Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1905)
itiuudANUd mm less to Kurcpatkln's Army Esti mated at 200,000 Men. TWO ARMY CORPS ARE CUT OFF -Almost Without Supplies and Capture Seems Certain Will Greatly " Increase Number Taken. ' Tokio, March 11 . All news reaching -Japan, both official, semi-official and from gome other sources, emphasizes -what hn.n heen natent to military stu dents for the past week, that the pres- - Ant vYincvomoTit at. Afnkrlpri ifl tlifl orflaf. -est strategy of the war and is being at tended by what is really a series of .-stupendous battles that will go down in history as one of the bloodiest and most 'terriffic military conflicts -of ancient or modern times. From most closely informed quarters it is learned that conservative estimates -of Russian casualties exceed 150,000, while 50,000 Russians were taken pns oners at the culmination of Marshal Oyama's great flanking strategy. While ' so figures are obtainable here on the '-Japanese losses, there is no reason to believe that they were much less than the casualties suffered by the enemy, -although, of course, no Japanese have been captured. . Neither army has -spared men in the supreme encounter. While the present distribution of "General Kuropatkin's army, other than that part of the main body which is being harassed in retreat to the north of Mukden, is difficult to determine it was semi-officially reported yesterday that two army corps were still west of IMukden in an isolated position almost "without supplies. They have small chances of cutting through the Japan' ese cordon and will in all probability te added to the great mass of prisoners taken when Mukden fell. The Russians are attempting to con centrate toward the south and southeast of Mukden with the Japanese occupy ing the city threatening their rear. In this vicinity, however, where Russians are massing in front of the Japanese Tight is expected the fiercest fighting -for the next few days. General Noei is still marching to the eastward completing the circle and cut ting on every possible loophole of cape. The disorderly character of the Tetreat indicates that the rapid mover xnent of Japanese columns caught Gen ial Kuropatkin entirely unprepared. "The latest news is that a portion of the -Japanese center is pressing the Russian cumin body northward. : FUNDS FOR COLUMBIA JETTY. As Finally Passed,- Bill Allows Expen diture of $700,000. Washington, March 11. From let ters "which he has received, Senator Fulton finds there is a geenral misun--derstanding in Oregon as to what ap propriation was actually made in the river and harbor bill for improving the mouth of the Columbia river. The fact is this: ; . ' , The bill as enacted carries a cash ap propriation of $400,000 and -, authorizes the expenditure of $300,000 additional "which latter amount will be provided "in the sundry civil bill to be passed next session. As the bill passed the siiouBe, it carried $300,000 cash and au- thorized an additional $300,000 in the next sundry civil bill. Senator Fulton appealed to the senate committee to in' rease the cash appropriaiton,-but his request was turned down. When the bill was being considered in the senate lie offered and secured the adoption of an amendment increasing the cash ap propriation to $450,000. The bill then "went to conference and Chairman Bur ton endeavored to restore the house ap propria tion, but the senate conferees "would not consent. A compromise was finally reached and $50,000, one-third of the amount added by the senate, was cut off. As the blil finally passed! it carried $100,000 more than was pro- riaeain the house bill. Armed Peasants on Warpath. London, March 11. A dispatch from Kieff to the Daily Mail says: "An army ot 3,000 peasants from the Or- lovka district is advancing ' southwest erly. Burning and looting of estates is in progress. Eighteen estates have already been sacked. " The Michaeloff- ky sugar refinery has been burned and the employes have been robbed. It is also reported that the peasants have burned a refinery belonging to the crown. A strong military force has been sent to suppress the rising, and bloody conflict is feared. l Demand Their Old Rights. . "St. Petersburg, March 11. The Bal tic provinces! the Russification of which was regarded as practically com, pleted, hare been encouraged by recent developments to again demand the re storation of some or . all ; of their an cient rights.-; -. A wel'-developed move ment, backed by the nobles and Intel ligent classes, is now openly demand ing that the teaching of German in the schools be revived, and that native offi. iahj conduct provincial affairs. . - Irving Will Tour America. London, March 11. Sir Henry Irv. ing has signed a contract for an Amer ican tour under the management of Charles Frohman, beginning, in Oc- tober. He probably will open in New York between October 10 and 15, and will make a farewell tour lasting 20 weeks, of all the principal cities. ; GERMAN CLAIMS ARE TOO HIGH Negotiation for Settling the Samoan Indemnity Drag. Washington, March 13. The nego tiations between America, Great Brit ain and Germany looking to a settle ment of the Samoan indemnity claims, have practically come to a standstill, owing to a wide difference of opinion as to the extent of damage sustained by the German subjects in the Samoan group as a result of joint operations by the American and British naval forces in 1900 to suppress a rebellion. The question of the liability of Amer ica and Great Britain for the damages sustained by German plantation owners was decided by King Oscar of Sweden, favor of the claimants in 1902, but the arbitrator did not attempt to assess individual damages, leaving this to be adjusted by negotiation. These negoti ations have dragged along ever since 1902, and the principals now find them selves no nearer an agreement than at the beginning. ' The German claims amount to about $65,000. The British and American negotiators insist that this sum is excessive and that $25,000 is a good price for the property de stroyed. It is probable it will be necessary to appoint a commission to take testimony as to the extent of the actual damage, though the smallness of the amount in volved would seem to make this an unduly expensive undertaking. Meanwhile the claimants are becom ing, restive and are bringing pressure to bear on the German government to se cure settlement. . WILL NOT GIVE UP. Czar Will Send Another Army to the Far East. ; " St. Petersburg, March 13. rue im mediate answer of the Russian govern ment to the defeat at Mukden is the an nouncemet that a new army will be raised and the forces in the Far East reorganized; that Vice Admiral Rojest- vensy will be ordered to sail on and try conclusions with Togo, and that the war will be prosecuted to the bitter end. -. . ;V This is the present temper of Emper or Nicholas and his dominant advisers, voiced in a firm official announcement that the position of Russia is unchang ed, and that the initiative for peace can only come from Japan. Should the island empire choose to tender "moder ate ' terms and recognize its adversary as the power in the ar .hast, peace could be easily arranged ; but the voice of her diplomacy nr various parts of the world indicates that she is not ready to do this, and the Russian gov ernment, with the full magnitude of the disaster at Mukden still undeter mined, but with the 1905 campaign seemingly already hopelessly compro mised, retreat to Harbin inevitable and Vladivostok practically lost, declares that the time has not yet come when Russia can be forced to humble herself HE HAS DODGED OYAMA'S TRAP Kuropatkin's Line of Retreat Secure, Though-Japs Pound Both Sides, St. Petersburg, March 13. Russia still has an army in the Far East and its line of retreat is not cut. . Field Marshal Oyama's trap was again sprung too late to bag the prey he desired, and, though pounded on the rear and both flanks, and losing heavily in kill ed, wounded and prisoners, General Kuropatkin with the main portions of his forces intact is falling slowly back to Tie pass, where a considerable part of his army has already arrived and joined hands with the reserves in pre paring a position behind which the beaten army may find shelter. General Kuropatkin himself, - with the rear guard, was reported Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of Syanzia. 25 miles below Tie pass, having accom plished some 15 miles of his retreat. and being already beyond the jaws - of the trap as originally set. How many of his men he was obliged to leave be hind, and whether any of the units of his army were cut off or captured be- fore the retreat began is not stated. Arizona Has a New Climate. El Paso, Tex., March 13. The whole territory of Arizona is covered'with water as a result of the heavy rains and snows and in many places the desert that has not known water for a decade is now a lake. At Silver City there has fallen 28 inches of rain during the last eight months, and rivers heretofore dry are now crossed by ferryboats. All re cords for moisture have been broken in this entire section. Railroads are de moralized, not only from washouts but from soft tracks and many miles will have to be rebuilt. ' . Investigate Railroad Rates. Washington, March 13. Railroad rate legislation was the subject of talk today between the president' and Senator Jklkins,. chairman of the inter state commerce committee of the sen ate. , Senator Elkins said it was the purpose of the committee to begin its investigation of the rate question next Tuesday. Senator Elkins suggested that November next would be early enough to call an extraordinary session if one were called at all.. Only Awaits Third Squadron. Paris, March 13. Vice Admiral Doubasoff, who has arrived here from London 'on his way to St. Petersburg, in an interview with the Echo de Paris, says Admiral, Rojestvensky's - squadron is not , returning to the Baltic sea, but is simply cruising and awaiting the ar rival of the third squadron under Ad miral Nebogatoff.. -When this junction is made they will proceed immediately to the Far .tiast. DEMORALIZED Retreat of Russian Army Turned Into a Rout. SUPPLIES AND GUNS GIVEN UP Rough Estimates Make Total Losses Over 100,000 Men Japanese Follow Up Advantage. Tokio. March 9. Defeated all along the line, with thousands of men killed and wounded, his army turned into a demoralized mob of men who no longer obey the orders of their officers, an enormous percentage of his munitions of war and artillery lost to him, Having been abandoned to the victorious Jap- anese or destroyed to prevent iauing into their hands, General Kuropatkin is at last reports making frantic efforts to save something from the wreck and is withdrawing all of his reserves north ward to a point where he can reason ably hope to reorganize his defeated army. In the meantime, the Japanese soldiers on the right, left and center are pressing in on the fleeing Russians and will make an attempt to com pletely annihilate the soldiers of the czar. The result of the fortnight's fighting south of Mukden is the worst disaster to the Russian arms of the whole-war Even the bold cossacks who, in other davs , have repeatedly proved their valor on bloody fields, have been com pelled to give - way and run before the steady, relentless pressure of the troops of the mikado, who, scorning death in every form, have continued battering away at the Russian entrenchments and piercing them one by one. . JOINT LOSS OVER 100.000 MEN Battle Bloodiest of War Railroad is Cut North of Mukden. Tokio, M&rch 9. The great battle in Manchuria, raged all day yesterday along the entire and enormous front The Japanese were generally victorious, and they drove the Russians from a series of important positions. By nightfall it seemed-' imperative that General Kuropatkin would have to withdraw his shattered legions to avoid complete disaster.' - indeed, it ap peared impossiblle for. him to effect a reteat without heavy losses of prisones, guns and stores. The continuous battle is already the bloodiest of the war. Upon the ground that General Oku alone gained are 8,000 Russian dead. The reports from other armies are expected to triple this figure. It is estimated that the Jap anese have - lost 50,000, - making the joint slaughter thus far exceed 100,000 men. . . ... - " Details of the combat are lacking. but it is believed .that the Japanese have cut the railway north of Mukden leaving only the roadways and light railway from Fushun to Tie pass as avenues for the retreat of the Russians bat army. -headquarters refrain from affirming or -denying a report to that effect. It is thought that Mukden still in the hands of the Russians. TRAINS RUNNING AGAIN. Traffic Resumed on the New York Rapid Transit Lines. New York, March 9. A very decided improvement in the condition of traffic in the subway and on the elevated roads marked the second day of the strike, of the employes of the Inter borough company. This was especially so in the subway, in which express service was established this evening and affairs almost resumed their normal aspect.- On the elevated lines service was more irregular, but continued to improve. There was practicclly no disorder, and only a few minor acci dents occurred during the day. Officials of the Interborough company expressed confidence that they had the situation well in hand and that a few days would see a full resumption of service on all lines. This was positively denied by Presi dent Pepper, of the Amalgamated Asso ciation of Street Railway employes. Bloody Measures Urged. est. Jretersburg, March . A sensa tion was caused today by a leading edi tonal in the Moscow Gazette,, the tra ditional spokesman of autocracy, de claring that the present revolt in the interior should be put down immediate ly in the fashion which Micael Mnra- vieff i crushed the Polish and Lituanian rebellion in 1863. "It would be a sad sacrifice of lfie," says the Gazette, "but a hundred times less now than if the revolt were . allowed , to continue until it became absolutely necessary to take decisive steps.'"- ' Portfolios go A-Begging. ' London, March 9. It -is again re ported that. Premier-Balfour' is experi encing great difficulty in filling the va cancies in the cabinet. It is rumored that Walter Hume Long and others have declined the post of chief ; secre tary for Ireland. " Gossip in the lobby of the house of commons is to the effect that Sir Anthony P. MacDonald, under secretary to the lord lieutenant of Ire land, will be appointed to an imporant post outside of Ireland. - Baltic Fleet is Returning. Paris, March 9. A dispatch to the Temps from Tananarivo, capital of the island .ot MagasearVsays the entire Russian fleet has left the waters on its return to Jibutil, French Somaliland. HOPE GIVEN UP. Russia Admits That Ksropatkin Has ' Met Defeat. St. Petersburg, March 8. That the battle of Mukden will go down in his tory with Liao Tang in the long list of Kussian defeats is the almost universal belief in pessimistic St. Petersburg, which has forgotten the meaning of the word "victory." The war office does not admit that the issues of the great battle which already exceeds in magni tude of operations and losses that of Shakhe, has been decided, although it is positively stated in high quarters that Kuropatkin has telegraphed to Emperor Nicholas that it will be im possible to hold Mukden and that the withdrawal ot the army northward has already been begun. ' At the military headquarters here General Kuropatkin is regarded as beaten. Those who believe there is still a chance of actual Russian victory are few and far between. The majority regard the fighting yesterday as in re ality a rearguard action, entertaining no doubt that there will be a heavy withdrawal during the night. 1 general JLuropatkins critics among military men are increasing in number, tne Durden of complaint being that in every action he has shown lack of ini tiative. With defeat now, whether disastrous or otherwise, they declare his star will set.- On the other hand, it is believed that Field Marshal Oya ma's daring strategy, if successful in this battle, will entitle him to rank as one of the greatest captains of the age. SAVES FOREST FOR PEOPLE. Exclusion of Timber Land From Lieu Selections. Washington, March 8 . Two and one- half million acres of timber land will be saved to the government by the operation of a short act to which Presi dent Roosevelt affixed his signature during the last moments of the 58th congress. The act prohibits the selec tion of timber lands in exchange for land which have been included within of rest reserves. It was in 1897 that the "lieu law" was enacted. It had no restrictions, simply entitling persons holding lands in forest reserves to make selections elsewhere in exchange for their forest reserve lands. In 1900 these lieu selections were limited to surveyed lands. ' Since the passage of these acts, nearly 2,000,000 acres -of forest reserve lands have been exchang ed for other lands, and almost univer sally has the exchange been made for timbered lands outside of forest re serves. Nearly half of this land so ex changed is owned by the land grant railroads. .' A report to congress from the com missioner of ' the general land office places the amount of lands still held by these roads in forest reserves at 2,500, 000 acres, and the provision in the act in question, that hereafter . lieu selec tions must be made from untimbered lands, is calculated to save just that much timbered land which is outside of forest reserves. ' GOTHAM TIED UP. Strike on New York Street Railways ; Blocks Business. New York, March 8. With one col lision in which 29 persons were in jured, New York has passed, through the first day of the general strike on its rapid transit systems. Besides this ac cident and Borne minor casualties due to the abnormal conditions,' the sum total of the day was annoyance and vexation to a million or more people usually de pendent upon the Interborough's lines for transportation to and from business So far there has been little disorder Sporadic encounters between individ uals, some bad language and the action of a few hoodlums in throwing missies at passing elevated trains tell this phase of the strike. The annoyance to the multitude was increased by a wet snow, which began falling this after noon. Service on the elevated roads and the subway, while not tied up, was crippled badly. Trains were run on irregular schedules in the underground, begin ning with the early morning, but the elevated did not fare so well. Oh the East side practically: no attempt was made to institute service, while the Sixth . and Ninth avenue lines, which serve the West side, were run in a fash ion woefullv inadequate. ' In fact, the elevated system of the Interborough'i lines was pretty well paralyzed. " Turn Light on Beef Trust. Topeka, Kan., March 8. The Kansas senate has adopted a resolution de nouncing the report of . Commissioner Garfield in the "beef trust" investiga tion, and requesting the president of the United States to reject this report and appoint "some man with experi ence, independence and nerve, who shall qualify for the task of investigating this gang of commercial highwaymen, known as the 'beef trust,' to the end that the public may be fully informed as to the sources of their profits and foundations of their colossal fortunes." Samoan Boys Will Learn English Tutuila, Samoa, Feb. 21, via' San Francisco, March 8. The Samoans of the western district of Tutuila have es tablished a boys' school for the teach ing of English, and have engaged three Marist brothers to act as instructors for a term of three years. There are about to be imported from Swator, China, about 600 Chinese for work on the plantations in German Samoa. None of these will be permitted to land the Americaan portion of Samoa. No Cigarettes in Wisconsin. Madison, Wis., March 8. The legis lature today, by a vote .of 76 to 1 passed a bill absolutely prohibiting the sate or manufacture of cigarette papers NOTED SOLDIER GENERAL LEW . General Lew Wallace, whn AoA home, crowded vast activity Into his uwuiikumuw bujck aiMt.aconunjf any scnooung, ne took up law, interrupted It to serve in the Mexican War and resumed It when the fighting was over. His history In the Civil War Is one of signal distinction and his services as governor of New Mexico and minister to . Turkey are worthy no less honor. As an author hi a ahilltv la hat mA othKvtuI rnnh "Ttnn-TTm. though he wrote several other books of showed the superb vitality that animated Conquest Great American Desert Irrigation Canal Thronsb Tunnels. An Irrigation canal which will pass through three tunnels, ' the longest of which Is 1,400 feet, Is now being cut In Nevada. The rocky character of much of the country to be traversed necessitated the tunnels. The canal is fed at Its source by the Ttuckee river, whence It passes east- KNTBANCX TO 1,400-TOOT TCJTKEI. ward 14 miles to Wadsworth, Nev., and thence 18 miles to the great "Oar- son Sink," a desert plain. The canal will be 23 feet wide at the bottom, S3 feet at the top, and 15 feet deep and will receive 1,400 cubic feet of fresh mountain water per second. About 2,000 men are employed In this work, which will cost the govern ment nearly $1,000,000. The canal will open vast areas, hitherto arid and waste, to the homesteader and to agri culture, and will greatly promote in dustries In contingent tracts. Deert Tracts Faat Going-. Irrigation is as useful In New York State farming as it Is in many pieces where it is supposed to be more appli cable to the conditions. The new cen sus bulletin Just Issued states that ar tificial provision against drought Is used In Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, . Florida, Ala bama and Mississippi. Exceptionally high yields of fruit and vegetables are reported as made possible by Its use. Thousands of miles of canals, says the bulletin, are distributing water upon more than 8,000,000 acres of land, producing crops worth $100,000,000 a year. - The increase from 18f9 to 1902 was 20 per cent; $93,000,000 has been In vested in irrigation works. Running streams provide three-fourths of the irrigation ' now In use, wells and springs the remainder. . California leads In cost of Irrigation works, Utah coming next. The Mor mons settled. In an arid tract which thev have made to blossom like a gar den by bringing water down from the mountains. In irrigated area Colorado ranks first But the California Irri gated land averages more valuable and is more Intensively worked. More than 90 per cent of the coun try's Irrigated farms are In the semi arid region , between the Rockies and the Mississippi, using the headwaters of the latter stream. This takes In part of the "Great American desert' of old geographies. - The Columbia river basin Is third in importance in Irrigation projects. It alone supplies nearly 20,000 farms with water.. The Colorado river through much of its course lies In a canyon so deep that it cannot be coaxed out to work. Only twenty systems are sup plied from the main stream. Systems heading near Yuma, Ariz., are turning desert lands Into a region of marvelous richness. . ' ' Not until 1897 was Irrigation applied AUTHOR IS DEAD. WALLACE. seventy-eight years of life. Born of high quality. In his long Illness he all his earlier years. to coast lands in the Southern States supposed before then to be suitable for pasturage only. Now they are produc ing big crops of rice upon thousands) of acres. American rice is a iron with a vast future. Texas and Arizona are curiously handicapped as to Irrigation by the present treaty with Mexico -which for bids the impounding of any part of the waters of the Rio Grande. Probably In the future there will be no difficul ty in arranging this matter. Streams subject to sudden floods, like the Rio Grande and the Mississippi, are im proved by the construction of head water storage systems. These tend to diminish floods. Extreme low water is also Indirectly minimized by head water impounding. . Rain tends to In crease in frequency In the dry season upon lands abundantly supplied with water from reservoirs. Evaporation cools the air and promotes rain. Circumstantial Evidenoe Slr Henry Hawkins, a brilliant ad vocate and one of England's greatest criminal judges, expressed the follow ing opinion in his "Reminiscences": "Let me say a word about circum stantial evidence. Some writers have spoken of It as a kind of 'dangerous Innovation' In our criminal procedure. It is almost the only evidence that is obtainable in all great crimes and it is the best and - most reliable. I have witnessed many great trials for mur der, but do not remember one where there was an eyewitness to the deed. How is it possible, then, to bring home the charge to Vie culprit unless you rely on circumstantial evidence? "Circumstantial evidence is the evi dence of circumstances facts that speak for themselves and that cannot be contradicted.. Circumstances have no motive to deceive, while human tes timony Is too often the product of ev ery kind of motive." LEADER Of RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONISTS. Father Gopon is the priest leader of -the Russian people In their effort to obtain a constitutional government. He headed the crowd of Russians that sought to enter the Narva gate and reach the palace square In St Peters burg, where he hoped to give -the Czar a petition for a constitution. - Cossacks shot down tfis followers, but spared peared from public sight Gopon la the son, of a peasant As a youth he served as a swineherd, but later was sent to a Poltava school, whence he Is reported to have been expelled for ; ultra-socialistic views. priesthood under certain ' restrictions. His face Is alleged to resemble that of a mystic, and he Is said to possess wonderful voice. His power over his ; LUllvw ci a niuuuA . ' StTOng. ' ' ' '''V' ---i;- ' After a woman says "there's no use, talking" she keeps right on.