Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 1904. The War.

Manawatu Herald, 11 February 1904, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 1904. The War.

The cable hew§ Mi. a state of war has actually arisen In the Far East is but the natural culmination of the events of the past few months, Russia, while protesting peace, has been strengthening her forces in the Far East, and has been acquiring positions in Korea. She has been making prodigal promises, but has been reluctant in taking pacific action. Her deeds and not her words are the true index to her intentions. Slowly, step by step, Japan has seen Korean,territory, over which she was supposed to have a pfdtectdratej occupied by t.he Mus-‘ covite, even as w 6 Mv£ eeeil Mitiichm ria embodied in the dominions of th 6 Czar. She has seen Russia break deliberately the solemn undertakings to evacuate Manchuria. She has known full well that these things were but the preliminaries td &li Ultimate blow at her expansion and naval predominance in the East. With exemplary self-restraint and patience Japan has kept her pdacO in thd face Of the. bellicose utterances and aemOdiioiir of Admiral Alexieff, the Russian nobles, and the enslaved Russian press. For this she has received the admiration of the world. Being no longer able to remain quiet and retain her national integrity and self-respect, she has chosen war. In making her choice, Japan has done so with the knowledge that for her war means every imaginable evil—immense loss of life, enormous and wasteful expenditure, which her poor population can with difficulty support, a set-back in her national life, and if defeat should be her lot the extinction of all her hopes, and the sacrifice ot the fruit of all her heroic efforts. It can drily be because peace held for her prospects even ilidl’O terrible than these that she has set her fleets in motion and marshalled her armies. For when the choice is between being crushed by the Russian arms in war and being ground to powder by the slow but irresistible onward movement of the Russian Empire in peace, Japanese statesmen have chosen war as the less of the two intolerable evils. The outbreak of this war may result in complications owing to the fact that either Power has allies. Japan has the alliance of Britain, but the latter cannot be called on to intervene unless Japan is assailed by two or more Powers. In the same way Russia has the alliance of France, but only if Russia is attacked by an alliance. It might seem at first sight that an equipoise had thus been created between the two systems, for it would be possible for Britain and France to keep the lists if there were no other Powers in question. But, says the Daily Mail, there are three States whose action may cause a disturbance of the balance—China, Germany and the United States. If any of these Powers move on either side, France and England may. be called upon by their respective allies to intervene. It is in this that the gravity of the position lies. The British Government are fully alive to the danger of complications arising, and are making every preparation for eventualities.

_ ,The war will be watched with great interest for many reasons. It is the first time that two up-to-date fleets of equal strength have been pitted against one another in modern times, and naval experts will be anxious to observe the behaviour of the newest types of war vessels and the effect of modem weapons and ammunition in naval warfare. It will be a very different contest from that which arose between China and Japan six years ago or the hardly less sorry campaign between Spain and the United States. It is the first time, moreover that a European army bias met an Eastern army with all modern equipment and methods. Russia’s campaigns in Central Asia are not to be compared with this. The nearest analogy will be the Russo-Turkish war of 1877, and we know that then the Turks came very near being the victors. So much will depend on the first steps in the campaign that it is difficult to form any estimate of its duration or - result, but we may be sure that it will be no kid glove affair, like our South African war, but will be embittered with all the ill feeling of racial predjudice and conducted with all the hateful concomitants of semi-savage warfare.