East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-07-20
MORAL OF THE RUSSIAN DEFEAT

The sweeping victory of the Japan
ese over the Russian navy in the Sea
of Japan is simply further demon
stration of the startling incapacity
unpreparedness and general ineffi-
cheney which has characterized the
Russian army and navy in the entire
management of the war from its in
ception 1t would be difficult to con-
jure up more partheic spectacle
than that which is presented in the
helplessness of the Rojesvensky
squadron when it fell into the grip of
Togo. The overwhelming victory of
the Japanese has been made evident
in the light which has been thrown
on the movements OF the Russian
fleet since it left Russian waters. The
vessels were fully manned. There
was no dearth of coal. and few, at
least, of the warships, were of the
most modern and approved type. The
guns were probably capable of shoot
ing straight, and the battleships had
sufficient armor plate to Withstand a
good hard knocking, even at the
hands of a superior adversary.
Undoubtedly neither of the ships,
nor the ammunition. nor the guns
nor the coal were to blame for the
disgracefuI defeat of Rojestvensky
The narrowing result can be laid al
most entirely to the state of mind of
the Russian officers and men. Rojest-
vensky, according to the newspapers,
had no confidence in his own success,
his only hope being to reach Vladi-
vostok in a shattered condition. In
the Indian ocean. the crew of one of
the vessels mutinied, and a number of
men were executed. There was feel
ing throughout the whole squadron of
uncertainty. While the attitude of
mind might not be called exactly that
of fear. it certainly must have
broached so near that feeling that the
line of demarkation between it and a
natural state of apprehension could
hardly be established. With officers
and crew in such a state of mind, and,
on the other hand, with the Japanese
alert, eager, watchful, determined
and aggressive, in all human nature
| there could be no other result. The
moral of this battle is that 1t Is men
that count, and not guns or ships or
coal. Napoleon once said that God is
on the side of the heaviest battalion
| but 1t Is not so. Indeed. 1t would be
difficult to find a case in all history
where such a bare statement, not ac-
companied by explanation after ex-
planation, can be found to be substan-
tiated.
The greatest factor in the struggles
between nations, as well as the strug-
giles between men individually and
collectively, consists, we are forced to
believe, in the attitude of the mind oi
those who are the combatants In al
departments of human endeavor, un-
uuenchable confidence in ones owr
ability or policy is more than half the
battle. A football team that enter!
, the field without enthusiasm and con
fidence is already beaten. 1t is worse
than folly for men to undertake any
commercial enterprise without enthu
siasm and the fullest confidence anC
, belief in ultimate success. SO in al
forms of human endeavor, and In al
forms of struggles between men fo
) the mastery. 1t Is the man that counts
Without belief. without enthusiasm
the cause is already lost. Russia wa
defeated before she began.-Willian
Rittle Wells in Pacific Monthly 70
{ July.