The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-02-08
me TREATY OF PORTSMOUTH
General Belief That a. Best . =.
oe Nothing More than = 7,...

these u,a =" Gnu horea. A quarter q,
the , were ne" men, poured in .,,ss
Tue battle of Mukden The~ a ~
mostly boys between sixteen and , Were
seen ana men between forty-oue an1
iorty-hVe They had come from hoa ss
e'ser'y' spurred by tales OF recs.,
glory tor a summer camnai,n :"
.hosan. The age limit had kent ,n.a
from the paths of greatness thu
'he hrst year Of the war; while in IN
potent silence they had been com
pelled to listen to the tales NJ ~.
bravery Of their relatives and ne,ss
pofs' AT last their time came ana
'hey marched gaily forth to joiu ths
valiant ranks.
ihe 'hree-quarters of a million
"hom these recruits Joined were co.,
sohed veterans, fit to face anv troo,,
the world has ever produced Kuroki,s
men III eighteen months, had marched
triuinphantly from Chemulpo throu,h
horea to the Yalu, and from the Vain
through Manchuria to within sight NJ
the Sunsari. With throbbiug hearts
and stlfied eXultation they recalled 6v.
great battles and twenty-five smash.
ing minor engagements. each vic.
lory, bitterly bought, desperately held
Nosl's men, in fifteen months. had
maze a record which entitled them to
rise above the centuries and bid the
nan OF fellowship to Caesars Tenth
Legion. For seven months they had
neld Port Arthur by the throat. every
night and day under fire. They had
survived six grand assaults, each in II.
self great battle Barely had they
snatched their inestimable prize when
they were fastened by forced marches,
IN the dead of winter three hundred
miles across a frozen plain, only to
hight 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 Of the work at the center In tho
aceldamas of Litoyang, the ShA, and
Mukden. The followers of NOdzu and
of kawamura bore scars as worthy,
If not as famous.
Together. then, these millioa-ths
recruits. with the veterans-had -four
months of recuperation in balmy e.
mate. of waiting for the final efort u
a smiling halo of lusty Manchu sum
mer. and of an even mightier prepal'
alton, for successful combat Tho
army front was spread forth until
from tip to tip, $50 mua
From Kawamura Yalu men, hid u
the mountains of the east, to Nosit
cavalry, patrolling the edges OF M
Cobb desert, there lay, in eager arfN.
$4,000 fighting men, trained athletes
in daily drill anxious for the word q
make the supreme efforts OF their l'A
Behind them, 800 miles to Danny ID
main base. were $4,000 non-comDat
ants, oiling the wheels Of progress
Suddenly, almost without warning
came peace. Only the week before us
signing of the treaty did the larger q
part of the army know that nesol3 e
tons were on. They supposed Wv
long halt due to some strategic reaSoa'
that the recruits must be increase0 I,
and that the rainy season must p'ss B
They were retired without e1pnu1 Al
ton returned home, and only vnea t.
they reached Japan did they learn w. n
the ground they had won a. NA
frishtful cost was not to be tneila ~
These million men did not get ~. In
final fight. Confident with the nol r.
Of constant victory, which was w. !" kr
conclusive, they wanted wal. =" -, til
tbev came to consider the terms u d.
found they had fought a splenoa !.
,udacious conflict, for which noas. =,
history holds no parallel, and ~. y :, ~
|heir recompense they had seea
,a1f = rocky island which they do = sa'
want The Port Arthur which " , .e
had twice taken. at superhuman e. - e
,till remained out OF their posi- ".
Called from their work, they vs'' :.
o the ways of peace unsatishea !. !. !, u
At the time of the signing .ue
.reaty the writer was among Nh ~,
group of foreigners at uen. ~ 49, ~.
Headquarters on the Mongollan , - M M
This group included Br'usn ....,l ~ 49,
Turkish MAJORS 49,
an English colonel, two Ensl'sa ~, ~
ors and three war correspO.. ''
rbe discussion among these 'sa Nj
,orded extreme interest. AimC.s and
possible subject illuminated !" aust
# one time or another. and Oh - ~
h hers was vas not not one dissent to D: :. Ou
, ,rs,e on nr that the treaty Of j it
n 1'or bp, could be, at best. nothing g. M
han a truce.-From Richard ~. - af
Underlying japanese hu'D ao
he Century.