New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-11
THE PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

What progress the belIigerents in Asia are
making is not apparent 1t is to be supposed
that they doing more than marking time
but their movements, especially those Of the
japanese, are so carefully concealed that we can
do little more than to speculate upon them. The
Japanese army is said to be giving evidences
Of preparation for another general advance sim
llar to that made at Liao-Yang and again at
Moukden If it does so, however, and succeeds
in driving the Russians before It. the result
will be quite different from that Of either of
the former movements. At Liao-Yang the Rus
slams simply retreated toward Moukden. At
Moukden they retired toward Hardin But If
the next move In the war game compels retire
rnent from Hardin, whittier will they go? Har-
hin is at the end Of the straight road north
ward Thence they must retreat either east or
west If they turn toward the east they will
give the Japanese chance TO swing in between
Hardin and Irkutsk, and thus cut them of from
communication with Russia. If they turn tow
ard the west they viii give the Japanese like
chance to get between Hardin and Vladivostok
and thus isolate the latter place. One way or
the other the Russians must turn, unless they
are able 10 hold their ground as they have not
hitherto done, and whichever way they choose
seems TO involve a menace Of disaster
The war al sea is still immersed in obscurity.
Apparently France has at last put a stop to at
least the most fragrant features Of Russia's tres
pass upon her neutrality, and the Russian fleet
viii now have TO go its way. With no other
harbOrs of refuge open to it, it must presently
reach the waters OF Japan, where a conflict with
the japanese can scarcely be avoided. It is not
conceivable that Admiral Togo will permit the
Russian fleet TO go to Vladvostok. but he has
thus far given no indication OF the place at
which he VIII try to stop its progress. Within
certain limit he can determine when and
where to fight; but beyond that limit the battle
will be imposed upon him as much upon the
russians. We cannot suppose that he will per
nit the Russian fleet to menace the communi-
cations between Japan and her army in Man
churia; wherefore as soon as the Russians APP
proach the point at which they could do that
he will be compelled to offer active opposition.
1t must, moreover, be remembered that the pro-
lection Of those communications is the supreme
duty of the japanese feet That was the duty
which Togo was fulfilling during all those weary
months of Port Arthur, and which engaged
Kamimura's attention while he was guarding
Corea Strait and was being inJudiciously abused
for not stopping the ravages Of the VladivOstok
cruisers Above all else, those officers are TO be
credited with this-that they held the way safe
for the Japanese army Transports so that never
once was communication between Japan and
the armies IN Manchuria interrupted That
duty is stu supremacy incumbent upon them
and we cannot suppose they are unmindful OF
the fact.
The two divisions of the Russian fleet are
now together, thanks 10 Rojestvensky's abuse
of French hospitality Whether the addition
| OF Aebogatoff's collection of aquatic curios