The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-19
The situation in Manchuria.

The situation in Manchuria.
There is no modern precedent for the
conclusion of an armistice between hos
tile armies when negotiations for peace
are as vet but inchoate, when no protocol
has been signed and when plenlpo-
tentiaries have not even met. 1t is not
expected that the conference at Wash
ington Of the representatives of Japan
and Russia will take place before August
perhaps not until September Mean
while, ever since the fall Of Mukden and
the occupation of Tie Pass, Marshal
OYAMA has been making preparations
for the final development Of his Russian
antagonist. The execution of his de-
signs seems to be at hand, and We may
expect to witness one more trial OF
strength, trial which this time may
prove decisive
From such unofficial data as the cor
respondents of Western newspapers
are able to supply, the computation has
been made that the number Of soldiers
now at the disposal OF the Japanese
Commanders in Chief falls not much
short Of half million. and exceeds by
at least a hundred thousand the force
under Gen LINIEvITCH. Such numerical
superiority seems indispensable for the
successful prosecution of an enveloping
movement That the movement which
has for it's focal objective the Russian
headquarters at kirin has already be-
gun may be inferred from the dispatches
received at st. Petersburg to the effect
that Japanese detachments have been
encountered on both the eastern and
the western extremites of the Russian
line, while opposite the Russian center
the Japanese have somewhat fallen
back, which ia just the course a great
stategist would take il he wished to lure
his opponent forward into the net spread
for his discontinue. At Liaoyang, and
again at Mukden, the Russians were de-
luded with the hope Of piercing the enc
my's center at the very time when meas
ures had been taken to beat in their
wings.
In both Of those battles, however it
was impossible for OYAMA to annihilate
the opposing force because means of
retreat lay open in the railway running
northward to Hardin which the Russians
still controlled. IT, instead Of placing
his headquarters at Kirin, many miles
to the east of the line running north
ward from Mukden, the Russian COM
mander had fixed his center at Hardin,
he would have had the choice of with
drawing his army by rail in case Of neces-
sity, either to Nladivost ok or Lake Baikal.
AS it is, he has waited so long in an adj
vanced and lateral position that he may
find both avenues of escape closed to
him in his hour Of need. So far as we
can trust the information that has fl
tered through the rigorous censorship
established throughout the Japanese
lines, the five armies under the orders
of Marshal OYAMA are located about as
follows, though it should, Of course, be
understood that they are all highly mo-
bile instead of quiescent. On the eX-
treme left of the Japanese lie the con-
querors of Port Arthur, the veterans com
manded by Gen. Noel. who is threat
ening the railway connecting Hardin
with Lake Baikal That is the barrier
which will be confronted by LINIEvITCH,
should defeat prompt him to seek re-
treat toward the west. Immediately
south Of NoGI'S force is the army under
Gen. OKU, which on its right is in touch
with the central army led by Gen. NoDzu,
who himself is under the immediate
orders of the japanese COMMANDMENTS
Chief. On the right of the Japanese
center but stretching south and south
east of Kirin, are arrayed the soldiers
of KuRoKI, who bore the brunt of the
fighting at Liaoyang and Mukden. On
KuRoKIs right, and itself intcrposed
between krin and the railway running
TO Vladvostok, is the fifth Japanese
army, moved up from Corea
If these positions are identified by a
glance AT the map, it will be evident that
a junction Of the Japanese fifth army
with NoGI's veterans would completely
cnvclop LINIEvITCH, and second catas-
trophe like Sedan would be conceivable,
were it not for the fact that the Russian
commander possesses a force so much
larger than was MACMAHoN's that he
ought to be able, by massing it at a given
point, to burst through the circle OF his
enemies. II beaten. however, under
such i, adv adversf strategic conditions he