New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-30
THE TRIUMPH OF JAPAN.

Togo smiled we are told, when he heard
that ROjestvensky's fleet had at last actually
set out for the Eastern seas. 1t was character
istic of the man and of his nation, He was greet
ing the inevitable, not only with the serenity OF
valor but also with the confidence born of knowl-
edge of his own preparation for all contingencies
He would have gone to hopeless defeat and
death without 8 murmur but he was going, as
he felt amply assured, to glorious victory. Never
was confidence more completely indicated. Inc
we'll informed part of the world regarded the
chances of the conflict nearly even, but, on
the whole, because of the personal factor, some
what favoring the Japanese. 1t is doubtful II
any one even the most sanguine, expected any
thing like the overwhelming victory which Togo
has achieved To have crippled the Russian
fleet with less loss to his own than he inflicted
would have been creditabe performance He
has all but annihilated his enemy with losses
to his own fleet so slight probably not APP
preciably to impair its efficiency for continued
action Trafalgar fought a hundred years
ago This was the greatest naval battle i'll the
century since, both in strength of hotillas en-
gagged and in importance of issues involved. and
it was won almost as sweepingly and at far less
proportionate cost. Beyond doubt, we must put
the name of Togo upon the roster which bears
| that of Nelson.
| Very simply, too. was the great victory won.
! Rojestvensky made his cruise half round the
world, necessarily in the full glare of the lime
| light Togo meanwhile was in retirement the
most complete that any important squadron
has ever enjoyed We were told that he was
! at Singapore at the Sunday Strait off the coast
| of Borneo at the south of Formosa, at the north
| of Formosa and at a dozen other places. He
was going to engage the Russians in a running
fight all the way up from Hainan, or he was
going TO let them go into Vladivostok unopposed
and then besiege them there. Imagination ran
riot in deyising fantastic plans Of campaign
But all the while he lay with his whole fighting
feet in the harbor of MasanphO, waiting for
his enemy TO come to those seas; and
when that enemy came, in a single day he
rushed out and destroyed him. Never was there
anything more simple or more effective. All OF
Roiestvensky's grand strategy. all his attempts
TO deceive Togo as TO his intended course re
suited in his own fleet being caught and crushed
in TOgO's trap. 1t was of a piece with Kuropat-
kin's Turing on Kuroki and Oyama. Hence
forth 1t is safe to say, Russian captains will be
less confident in their endeavors to outwt the
Japanese
We have recalled Trafalgar. Between the two
battles there striking resemblanCes. Each
was fought chiefly to preserve an island en-
pire from invasion and to keep its roads
open and secure. and each was decisivey sue
cessful in so doing 1t may be-we hope not,
but it may be-that the two will prove to be
I
alike in failure 10 end the war Crushing as
was the defeat of the French at Trafalgar, there
was no thought on that account of suing for
peace There followed, the contrary, ten
wears of war, with Austerltz and Jena, with
the Berlin Decree, with the Milan Decree, with
the PeninsuIar War, and, indeed, with the great
bulk of the Napoleonic battles and campaigns.
Crushing as is this japanese victory to the sea
mower of Russia and hopeless as is now the
prospect of Russias regaining ability even TO
menace Japan at sea for years TO come it would
| he rash TO say that it must end the war. 1t
ought to do So but ought Is not an omnipo-
! tent word i'll time of war. With VladvOstOk
stiu intact and with half a million men en-
! camped south of Hardin, it may be that Russia
| will decide TO continue the struggle; and not
| until she has lost VladlvostOk and had her
! armies driven back to Lake Baikal will it be
! iudicous to say-if even then-that her last
| hone of success on land IS gone. Nevertheless,
! desnite the precedent of Trafalgar, il is to be
said that few battles in history, perhaps none
/ at sea have ever more strongly prescribed the
prompt making of peace than has this.