The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-21

4 APAN'S fighting strength on land IS
notably weak in two arms of the
service-the cavalry and artillery
and the weakness in both cases is due
10 the same causes. The Jap is not 4
..secessful handler of horses, and ia
pan does not produce good horses. The
horse is not native 10 Japan and the
Jap has not that faculty for handling
horses that is Unborn to the native Of
the plains. The element of topography
enters into the question. The plains
produce horses and horsemen. Japan
had no plains and no horses until the
outside world supplied them, and the
Jap has never learned to handle lii5
horse. IMMERSED in the horse lore that
the man Of the plains has had handed
down to him from generation to gen
Grafton. the Jap has not acquired prop
er knowledge of the nature and needs
OF the horse. and the stock i'm Japan
has deteriorated instead of improved,
until now the japanese horse is
wretched, scrawuy little cayuse, but he
IS not yet so woefully deficient a horse
as is the Jap as a rider and driver.
Russians Natural Horsemen.
The Russian, on the other hand, IS a
natural horseman. The Cossack has
been "a plainsman for centuries and NE
has mastered his steed until he has
not a peer on earth, unless it be the
American cowboy, and distinguished
authorities who have studied both give
the palm for h0Tsemanship 10 the Cos
sack. And the Russian driver is not
behind the COSsack i'm Craftsmanship.
Z he COssack viii ride any horse you
may bring him, and the driver of the
ar0sky win put the horse i'm harness
abreast OF half a dozen others and put
the old-time western stage driver to
shame, Born riders and born drivers
are EuSsia's CavalTymen and artillery
drivers. Furthermore. the Russian has
Eood ezes and the Jap has not as
seueraI rule. Defective eyesight is a
national weakness in Japan, although
the army especially the artillery
branch, is filed by men who possess
fairly good eyes, and history shows
the Jap gan shoot straight.
Where Russia Is Strong.
But granting to the Jap eyesight
equally as coed as that OF the Russian.
& IllIs- be apparent that in COMPARING
the strength Of the Russian artillery
and cavalry to the same branches OF
the Japanese army. the comparison is
all i'm favor of the Russian. The RUS
sian army Is especially formidable in
the branches of the service where the
horse plays a conspicuous part while
the japanese army is weak, pitifully
weak 50 far as the cavalry is con
cerued, and may be said TO have no
cavalry.
Japan has about 10000 mounted men
who masquerade as Cayalrymen and
are said to be able TO perform all the
duties of a cavalryma8 except to ride.
jim the artillery branch it makes
somewhat better showing.
But q million cavalrymen and a mil
lion artillerymeu are of no value to an
army unless they can reach and dam
-c the enemy The best rider I'm the
world. mounted oB the best horse i'm
the world. cannot ride up the face Of
cliff The best driver on earth cannot
follow "a mountain trail nor drive
through q tr8ckless forest with a can
non behind his team. Cavalry and ar
tiiery require open country to he of
service, and in contrasting the strength
Of Russia and Japan it is necessary 10
consider the probable scene Of military
operations.
Nature OF Country.
Nanchuria and Korea viii uudoubt-
edIy furnish the field. They do not fur
uish much country wei adapted TO cav
airy or artillery operations. Korea is
everywhere mountainous, with sharp
peaks. rugged hills and narrow valleys.
generally barren. bat i'm the western
portion covered with heavy timber
Hanchuria has some plateaUs away up
I'm the northern part toward Siberin,
bUt in general IL. TOO. is mountainous
and is divided by two great ranges IN
Manchuria. mountain and plain are
covered by dense forests. infested by
tigers and other fierce animals. Both
counties are distinctly rough and i'll
fitted for the maHeuvers Of horsemen.
Character Of Soldiers.
So that taking into consideration the
probable battiefelds ON land. il viii be
seen that japan win not suffer greatly
through it's weakness in the cavalry
and artillery branches and the issue
turns more upon the relative strength
OF Russia and Japan i'm the infantry
branch. Here Russia has the better
OF 10 in numbers. Japan I'm personnel.
The Russian infantrymau is "a logged
fighter. Once esta blished i'm a position
he viii Eight TO the death. but his men
tai processes are slow and the Jap can
outmaneuver him. The Russian also