Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-09-08
SITUATION IN THE FAR EAST.

While adviccs in relation TO the disas-
Ter which has ovortaken the Russians are
still far from complete, sufficient is known
to make plain two things namely, that
the battle was one of the greatest and
most fiercely contested cOmhats in mod
ern warfare, and that the Russians have
evidently suffered reverse from which
they can hardly hope to recover except
after a prolonged period of recuperation
and preparation. Up to the time of the
present writing there seems to be some
question whether the Russians will be
able to take a new stand anywhere near
Mukden before they are again overtakcn
by the victorious japanese and forced to
fight for their very existence as an
army. with the chances strongly in favor
OF repetition of the disasters OF the past
few days. Indeed it would not be strange
If the Russians would find themselves
compelled to withdraw completely from
Manchuria, thus making possible one Of
the results which the japanese avowedly
set out to accomplish.
An indirect result of the defeat of the
Russians under General Kuropatkin is
Nnt removal Oh Inc ltiSi NcSllSs OF nope
of relief for the bcleaguered garrison Of
Port Arthur, with all which that sisni-
1ies. 1t was evidently the plan of the
Russians to beat Kuroks army, If
possible. and send a force to make n rear
attack upon tho japanese who are be-
sieglng Port Arthur, and the garrison,
has plainly been buoyed up by the hope
that succor would sooner or later come
from this direction. This possibility
has been completely dissipated. and the
brave Russians who have so long with
stood the japanese assaults, must con-
tinue to make their struggle unaided to
the bitter end.
That Port Arthur must now fall sooner
or later. is a fact capable Of mathemat-
zeal demonstration, The city and fortress
IS surrounded by the enemy and neither
military supplies nor food stuffs can be
smuggled into the place. At last accounts
the soldiers and citizens were short OF
food supplies and, save as they may and
must there must be limit to the dura-
ton of their ability to subsist, let alone
Fght IA vigorous and persistent and re-
Lntless foe.
The present outlook is that so far as
Russian forces now in the field are con-
cerned, the Cars military strength in
the Far East will be completely neutral
lied, if not practically annihiatod. For
tihcations costing millions of dollars and
years Of time in their construction have
been destroyed have fallen into tho
hands of the victorious japanese. 1t viii
be strange if the japanese navy does not
devote its attention to Vladivostok, thus
utterly depriving Russia of an open port
on the Pacific for it's great Siberian rail
road
Whether the Russians can hope to re
coup themselves and regain what they
have lost, even after years of preparation
is a matter of grave doubt in the ligh
OF events that have occurred since tn,
beginning of the present war. The Jap
anese have won an almost uninterrupted
series of victories on both land and sea
since they dealt the Russians the frs
blow by surprising the Port Arthur feet
and the Russians would be forced to SEM
an overwhelming force to Manchuria Il
win back the ground they have lost. o.
the other hand the japanese long ago an