The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-05-07
THE WAX SITUATION.


There is nothing more from the ''un-
confirmed runor'. of a Japanese defeat
at Kiu-lien-Cheng with loss Of 10000,
but there is much TO indicate that the
handing of the Second Army on the
Liaotong peninsula has demoraiized
the Russians The Boosting of the past
few weeks and days has suddenly stop
ned and now the Russians are busily
preparing the mind of the world TO
accept the prospective loss of Port Ar
thur as part of Kuropatkin's strategy
st. Petersburg reports that the garri-
SON in Stcessers command-embraeing
DaIny as well as Port Arthur and the
defences of the peninsula railways
but $4,000 strong and that the harbor
has finally been blockaded. From Muk-
den comes the news that Port Arthur
has been cut off, Nothing more is said
about striking a great blow. Pam
Nv. the Russians are on the defensive
with not nearly the force they nave
pretended to possess.
The Japanese seem to be landing at
more than one point. Pitz-ze-wo, where
10000 have disembarked, is on the east
side of Liaotong, about sixty or eighty
miles above Port Arthur. Port Adams
where 10000 are said to have ianded'
10 ON the west side of the peninsula,
directly opposite Pitz-ze-wo. Kinchau'
where u. S. Minister Griscom reports
a landing. probably means kinchau
oay. on the west side. about thirty
miles from Port Arthur and near the
walled city of Kinchau. Rapid con-
'.an+ration on the railroad is practicable
from all these points. 1t may De as
s11med that the japanese force num-
bars not less than 100, 900 men against |
,stoaesel. and that by thanking the Rus
STAINS who now confront the army OF /
the YaIu, and driving them away, there |
viii soon be 20O,O 600 men, ready to adj
vance ND the railroad. And back OF /
Them will be a powerful fleet, keeping
omen the lines of communication and
supply. One need not be surprised u
the Japanese land third army soon
TO invest yladivostok. The capture or
that port and of Port Arthur would
make IT impracticable for Russia to
send out a new fleet. The ships would
have no port.
Turning back to the sunconfirmed
rurnor,' of a Japanese defeat north OF
the Yalu, the official advices from Min
lister Takahira show that up to May
the Russians were still losing ground.
An incident Of their firing ON detach-
ment of their own men, killing or
wonnding more than half its number
may well have been magnified on the
streets of st. Petersburg as a Russian
triumph.
Al pitched battle on or near the Lao
tong peninsula, won by the japanese,
would have tremendous consequences
apart from those to be readily Seen on
the surface 1t is something like that
which China is waiting for. The quar-
rel, SO far as it concerns Manchuria,
is her quarrel. That vast province be-
longs to her. she was triclzed out of IT
by Russian diplomacy. by heise4l
China could do nothing, but with vic
torious Japanese army in the field she
might do much. Concentrated not far
from the Lao river are $4,000 men un-
der. General Ma whom Japanese officers
have been drilling for two years. Led
by these experienced fighters and act
ing on the same field With a Japanese
army. this Chinese force could add
much to Kuropatkin's difficulties. Fur
thermore China. by forwarding rice and
tea to Japanese. would simplify the lat
ter's commissariat problems; and by
supplying burden bearers and helping
out the spy system it could make the
task of the Mikado's generals that
much easier.