The San Francisco call., 1905-03-16
LIKE A BLUNDBERING YoKEn
War Writer Says the Russian Army
Will Win No Victories.

ST. PETERSBURG, March lb.-klrl-
loft, one of the Associated Press corre-
spondents, who was wounded at Liao-
yang, continuing to-day his description
begun yesterday of the causes of the
Russian defeats, has drawn a powerful
picture of the complete criminal lack
of knowledge on the part of the Rus
slams of the country and the enemy's
movements, and of the utter imprudent
possip and babbling which acquaints
the Japanese with every movement and
plan before they are inaugurated. He
compares the Russian army to pow
erful yokel moving forward blindfolded,
wildly brandishing his arms and shout
ing aloud what he will do to the enemy
when he catches him. He cannot see
his path or his enemy. Here he
stun1bles up a hill. There he falls into
valley The keen-eyed enemy easily
avoids his waving arms and mighty
fists, and pours In succession of blows
which send the Russian yokel reeling
backward, to his bitter establishment
Kiriloff adds that the blame for the
successive defeats Is not Kuropatkin's.
1t is simply due to the fact that the
machine is out of order. A good work.
man was given bad helpers and miser-
able tools. The elements of misfortune
were in the army itself. Behold the
to the defensive position of Kuropatkin
and it was said that when the Rus
slams assumed the initiative all would
be well. This was not realized, De-
cause every movement was preordain-
ed to failure by the premature publica-
ton or dilatory execution of the plans.
The mere STRIPPING sub-heutenant chat
ters recklessly and informally OF dis
positions and movements which should
be known only to the few chiefs. The
disposition and plans of the battle of
the Shakhe River, for example, were
/ openly discussed several days in ad-
vance In the railroad restaurant at
Mu1xden in the hearing of many chr
nese civilians and camp followers.
..The general staff gives information
to whomsoever asks for it. Babbling Is
the bane of the bureaucracy says XII
riloff. "and the sooner 1t is corrected
the better
While thus opening the Japanese
ewes the Russians close theirs. Not
only company and battalion command
ers. but even colonels and at times
commanders of divisions, enter into
battle ignorant of the very maneuvers
they are expected to execute. For in
stance, General Orloff on September 2
WAS intrusted with the movement on
which the battle of Liaoyang hinged
and he blindly led 5000 men into bat
tie ignorant of why, wherefore or
whittier. Naturally there was disas-
ter instead of the destruction of Gen
eral Kuroki's forces and a victory.
The general staff is inattentive to the
all-important duty of mapping Even
now the Russians have unsatisfactory
maps, and units in the hill country are
unable to keep in touch with one an
other. The Russian intelligence de-
partment Is defective. 1t knows MOTH
ing Of the Japanese numbers. positions
or movements, not only in the unset
tied mountainous regions, but even on
the populated plains of Manchuria.
Instead of easily winning the sympa-
thy of the Chinese the Russians alien
ated them and they now side with the
Japanese. The Russians drove away
the Chinese bandits, who are now the
eyes of the Japanese army and who de-
stroy bridges and communications as
we'll.
Kuropatlsin is hampered by frantic
reports from nervous generals, particu-
larly those of Rennenkampff. who sends
poems instead of results
The late Lieutenant General Keller
also was at fault. Kuropatkin was
obliged to reprimand him sharply a
short time before his death
These faults existed and still exist.