Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-02-05

Admiral Rojestvensky, who died at St Petersburg recently, would have
been more fortunate If he had gone down with his flagship o that Hateful
9th O. May when the Russian armada met tn door If the Spanish three
centuries before That is the feeling Of mel Of the seafartng races. WIN
their tradition that seaman and ship are ne Probably Rojestvensky did
nt feel So for he endeavored to escape. He ws not OF a race born to the
mastery of the sea-. And in Son measure that explains his failure and his
eountrys for it vas his countrys more than his
Sinovi Petrovitch Rojestvensky vas "bout 60 years Old. and Tor years
bore the reputation of being the mostc ooiheaded n scientific officer n he
Russian navy. Il the summez Of 1904 he started with the second Russian
Atlantic squadron from the Baltic or Vladivostok. Arriving N the Far East
ftysix ships under his command. May 272S, 1905, occurredt the battle OF
the Sea IF japan, in which tn Russian fleet val practically annihnated
its commander taken prisoner A naval court of inquiry indicted Admiral
Rojestvensky or surrendering to the japanese, but he ws acquitted OF the
plea that at hi time tn surrender val made he unconscious from In
juies received in the fight #.@# &
1t is lot given to be men of all races to say with Hawke when warned
of the lee shore and the rising tempest: "sr, you have done your duty.
Now lay ne alongside Of the French Admiral" 1t is not given to IL to say
with Farragut: "D-n the torpedoes! Full steam ahead"" Nor is 1t
given to all to SAY, with Craven: AFTER u pilot" and make OF his sinking
ship a tomb of IMMORTAL glory. Yet as the Chicago Inter Ocean, though
or fortune and Sc did not in the manner of his death give dignity to his
share of a colossal failure it must We remembered that to him was doubt
less due the bodness Of a enterprise which, had 1T succeeded, might have
changed the coarse Of history. A strong Russian feet in the Pacific with
would have lifted the weight Of the japanese army in Manchooia for a time.
One branch 81 the Russian swvicc-the ranway-had learned by experience
do it's work well. Given n little more time and the Russian armies might
ave been recognized for victory. $3.50
We know O. that Japan consented to peace not merely because all that
was Immediately fought for had been wn There vas also a consciousness
that japan could do but little more M a possibility hat Russia, II given
a new military machine to take power from the transportation machine wal
the pisiono If RojesNensky and the armada. It wa n bold design, and Ad-
miral Togo ley what is ccess-wha letting the Russian armada ven
get by-meant for Japan. There ws a full realization Of its meaning in
Tcgos battle signal: 1.-The fate Of the Empire depends o n this effort Let
every nan do his utmost!' #6
Rojestvensky failed, and with him Russia Jailed Is a sea power. And
with failure in sea power is recorded judgment against the Russian system
as a producer Of real national efficiency. There may be another Russian
ayy but not until Russia is made over and can breed men who more than
know-men who have the instinct for sea mastery and live and die in &C.
cordance with it-can Russia really count in thu dominion Of the seas.