The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-23

genius for organization, clean admin
istration and good government. But
it is notorious that Russia's despotic
oppression drives the Firms to emf
CRATE to America. and in that light
it may be said that her disgracefuI
defeat at Tsushima is a just and nat
ural punishment for the sin of crush
ing Finlands liberty.
And there you have the original
cause and true secret of the helpless
ness of the Russian fleet at Tsushima.
a state of affairs that constitutes
disgrace to the Russian naval service
such as it can never live down.
Taking into consideration this help
lessness of the Russian fleet, it seems
to me that to say that Togo is the
equal of Nelson is about the same as
calling a first-class lightweight pugi-
list the heavyweight champion of the
world, because he had knocked out
man who knew nothing OF the IMAM
ly art" but had been foolish enough
to provoke him and deserved the beat
ling he got.
Admiral Togo is a great commander,
but he will never be entitled to rank
as equal with Nelson until he has
taken as prominent a part as Nelson
did in an age as stirring and of as
much moment in shaping the des-
TIMES of mankind as was the Napole-
onic era-perhaps the most important
and far-reaching in it's consequences
in all the history of the human race.
He will never be entitled to rank as
equal with Nelson until he has won
two great victories that shall equal
the Nile and Trafalgar in their splen-
dor, and in order to do this these
victories must be won over the fleets
of the greatest maritime nation of the
world, thereby making Japan the mis-
tress of the seas, as Nelson made
England. In these battles, if he is to
equal Nelson, his enemy must be SUI
perior to him in numbers and equal
to him in efficiency, and in addition
to all this he must win still another
victory as desperate in its character
as that of Copenhagen.
Even then, having done this, he
would not be equal to Nelson, for
have made no mention of other diff
culties that Nelson's genius met and
subdued, not the least of which was
the insulting neglect of the British
Admiralty in the earlier part of his
professional career, and even in later
life. The distribution of commerce
among the nations of the earth, with
all the power and influence that goes
Herewith, and the very map of the
world itself, are as they are today
10, Of ha
falgar In each of these battles the
French were in greater force, and in
efficiency and preparedness the oppos-
ing fleets We're not unequally matched.
The punishment in damage to ships
and loss of life sustained by the vic
tor proved that the vanquished
fought valiantly and well. The one
factor that turned the tide of battle
in favor of the British was the genius
of Nelson.
While a patriotic F'renchman may
feel sorrow and regret when he reads
these pages of his country's history.
his heart win thrill with pride at the
story of the gallant fight his country
men made. and he will glory in their
valor.
ne ISSUES DIT Stsiht III the JlusSt-
Japan War We're comparatively insig-
nificant in comparison to those at
stake in the struggle that marked the
close of the eighteenth and beginning
OF the nineteenth century.
1t was Nelson's opportunity that he
lived at that time and took part in
those events. His battles are the
most stupendous in the history of
naval warfare. and his victories stand
to this day as the masterpieces of the
most renowned sea fights and the
greatest naval genius the world has
ever seen.
In the life Of perhaps no other great
man have genius and opportunity
worked together 50 perfectly as in
that Of Nelson.
And now, Mr. Editor, allow me just