The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-12
THE REAL CAUSE OF RUSsIA's
 DISASTER.

Why has Russia failed utterly and pitifully, with her armies as well as with her navy, in the war with Japan,
 The Russian has as much bravery, persistence and endurance as the Japa- nese fighting man. He has proved this l in other conflicts, notably in the war with Turkey in 1878. Why, then, has he failed to wrest a single victory from
 Japan, when there is every evidence that he still possesses the qualities of valor and self-sacrifice? %s- l The collapse of Russia is due not to the weakness or demoralization of her people but to the incompetence and corruption of the Government. There 1 have been great authors and thinkers in the Czar's Empire. great painters and composers. But Russia does not permit an honest expression of opinion if it reflects upon the existing order. The policy of the autocrocy,: as out | lined by one of it's most candid spokes- men, is to prevent the dissemination of knowledge among the people, to stide discussion, to treat freedom of speech not as natural right but as crime against the state. Hence the people, l subjected to a system of pitiless Ter pression and kept, as far as possible, in a state of profound ignorance, have been exploited by conscienceless bureaucracy which numbers among its | members men of ability. most of whom, | however, are more anxious to promote their own selfish ambitions than the welfare ~of the Empire. Necessarily such a system of government destroys anything like independence on the part of the masses It destroys intelligence and initiative on the part of the plain people, from whom the Czars armies and sea fighters are recruited. It makes a. monkey Of patriotism. | The war with Japan is not war of | the Russian people against an enemy l who had done them wrong. It is the war of the autocracy and bureaucracy and there is good reason to belive that it had sordid origin in the bureauc- racy. If aedistinguished Russian, who i has discussed the causes of the con- fiict in articles in British reviews, has not misstated the facts, the timber con-
 sessions in Korea granted to the l grand ducaI cabal and to some of the court favorites were among the chief causes of the conflict. There was a peace party in St, Peterburg, but it was powerless against the intrigues of the court party and the grand dukes. In l their hands the Czar was as clay, 1 There was deliberate Justification of the issues involved in the controversy with Japan, the purpose being to deceive the people. Because the press is muzzled
 and freedom of speech is not permitted, | 1t was not difficult for the autocracy to conceal from the masses the actual cases of the war There was no de- mand made by Japan in the diplomatic | negotiation which could not have been 1 granted without detriment to Russia's s 1 interests in China and Korea. But the Government seemed bent upon a war which, if not for the welfare of the Em- pire, seemed at least in the interest of the autocracy
 The government of Russia is cor rupt from the grand dukes down to the humblest bureaucrat. There have been repeated and fragrant scandals about
 the purchase of supplies for the army and navy, the state funds being footed
 to pay either for inferior material or
 for goods that were not delivered 'The executive departments of the Govern
 ment seem to be steeped in fraud, not
 even the clothes and food which were
 given by generous individuals for the
 use of the troops in Manchuria being
 sure to reach their destination. With
 characteristic heartlessness, the auto-
 cracy sent armies and fleets to fight
 Japan when 1t should have known that
 by reason of the corruption of the
 Government, these armies and fleets
 were totally unprepared to cope with
 the thoroughly equipped and perfectly
 trained Japanese Then, with shame
 less duplicity, the autocracy censured
 the admirals and generals for sustain
 ing defeats, when in point of fact the
 Government officials who have been SC
 quick to condemn and to insist upor
 courts-martiaI are directly responsible
 for the Russian disasters. It is they
 who have in large degree brought
 about the defeat of the Czar's army, by
 their dishonesty in the purchase of ord-
 nance and ammunition.
 The Russian autocracy entered upon
 this war with light heart. While it
 should have known of the weakness oi
 it's own military and naval forces, it
 was evidently in ignorance of the strength of Japan. For ten years the
 Japanese had been preparing for the
 conflict. There is no graft in the
 Government of Japan. The money ap-
 propriated for the army and navy wa:
 spent honestly and with the best re-
 suits. The fleet and the army were
 ready to the last button, Yet Russia
 autocracy seems to have attached nt
 importance to the fact that the Japa nese warships were constantly at tar
 get practice and that the army wa
 equally prepared. If an autocracy ii
 not only corrupt hut ignrant of the
 strength of the enemy upon whom i
 makes war, it's case is hopeless. It methods invite disaster and punishmen
 will inevitably be it's portion. Franc went to war with Germany in 1S7 | # tlai