UAj Hcbraclic. Independent
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Current Comment on Leading Topics
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JAPAN'S GREAT NAVAL TRIUMPH
Admiral Togo's victory in the Sea of Japan is
the subject of exhaustive comment in the press
of this country. The future of the war, the effect
of the battle on Russia's internal affairs, the rela
tive value of different kinds of warships, the pros
pects of peace and minor phases o! the resultant
political situation are discussed. Oa one point at
least the newspapers are unanimous, viz, that
Russia should sue for peace. On the subject
of peace the New York World says:
No matter what the decision of the Czar
and his ministers, the war is over. The center
of interest changes low from the Orient to
St. Petersburg, where the consequences are
likely to be as epoch-making a3 in Asia. The
only wise course open to the Czar is to call
a council of the nation to deal with Russia's
problems and to reorganize the government
in harmony with popular aspirations. But
was despotism ever actuated by the dictates
of wisdom?
The conference of the president with the
Japanese minister, who is supposed to have stat
ed on what terms Russia could obtain peace,
and the conference with the Russian minister,
which Is said to be on the cards, suggest to the
Pittsburg Leader the advisability of united action
on the part(of the powers to end the war:
Obviously considerations of common hu-
manity demand that at this point the slaugh- ,
ter should be checked and that an adjust
ment by peaceful means of the dispute be
tween the hostile powers should be-arranged.
Russia, it is true, cannot be forced to agree
to such an adjustment, but whether she is
willing or unwilling, the duty of the. other
powers remains the same. A moral obliga-
tion rests upon-them to use all means that
" ' can be used without trespass, to persuade
the belligerents to consent to arbitration and
the recognition of this obligation by all the
neutral powers acting in common surely can
not fail to make a breach even in the stone
wall of Russian obstinacy.
The Pioneer Press believes Russia cannot
now expect any favorable turn in the tide of
war:
The last hope of 'Russia for a turning
of the tide of disaster which has overwhelmed
it on sea and land since the war began was
lost with the complete destruction of the
mighty armada under Rojestvensky. With -the
complete and assured command of the
seas by Japan nothing can now prevent its
capture of Vladivostok, the last remaining
naval harbor of Russia in its Asiatic do
minions, and the complete expulsion of Rus
sia from every part of Manchuria. When
the flag of the mikado floats over Vladivos
tok, as it floats over Port Arthur, the revenge
of Japan will be complete. It does not need
that last triumph to fill to overflowing the
bitter cup of Russia's humiliation. It is not
laughing at the little brown men any more.
The most peculiar phase of the historic
event from a political point of view, is the fact
that In Russia the defeat of Rojestvensky is re
garded with satisfaction by a considerable portion
ol the population, as is pointed out by the Colum
bus Press-Post:
Late dispatches convey the news that
many Russians join the Japanese in their -rejoicing
of victory over the Russians. When
asked why they were jubilant over the defeat
of the forces of their own country, they re
plied that victory for Russia would mean the
triumph of the Russian aristocracy, while
Russian defeat will mean that she wiir be
obliged to adopt the methods of civilized na
tions and give to all the people a larger lib
erty and a regime which is just and humane.
Thus even Russian patriotism is the patriot
Ism for individual liberty and not for a vic
tory which means a perpetuation of individual
slavery. The whole trouble with ' Russia is
that she has been standing In the way of hu
man progress and that her downfall, because
of this, is inevitable.
The Springfield Republican thinks that the
horror of the conflict may lead to permanent peace
throughout the world:
The sober view which General Nelson A.
Miles takes of war is; the same which was
held by all the great figures who carried the
Civil war to success. ; Not lightly or with
hysteria does he view the awful conflict in
the far east. His comment and hope is that
from this slaughter may be devised a more
humane method than war of settling diffi
culties between nations. "I firmly believe,"
he said, "that a parliament of reason and
justice will be the inevitable result" It is a
striking fact that the men. who have seen
war at its worst are not among the truculent
who demand that our country shall spend
vast sums of money for the purpose of invit- '
ing trouble and wasting the substance of the
people. ..Grant was a peacemaker in word
and act after the-unhappy civil conflict had
been pushed to its relentless conclusion. So
was General Sherman. They had had their
fill of the barbarism of armed conflict, and
were ready to believe and to urge that there
was a better way of settling international
differences. There Is a certain crudeness of
inexperience which holds the contrary view.
The wise, mature view-point gets the larger
look which General Miles has set forth in his
" Memorial day address at Charlestown.
Discussing the value of torpedo boats as
agents of destruction in naval warfare, the New
York Tribune says:
If the pending war shall end without any
demonstration of the virtues of the subma
rine boat, craft of that class will doubtless
be retained by the leading navies of the
world until a satisfactory test has been made.
In the opinion of Admiral Dewey and other ex
perts the submarine might prove serviceable -In
coast and harbor defense. Had Cervera -possessed
a solitary boat of that description -while
he was cooped up at Santiago he might
possibly have so reduced the strength of
Sampson befory trying to escape that the
attempt would have been successful. More
over, aside from the physical damage which
can thus he wrought, the mere knowledge
that the besieged have a submarine boat Is
sure to exert a demoralizing influence on a
blockading fleet. The theoretical value of
the new type of war vessel is sufficiently ;
great to justify its existence until its actual 1
value is revealed.
RAILWAY REGULATION '
A result of the present agitation for railway
regulation and government ownership Is the
founding of two literary bureaus to carry on a
campaign of education in defense of the railways.
The New York World thinks that campaigns of
education are always to be encouraged, but holds
that the distribution of statistics is not the best
way to overwhelm the movement in favor of gov
ernment rate-making:
Instead of establishing bureaus, suppose
the railroads were to agree not to violate the
Interstate commerce law, not to give rebates,
not to tolerate discriminations, to make their
rates reasonable on the basis of the actual
investment, to remedy the abuses of private
terminals and private car lines in short, to
give all shippers and all sections fair, treat
ment. The, campaign in behalf of government
rate-making would collapse immediately.
Then the railroads would be free to under
take another great work of education the
suppression of the socialistic propaganda.
This In turn would be a comparatively simple
task. About all the railroads need do is to
get out of politics, stop bribing legislatures,
stop trying to send corporation lawyers to
the United States senate and stop trying to
put railway attorneys on the bench. The agi
tation in favor of government ownership of
railroads would cease at once.
The World's "if" is the rock on which its
, reasoning goes to pieces and the conclusion of
''most thinking people who read the World's com
ment will be that if the cessation of the agitation
for public ownership only awaits the time when
the railways turns public benefactors, the agita
tion will continue unceasingly until public owner
ship is an assured fact.
The Chicago Record-Herald agrees with
Governor Herrick of Ohio that the professional
lobbyists "must go:"
Such lobbyists have no honest business
in the capitals. They constitute a nuisance
which should be abated or suppressed. So
careful a newspaper as the New York Trib
une showed early in the year by reports from
a dozen or more states that "the third house"
was everywhere strenuously busy, potent and
influential, the exceptions being those states
which are so absolutely ruled by bosses and
machines that the lobbyist can be dispensed
with, a hint or nod to the legislators from
the autocrat being more than sufficient'
- .The Springfield Republican deplores the fact
that railway influence is tightening its grip on
Connecticut:
-Without apology and without shame the
Connecticut legislature has again publicly
made renewal of its own allegiance and the
subserviency of the state to the New. York,
New Haven and Hartford railroad. This is
done in the passage of a bill repealing the gen
eral law covering the construction of new
- steam railroads. If the governor signs the -bill,
as he presumably will, then every new
steam railroad project must secure a special
charter from the legislature, or what Is the
same thing substantially from the New
Haven railroad com: any; and as the latter
. had already succeeded in placing street rail
way projects in a similar position, it may now
be said to be in secure command of the whole
state against troublesome efforts of other cap
ital to enter the .transportation industry In
. Connecticut.
EQUITABLE DISCLOSURES
The rejection of the report made by the
Frick committee, which investigated the affairs
of the Equitable Life Assurance society, by a
combination of the Alexander and Hyde forces
resulted in the resignation from the board of
directors of Frick, Harriman and Bliss. New
York dispatches suggest, among other things, that
the board of directors was disrupted by the at
tempt of two antagonistic railway interests to
gain control of the society. It Is represented In
these reports , that E. H. Harriman is eager to
prevent George J. Gould from completing his
trans-continental railway system and tried to make