Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1904 — WAR DURING THE WEEK. [ARTICLE]

WAR DURING THE WEEK.

Little Sea Fighting— Russia Now Unable to Prevent Japs Landing. There was little sea fighting during the last week. The Japanese have been feinting up and down both sides of the Liaotung peninsula with transport fleets. According to the Chicago Tribune’s strategist, they mean to bewilder the enemy as to their eventual landing place, and, if possible, to weary him by inducing him to shift his troops rapidly from one point on the coast to another. Tlie Russians will be unable to prevent a landing. They cannot fortify and garjdspu,the entire south Manchurian coast, They will have to permit the landing, and thereafter try to make the Japs sorry they ever came off tho water. The only naval exploit performed by the Russians during the week was the blowing up of one of their own launches, together with its crew of twenty-one men. The launch was laying mines in Port Arthur to destroy the Japanese. The battleship Pobieda, which was struck by a mine a few minutes after the sinking of the Petropavlovsk, turns out to have been hopelessly damaged.' The map gives a rough idea of the present positions of the hostile armies. The main Japanese force is now at Wiju, spreading eastward a considerable distance. It is believed by the Russians that a Japanese division is approaching the middle reaches of the Yalu with the intention of crossing there. The Manchurian country opposite is much less hilly than to the west. The position of this putative division is indicated on the map with a question mark after it. It is believed that not over four Russian regiments remain on the Yalu oppo-

site Wiju. They will try to make the Japanese crossing as bloody as possible and then retreat. The Japs have seized the islands in the middle of the river, which at tlie beginning of the week were in the hands of their enemies. The Russians have fortijied the lino from Liaoyang, to Tengudngcheng. It is a strong position, both tactically and strategically. Lying in the hills behind intrenchments, it will be difficult to shove the Russians away from this line. On the other hand, it would be strategically dangerous to leave them there unmolested and proceed across the Yalu southwestward toward Port Arthur, hugging the seacoast. Such a maneuver would leave a strong force in the flank and rear of the advancing army. On the other hand, the advancing army would not be in danger of having its communications cut, since its base would be the sea. But the Japanese want to hold Korea at all costs, even if they are beaten in Manchuria. If they advanced across the Yalu southwestward, with the Russians intrenched in the hills obliquely to their rear, they might be cut off from a return to Korea nnd from making their defensive Stand there.

The Japs have a fortified line from Gensan across to Chinnampo, behind which they meant to stick nt all hazards, even if they had bad luck in the battlefields to the north. The main Russian concentration is now supposed to be at Liaoyang. If the Japanese forces divide into two or more armies, operating in separate parts of Manchuria, Kouropatkin- might have a chance to throw his Liaoyang army first at one then at the other of his enemy’s segments, beating each in turn. On land the Liaoyang concentration gives the Russians the benefit of interior lines.

Cossack oirtposts have advtqped uninterruptedly to within eighty miles of Gensan, on the eastern coast of Korea. This shows that the mysterious Japanese army which landed at Gensnn did not march north, and that the reported landing at Possiet bay was either a myth or a feint. There are certainly no Japanese soldiers in that vicinity. at present. Several American financiers are now in Paris. One of the most prominent said that a Russian loan probably would be made before long at 5 per cent, for three yean, the bonds selling at between 97 and 98. The total amount is understood to be between $150,000,000 and $175,ooo.ooa