The new South-news., 1907-11-09
the TREATY o. aoasssou1w.
General osiies That At Best Il Cen
d Nothing More than . Truee.

d Nothing More than . Trueo.
When the Treaty OF Portsmouth ~
signed. million Japanese we're In
Aanchuria and Kore~. A quarter a
these were new men. poured in after
the battle Of Mukden. They were
mostly boys between sixteen and nine
teen and men between forty-one and
forfy-nve. They had come from home
eagerly. spurred BY tales OF recent
glory. for a summer campaign In
Chosan. The age limit had kept them
from the paths Of greatness through
| the first year Of the war. while in I'M
potent silence they had been COM
pelled to listen 10 the tales Of the
bravery OF their relatives and neigh
tors- AT last their time came, and
they marched gaily forth TO Join the
valiant ranks.
The three-quarters OF a million
whom these recruits joined were sea-
soned veterans, q, to face any troops
the world has ever produced Kurokis
men. In eighteen months, had marched
triumphantly from Chemulpo through
Korea TO the Yalu, and from the Yalu
through Manchuria to within sight OF
the Sungari With shrobbing hearts
ard sufled exul,ation they recalled FIVE
great battles and twenty-five smash
Ing minor engagements. each a VIC
tory, bitterly bought. desperately held.
Nosi's men. in fifteen months, had
made n record which entitled them to
rise above the centuries and bid the
hail OF fellowship to Caesars Tenth
Legion. For seven months they had
held Port Arthur by the throat, every
night and day under fire. They had
survived six grand assaults each in it.
self great battle. Barely had they
snatched their inestimable prize when
they were hastened by forced marches,
In the dead of winter three hundred
miles across frozen plain, only to
light for twenty-five successive days
through the battle of Mukden, and
barely-to win. Oku's soldiers could
look back to glorious Nanshan, the
worthy brother OF Balaklava and Mis-
sionary Ridge, and then through the
brunt OK the work at the center in the
acedamas Of Litoyang. the Sha, and
Mukden. The followers OF Nodzu and
OF kawamura bore scars as worthy,
II not as famous.
Together. then, these milion-the
recruits, with the veterans--had four
months of recuperation in a balmy cli-
mate. OF waiting for the final effort in
smiling halo Of lusty Manchu sum-
mer, and OF an even mightier prepar-
alton, for successful combat. The
army front was spread forth until 1t
stretched, from tip to tip, $50 miles.
From Kawamuras Yalu men, hid in
the mountains OF the east, to Nogi's
cavalry, patrolling the edges OF the
Cobb desert, there lay. In eager array,
$4,000 lighting men, trained athletes
In daily drill anxious for the word to
make the supreme efforts OF their lives.
Behind them, 800 miles to Dalny, the
main base. were $4,000 non-combat-
ants, oiling the wheels OF progress.
IsttdfdeAly,- almest without warning,
came peace. Only the week before the
signing OF the treaty did the larger
part of the army know that negotia-
tons were on. They supposed the
long halt due to some strategic reason;
that the recruits must be increased,
and that the rainy season must pass.
They were retired without explana-
tion, returned home. and only when
they reached Japan did they learn that
. taJ of
frightful cost was not to be theirs.
These million men did not get their
final fight. Ccnfideat with the morale
OF constant victory. which was not yet
conclusive they wanted war. When
they came to consider the terms. they
found they had fought splendid and
audacious conflict, for which modern
history holds no parallel. and that for
their recompense they had secured
half a rocky island which they did not
want The Port Arthur which they
had twice taken, at superh1man cost,
still remained out of their possession.
Called from their work, they were sent
to the ways OF peace unsatished.
At the time of the signing OF the
treaty the writer was among q small
group of foreigners at Gen. Nogis
headquarters on the Mongolian border
This group included British lieuten-
general, a Turkish major general.
an English colonel. two English ma
jors and three war correspondents.
The discussion ~mong these ten af
fordcd extreme interest. Almost every
possible subject illuminated by them
at one time or arother. and on no sub
ject. save ere. we're all agreed. But
there was not ore dissent to. the gen.
eral opinion thar the treaty of Ports
mouth could be, ct best, nothing more
than truce From Richard Barrys