| Show 11 MAY ABANDON MANCHURIA japanese may drive russians out of that country the possibility that it if the russian army should be unable to hold the lower line of the river at Chunchi atsu it may be compelled to retreat not only to harbin but also further westward along the railroad abandoning to the japanese northern manchuria and the russian maritime amur provinces as well is the latest startling news from the front the strategic weakness of general linevitch s position as be he falls baek b aab northward Is made clear by a yunshu dispatch in which it is pointed out that unless Chunchi atsu and the gun sun gard line a scant hundred miles mile b below harbin can be he held it will be difficult to maintain a position further back before harbin where with the front of the army paralleling the rail road the practicability of a turning movement to completely sever corn cm and isolate the army 6 milea miles from home Is too serious tor for russian consideration in view of this possibility the dispatch alluded to suggests the advisability of immediately providing vladivostok with war munitions and supplies for a two years siege the correspondent esti estl mates the number of reinforcements needed to give general linevitch the requisite superiority in force at that such a dispatch should have been permitted to pass the censor at the front is significant and if ge general linevitch had communicated a similar estimate of the situation direct to emperor nicholas it may account for his maje majesty s increased disposition to listen to peace counsels and open ne before the japanese lish themselves on russian soil with manchuria entirely abandoned to the japanese and vladivostok left as russia s oli tary sentinel on the pacific it Is realized that russia will be practically at japanese mercy in the matter of peace terms |
