The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-04-12

of Few WORDS, but DellEht1ui
Personality - He Is "A Magnificent
and Daring Strategist-The Modern
Japanese Army Is Largely Due to
His Creation.
Baron Kaneko, the eminent japanese
statesman who came to the United
States on mission for his emperor
has long known Marquis Oyama, the
commander in chief of the japanese
army. When recently interviewed in
New York the baron spoke as follows
to a representative of the New York
World about his friend and former col
league:
Marshal Oyama has been q soldier
all his life | know him well, having
been his colleague for several years in
the cabinet. He comes Of fighting
stock. being Of the Satsuma elan and
the descendant of centuries Of samu-
raj. Tradition gave him the instincts
Of the soldier, and his education de-
veloped them The Japanese army of
today is largely his creation
unlike most japanese, the Marquis
Oyama is a big man. He is tall, broad
shouldered, deep chested and inclined
to stoutnesS. He is in his official rela-
lions a man Of few words, but in SOci-
ETY. most genial and charming, fond Of
wit, with delicious sarcasm and a
great fund Of humor. In his home or
at any entertainment he is always the
center of a group of bright men, off
GERS of the army, foreign diplomats
and men of learning. These are the
men whom he attracts and holds by
bis delightful personality.
He is a man Of tremendous fore
sight-always looking ahead and see
ing what will be necessary to do al
most as if he had prophetic vision. He
is, / think, siXty-one years old, so he
was about twentyfour in 1868, when
he took part in the war for the restora-
ton Of the emperor. After that war
he rose steadily in military rank and
Travelled a great deal in foreign coun-
tries. In the years between 1880 and
1888 he was in the cabinet a large part
of the time. While he was minister
of war with Count Katsura, the pres
ent premier, as vice minister, they be-
tween them organized the japanese
army on Il modern baSiS-Organized it
as it Is today. When the first parlia-
ment met i'll 1890 it was necessary to
10
scheme in all its details in order that
the representatives Of the people might
know what it was to cost This Stupen
dous task he and Count katsura finished
we'll before the time, which illustrates
what a capacity for organization he
had.
There are many great soldiers who
are splendid organizers, but not much
use as actual fighters. Marshal Oya-
ma is not one of these. He is a fine,
practical fighter, as his campaigns
against China and Russia show; a mag
nifcent and daring strategist and
man of great personal bravery. He
has the valuable faculty of gathering
about him men of high character and
ability, of inspiring them and getting
them to work together without friction.
His personal staff in the present war
is the best illustration of this. NOgi,
Kuroki. Nodzu and the others were
all his personal selection, and no finer
staff could have been gathered. This
quality of choosing his subOrdinates in
order that the right man may be al
ways in the right place extends down
through the whole army. Oyama
knows his officers and knows how to
place them where they can do the
most effective work. Thus, under
him, the army is like a perfect pyra-
mid, with Marshal Oyama at the top.
the generals under him, the officers
and noncommissioned officers in their
several grades. and, lastly, the base
of the common soldiers.
He, like every other man in the ar
my, has ever before his eyes the seven
precepts which his majesty the en-
Deror laid down in his edict of Jan. 4,
1882. You know, the Japanese army
has the emperor as its general in chief,
and the royal family including the en-
press, only below him. So his edicts
are the armys law. In the edict l have
mentioned the emperor directed that
on the walls of the barracks and on the
sides of the tents, at the foot Of every
soldiers cot, printed copy of the sew
en- moral principles should be hung in
order that the last thing the soldier
sees on retiring for the night and the
very first thing that greets him on
awakening may be these precepts. Ev-
cry morning after roll call the captain
of each company, or, it may be, only
corporal, reads these precepts aloud to
his men. He then makes the men re-
cite them in body and afterward calls
upon the soldiers individually to recite
them.
'In barracks the officers not only
drill their men in the knowledge Of