Arizona republican., 1905-05-30
PHOENIX. ARIZONA, MAY 30. 1905.
AGAIN, THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN

AGAIN, THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN
 The first really great naval battle
 since the invention of the ironclad. and
 the most momcntous conflict on the
 sea in modern times, began off the
 southwest coast of Japan on Satur
 day, and it still continues-to the ex-
 tent of chasing the few fugitive ves-
 seIs of the Russian navy that are still
 afloat. When all the details are at
 hand they will be thrilling to an in-
 tense degree. It is already known,
 however, that Admiral Togo's victory
 is astounding in It's completeness.
 Four battleships and as many cruisers
 have been captured, and most of the
 remainder of Admiral Rojestvensky's
 fleet is at the bottom of the sea, while
 Japan's superb little navy is undam
 aged. Repeating the exploits of Dewey at Manila bay. and Sampson and
 Schley at Santiago, and his own feat
 off Port Arthur last August, Togo has annihilated the enemy without suffer ing serious harm to his own ships.
 All the world has waited nervously for weeks for this battle. All the world understood the tremendous con- sequences which hung upon the issue. For Japan it meant life or death. Had the Russians gained a signal victory, the end of tho war between the two great nations would have been in sight, with Russia triumphant. For, in control of the sea. Russia would Dlo in tAl isolate the Japanese army in Man churia. and by avoiding a decisive bat tie starve Oyama into making peace. |
 In either case the battIS on the sea | was bound to bring the end oT~the war | into sight. But now it will be peaccII dictated by Japan. The struggle in | Manchuria may continue another year | If insane counsel prevails in the czar's | cabinet, but if no other European | power is drawn into the fight, pro- longation of the war will mean, merely that Russia will have to pay | heavier penalty in the end.
 The Truman interest aroused by this wonderful battlo does not attach l to these larger considerations, how V H. and how it was fought. The one glori- ous feature of the titanic struggle, for the Russians, is the boldness and | bravery with which Rojestven sky bearded Togo in his very den. and fought till the waters engulfed the Russian ships.
 After devoting a month in Frances Chinese waters to putting his fleet in shape, the Russian admiral staared a straight course for the Japanese base. It was certainty. from the Ja panese tactics as developed, that Togo would not be drawn away from his own shel- tering islands; the risk in a contrary course was too great for Japan to as- sume. By making wide detour into the Pacific, therefore, ard steaIning for V1adivostok, the Russians were reasonably sure of eluding the Japa- nese and reaching the sheltering pro- lection of the Vladivostok land batter ies. And indeed the officials at St. Petersburg were congratulating them selves for a week that this was what their admiral had done. But instead of trying to avoid battle, Rojestvensky took the short course for Vladivostok knowing that the chances were a thousand to one that he would have to fight By undertaking to pass through the narrow straits which separate Japan from Korea, and to reach Vlad- ivostok by the short, inside passage through the Sea of Japan, and almost within sight of Japanese shores, the Russian commander staked every thing on a battle to be fought on the site selected by Togo. If he was to win. he would destroy the Japanese navy under the eyes of Japan; and if it was to be a drawn battle, he would have the advantage of being within a short distance-less than 500 miles of Vladivostok. where his crippled ships could have refuge.
 The course pursued by Rojestvensky proves that he had too much faith in his own ships and men-he attached too much importance to his superiority in ships and numbers as to men, and too little importance to the high eff ciency of Togo's fleet. The over whelming disaster that has befaIIen the Russians proves once mere that more important than armor, more i'm portant than guns, is "the man be- hind the gun" It is a repetition of the lessons learned in our war withJ Spain. No soldiers or sailors are braver than those of Spain and Rus sia. But war in modern battles is won by the intelligence of the units. In that respect Japans advantage over Russia is incomparable. The Japa- nese sailors and soldiers are the Yankees of the orient. The Russians are -Spaniards in lack of intelligence