over seas are brought
the sacrifices which are supposed to go
with a war against the invader. such sac
rifices not in the last bitches, but at the
outset, when victory is In the air, as the
south made in the civil war. and French
men made in 1870. Joined with this Is
peace time production. When people
stand ready to give to the government
their daily earnings and the sale of their
products the nation need borrow only or
Itself.
In vain you may look for some class
which does not regard this entry of Jap
anese troops into foreign land as a matter
Of life and death to the home land. There
are literally no ANTS. I'm Japan The
100000 600 ven loan is subscribed again and
again The swelling provincial war FUNDS
are fed by the money of all classes. The
coolie stakes his wages on the courage OF
Japanese troops: his employer stakes his
business Patriotism gives the whole
land the community of interest OF club.
The mobiles send In their gold cups (per-
hans given by the emperor; their wives
send in their jewelry to be melted down
A certain marquis gave all his horses TO
the government. When 1t came to the
carriage pair madam protested ia little.
eMv husband was never so angry with
me in all my life as with that piece OF
saIfishness" she said afterward. If you
81 home would understand how the indi-
yiduaI regards national affairs as his per-
sonar affairs, consider that foreign force
bad taken New York, Philadelphia and
wa shinaton and was marching inland.
Then the Rockefelers, the Morgans, the
Vanderbilts and the Goulds would con-
tribnte their millions to defend their
Tho JapaneSp millionaire mas