Amador ledger., 1904-02-19
WAR IN THE ORIENT.

of the greatest conflicts of modern
times. Japan, the most enlightened
and progressive nation of the Orient,
has drawn the sword against the in
sidious advance of the Muscovite in
gobbling up the territory in the Far
East. A nation of $4,000, 600 has
challenged the might of the most
populous and grasping power of
Europe-Russia. To the average
mind, this may seem the extreme of
temerity on the part of the japanese,
and that the clash of arms can only
have one outcome-namely, the
crushing of the little brown men by
the great Northern Bear. A fair
estimation of the situation will be
apt to modify this opinion, and lead
to the conclusion that the contend
ing forces are not so unevenly
matched as the population of the
two empires would indicate. In
deed, the japanese have more than
an even chance of emerging from the
conflict victorious, to the extent of
administering a setback to the ag-
gressive policy of Russia in the far
east. Japan is fighting for her
national life. With Russians hold
ing Manchuria, and reaching from
there to Corea, with the object of
finally absorbing the whole of that
peninsula, with its coastline fronting
the Japanese Islands, the struggle
for supremacy was bound to come
sooner or later. Japan concluded
that it would be more perilous to
postpone the day of trial, than to
throw down the gauge of battle now.
The japanese have already dem
onstrated their superiority on the
sea. They have defeated the Rus
slams at Port Arthur and at Chel-
mulpo, sealed up the Russian fleet
at the former port, and have ac-
quired such a mastery on the sea-
board in the vicinity of the con-
fict on land that Russia is not
only not likely to overcome, but can
not even meet with a fleet of any
thing like equal strength. Aud the
control of the sea is very apt to
prove the deciding factor of the war.
1t is doubtful if Russia, notwith-
standing her immense resources, can
face her antagonist in an over
whelming force on the land. She
must transport her soldiers over a
single-track railroad five thousand
miles, a long distance of which runs
through a hostile country. The line
through Manchuria is infested with
a population that will take every ad-
vantage to thwart her aims. It is a
tremendous task to transport and
supply a large army SO distant from
the base with slimly built one
track railroad. In the war in South
Africa, Great Britain found it a
serious business in contending with
100000 Beers to keep open it's
communication along 1900 miles of
railroad. But the problem in South
Africa which the British found so
much difficulty in solving, is nothing
IN comparison to that which cou-
fronts Russia in the present war.
Great Britain had undisputed con-
troll of the sea, and had no trouble
in getting her armies and stores to
the scene of conflict Three out of
every four men transported to South
Africa had to do garrison duty. This
experience will probably be repeated
on the Russian line of travel through
Siberia and Manchuria. The Japs
will prove as great a surprise on
land as on the sea. They are at
home as it were, where the battles
must be fought. The Russians on
the other hand are in an alien coun-
try, the climate of which is deadly
to them. Every motive of patrio
tism spurs the little islanders to
deeds of daring; they are skillful,
intelligent, quicker in movement,
and more enduring than their an tag
onists. That they are smaller men
is no drawback in the game of war
nowadays. Modern warfare is not
a matter ofhand to hand encounters.
Long range fighting is the rule, and
the Jap is fully as expert with the
rifle and the field gun as the Rus
slams, at the same time offering a
smaller target than the more i'm
posing physique of his foeman.
American. sympathy is decidly in
favor Of the Japanese. 1t is not a
question of the white against the
yellow peril. Neither the Chinese
nor the Japanese constitute a peril
in Asia. That is their country, and
there is no reason why they should
be displaced. 1t is only when they
invade the white mans country that
they become peril. In like man.
ner, the invasion of the Far East by
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