In the March number of the " Century" is an article on the " Outlook for Reform in Russia." The writer had the good fortune to interview M. Witte on the present situation. One sentence is significant: The Japanese cannot resist our finances. [have nothing to say of the other two factore—thearmy and navy. Perhaps the Japanese can carry on the war one and a-half, two, at the most two and a-half yor Considering the finances alone, we can keep it up for four Other factors being left out of pa therefore be brought to sue for e by their financial ruin."
Coming from so able and representative a mau as M. Witte, the above is ominous. It shows where lies the hope Few even of their most optimistic statesmen probably build largely on the Baltic fleet. But may they not war out their antagonist? May not the war go on, and though the Russians continue to be defeated, yot at last, Japan, unable, from financial distress, to put her soldiers in the field, the war shall end with fa crowning triumph for the nation that has the last dolar and the last man?
That is the point. Wholesale murder according to military critics is being permitted, not because Russia has even fighting chance of winning in the field, but because she hopes to come down with trumps when her antagonist has played her last card.
It is the hope of the unfortunately all history is against her. Let anyone who doubts this read Macaulay's brilliant account of how the aobt of Groat Britain grew from millions, which were to be too great s burden for the British people, to hundreds of millions which that people came to carry with ense.
It is an old statement of facts, about the man behind the gun. What about the man behind the dollar? Where is the enough or foolish enough mount of debt which the Japanese people can carry? And last, was any nation ever obliged to sue for peace that had won victories both on land and sea such as Japan has during the short period this war has run? Two men M. Witte has forgotten—the Russian peasant who pays for defeats, and the nese who is winning victories and fighting for Fatherland.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.