The leader., 1905-03-18
ANOTHER ARMY
TO TAKE The FIELD
The Answer Of the Russian Govern
ment to Its Mukden Defeat.
10 FIGHT TO THE BITTER END
should, However, Japan sugeess
Moderate Terms nnd Recognize
RuasiR as the Power in the
East, Peace Might Come.


LONDON, MARCH 13.-PART OF THE
JAPANESE LEFT is NOW TWENTY
MILES NORTHWEsT OF TIE PASS.
TEEE OCCUPATION or THAT PLACE
WILL. BE SOON ACCOMPLISHED.
THE RUSSIAN REAR GUARD THAT
WAS LETT TO COVER THE RE-
TREAT HAS BEEN CUT OFF AND IT
IS EXPECTED 1T WILL SURRENDER.
THE JAPANESE ARE NOW HOLD
ING THE RAILWAY AND ROLLING
STOCK.
st. Petersburg, March is, 2:1O a. m.
The immediate answer Of the Rus
sian government to the defeat at NIuk-
den, is the announcement that new
army will be raised and the forces in
the far east reorganized; that Vice
Admiral Rosestvensky will be ordered
to sail on and try conclusions with To-
go and that the war will be prose-
cuted to the bitter end.
The Temper of Russian Autocracy.
This is the present temper of En-
per Nicholas and his dominant adj
visers, voiced in a firm official an
nouncement that the position of Rus
sia Is unchanged. and that THE mi
TIATIVE FOR PEACE CAN ONLY
COME FROM JAPAN. SHOULD THE
ISLAND EMPIRE CHOOSE TO TEN
DER MODERATE TERMS AND
RECOGNIZE ITS ADVERSARY AS
THE POWER IN THE FAR EAST,
PEACE COULD BE EASILY AR
RANGED; but the voice Of her diplo-
macy in various parts of the world
indicates that she is not ready to do
this, and the Russian government,
with the full magnitude of the disas-
! tire at Mukden still undetermined, but
with the 1905 campaign seemingly al
ready hopelessly compromised, re-
treat to Hardin inevitable and Vladi-
yostok practically lost, declares that
the time has not yet come when Rus
sia can be forced to humble herself.
Discussing Fresh Mobilization
It is reported that the dispatch Of
two new army corps, including the
Fourteenth, from Poland, and several
smaller units, has already been de-
termined upon, and that plans for fur
ther mobilization are under discus
sion.
But while this is the official atti-
tude, nothing but peace talk is heard
in st. Petersburg. The difficulties of
another mobilizaticiA on a larger scale
will be enormous; ii fact, it is stated in
some quarters that it will be impos-
sible. Nevertheless it might be ac-
complished.
Hopes to Exhaust Japan.
The real hope, however, for any
thing like successful termination Of
the war is admitted to rest upon the
prospects of the financial exhaustion
Of Japan. Russian resources, it is fig
nred, can stand the drain better than
those of Japan, and protracted cam
paign, IT IS HOPED, WILL BRING
ABOUT, JAPAN'S FINANCIAL RUIN.
Financial Minister Kokovsoff, at the
conclusion of protracted con-
ference on the national finances a few
days ago, is said to have tapped the
table before him and exclaimed: I'VE
CAN WIN THE WAR AT THIS
DESK"
The People Don't Know Yet.
The Russian capital is still in ig-
norance of the nature and extent of the
reverse in Manchuria. The only in
formation of its magnitude is that
which has beeen derived from the few
Toxic kilograms that have been all
lowed to be published here. To the
censor at Tie Pass the word prisoner
does not exist, and not the slightest
intimation Of what, if any, units and
organizations have been cut off and
captured has reached this city either
In Gen lkuropatkin's s official dispatches
or reports from correspondents at the
front.
The Truth IL Concealed.
Aside from the reports given out
by the war Office there is practically
no further information of the progress
of events, the Hewspaper dispatches
received yesterday being principally
those fled before the retreat began
and transported to Tie Pass among
the papers of the telegraph Office It
| is declared that at the moment that
Gen. Kuroki's wedge, aided by the
dust storm and taking advantage of
the failure Of several Russian organi-
zations to occupy appointed positions,
drove itself deep into the Russian
flank, it disaranged all the plans Of
Gen. Kuropatkin, who was on the
point Of launching momentous coun-
ter stroke, but where or how it was to
be accomplished is not stated.
xuropntlxin Shoulders the Blame.