Warren sheaf., 1905-03-30
LOYALTY STANDS TEST.
Kuropatkin, Humiliated by Recent
Removal, Accepts Another
Command,

st. Petersburg, March 22.-Gen. Kuro-
patkin has been appointed commander
OF the First Manchurian army. The ap-
pointment is gazetted in the Official
Messenger. The Russian army in Man
churia is thus still to have the services
OF Gen. Kuropatkin, who is considered
by many, in spite of his series Of re-
verses, the best general and foremost
strategist of the Russian army Sink
ing all feeling of personal bitterness be-
cause of his supersession and all the
Old-tlme enmity between himself and
Gen. Linevitch in a patriotic desire to
be of service to the fatherland, the for
mer commanGer-in-chief volunteered to
remain in any capacity with the army
which he had so long commanded. The
tender has been accepted by Emperor
Nicholas and gratefully received by the
new leader of the grand army. The
change exactly reverses the old order
OF affairs, when Kuropatkin was the
supreme leader and Linevitch directed
the First army.
st. Petersburg, March 23.-The party
within the government which is urging
the emperor to indicate to Japan Rus
sia's Willingness to end the war if a
reasonable basis can be reached, as re-
lated in these dispatches on March 20,
has been greatly encouraged the last
few days, and an actual pacific proposal
may be just ahead. The subject has oc-
cupied much of the attention of the con-
ferences at Tsarkoe- -Selo.
st. Petersburg, March 24.-The pos
sibility that if the Russian army
should be unable to hold the lower
line of the Sungari river at Chunch-
iatsu it may be compelled to retreat
not only to Harbin, but also further
westward along the railroad, abandon
ing to the Japanese northern Man.
churia and the Russian maritime
Amur provinces as we'll is the latest
startling news from the front This
possibility suggests the advisability Of
Immediately providing Vladivostok
with war munitions and supplies for
two years siege. The correspondent
estimates the number of reinforce
ments needed to give Gen Linevitch
the requisite superiority in force at
100000. With Manchuria entirely
abandoned to the Japanese, and Vlad-
ivostok left as Russia's solitary SEN
tinel on the Pacific, it is realized that
Russia will be practically at Japans
mercy in the matter of peace terms.
St. Petersburg, March 24.-It is an
nounced here that all the women have
been ordered to leave Vladivostok
St. Petersburg, March 25-The Rus
sian rear guard is now occupying a line
of fairly strong natural positions "a
miles south of Gunshu pass, the center
being the railroad village of Sipinghai,
and the tlanks covering the roads on
either side, which apparently it is the
intention to defend long enough to force
the Japanese to show their hands The
Russians may, however, have been out
fanked, and have no intention of MAX
ing serious stand, especially as all
the correspondents continue to report
rumors of wide turning operations on
both flanIs, indicating probable basis
in fact. The correspondents believe
resumption of hostilities on a grand
scale and an important battle are i'm
probable inside of three months.
The women and children are reported
to be leaving Harbin, and the business
houses are closing.