The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-16
LOSE BECAUSE OF
\ INCESSANT BLABBiNG

ST. PETERSBURG. March 15.-M.
k1r1loH, one OF the Russian correspon-
dents who was wounded at Liaoyang.
describing the causes of the Russian
defeats, has drawn a powerful picture
of the complete, criminal lack of
knowledge on the part of the Russians
OF the country and the enemy's move
ments and of the utterly imprudent
gossip and babbling which acquaints
the japanese with every movement and
plan before they are inaugurated He
compares the Russian army to a pow
erful yokel moving forward blind
folded. wildly brandishing his arms
and shouting aloud what he will do to
the enemy when he catches him. He
cannot see his path nor his enemy
Here he stumbles UP a hill. There he
falls into a valley. The keen eyed
enemy easily avoids his waving arms
and mighty fists and pours in a success
sion of blows which send the Russian
yokel Keeling backward, to his bitter
establishment.
NJ. Kiriloff adds that the blame for
the successive defeats Is not Kuropat-
kin's. 1t is simply due to the fact that
the machine is out of order. good
workman was given bad helpers and
miserable tools. The elements of mis-
fortune were in the army itself Be-
hold the result. The mishaps at first
were attributed to the defensive posi-
ton of Kuropatkin and it was said
that when the Russians assumed the
Initiative all would be well. This was
not realized because every movement
was preordained to failure by the pre-
mature publication or dilatory execu-
ton of the plans. The mereSt STRIPPING
sublieutenant chartered recklessly and
told of dispositions and movements
which should be known only to a few
HiCnnCfffnnC rlo af
the battle of the Shakhe river, for ex-
ample, were openly discussed several
days in advance in the railroad res
taurant at Mukden in the hearing Of
many Chinese, civilians and camp fol-
lowers. The general staff gives infor-
nation to whomsoever asks for it.
"Babbling is the bane of our military
bureaucracy" says Nj. Kiriloff, land
the sooner 1t is corrected the better"
While thus opening the, Japanese
eyes 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, Gen. Orloff Sept. 2. was en-
trusted with the movement on which
the battle of Liaoyang hinged and he
blindly led $1,000 men into action ig-
nOrant of why, wherefore or whittier.
Naturally there was disaster instead
of the destruction OF Gen. Kuroki's
forces and victory.
The general staff is inattentive to
the all important duty Of mapping.
Even now the Russians have unsatis-
factory maps, and units in the billy
country are unable to keep I'm touch
with each other. The Russian intelli-
gence department is defective. It
knows nothing OF the japanese num-
befs, positions or movements. not only
In the unsettled mountainous regions.
but even on the populated plains OF
Manchuria- Instead of easily securing
the sympathy of the Chinese. the Rus
SLAMS alienated 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 destroy bridges and COM
munications as well. Kuropatkin is
also hampered by fantastic reports
from nervous generals. particularly
those of Rennenkampff. who sends
poems instead of reports" The late
Lieut.. Gen Keller was also at fault.
Kuropatidn was Obliged to rePrtmand