The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1905-06-05
IN DARKEST RUSSIA.

10 is perhaps almost an ungcnerous
10 critlcisc the vanquishcd as TO speak
IN nf the dead. but. nevertheless the
press dispatches that come from the
scene Of war and ST. Petersburg must
convey to reflective mind a most un-
nattcriug picture of Russian vllor.
Russian methods Of government and
! Russian ideas Of humanity.
A. an illustration Of Russian human
/ ity. or rather barbarism, 1t is sufficient
10 rociil the cool, unconscious brutal
ity Of tie st Petersburg dispatch the
other day relative 10 the reported sink
ing Of AN American ship by Rojest.
| Ncnsky's fleet. Th3 dispatch, coming
| from Official sources, said: 1t Is rec
ugnizcd nt the admiralty a. quite pos.
sible that Rojestyensky may have been
compelled by military necessity to de.
stroy neutral. II ho feared that TO nj
low it. To proceed and report the
Whereabouts aud direction of the Rus.
sian fleet would 'ndangcr his strateg.
ic plan" Not quite 50 bad, but still
worthy of savage. is the story of the
captain Of the torpedo boat destroyer
Gruzny. OF running fight for hours
with a pursuing japanese destroyer
which he sunk with a well directed
rcctcd hot, and proceeded on his way
without a thought of rcscuing the
drowning Japs the only redeeming
feature Of the story is the probability
that it us untrue. the fabrication of a
boastcr aud seli.confesscd coward
struggle of his own comrades.
As a,pitable exhibition of imbecility
the Russian bureaucracy attempts to
suppress the news Of the naval disas-
ter at home are almost grotesque. Al
though the catastrophe was irredeem-
ably complete and could not possibly
be long concealed, the Russian govern
mcnt deliberately prolonged the agon
izing suspense of relatives of the lost
W wv 'iiihA0i ilpli' VI VIZ Wv ms NV
people as to The extent of the disaster.
Formerly that might hav, been posi-
bic In darkest Russia, hut nowadays
the people, at least in tha Centors of
population, have a system of obtaining
the news of the world as promptly and
thoroughly almost as the government.
However, thc bureaucracy course In
this respect was entirely consistent
with the traditions of Russian diplom-
acy which has always been provcrbial
for lying.
Even official Russia is amazed at ;hC
surrender Of the battlcships whicl jhcI
Japanese report as practically inimeI.
but the world AT large was quite pro
pared 10 expect it. after the spectacle
afforded at Port Arthur Of an ironclad
fleet of great warships allowing itself
to be bottled mp for months by fleet
only slightly superior in size What
American or EnRlishman. or German,
of The sturdy descendants Of Van
Tromp. ever counted the weight of
metal or tonnage of an enemy in Civ.
ing battle?
From their standpoint IL is no won
der that Russia boasted of Rojcstvcu- |
sky's mastery statcgy" in dodging
the Japs or of his heroic and dospcr
ata ,nlor" in pushing on at fun speed |
when attacked by the enemy
Russian hearts, of the people, doubt |
less ring honest and true. but Russian /.
and It's methods and rradi- /.
ton are sadly out of touch with stand /
ard, Of modern civilization. Kansas
Ciy Journal
r :. - +
President Roosevelt has announced .
that he will call an extra session of F.
cungr. 's to assemble in November +.
Meantime the railroads viii ondeavor .
to demonstrate 10 the members Of /
that transportation matters
are i'm hsrclass condition and should !
NOT ho disturbed.
+ :. :. !.
The record uf the Russian fleets T.
which sought the far East TO gmpplo .
with Togo consists of the smashing of /.
one or two English lighting smuchs .
and capture of one British merchant /
man The people who owned the latter T.
win bc heard from shortly and then .
th. government of such people win hc /