--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Tanner, Joseph M. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 7 number: 12 published: 1904-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Joseph M. Tanner, "Some Leading Events in the Current Story of the World," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 12 (October 1904): 952–956.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0712unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0712unse start_page: 952 end_page: 956 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0712unse publication_year: 1904 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Some Leading Events in the Current Story of the World SOME LEADING EVENTS IN THE CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. BY DR. JOSEPH M. TANNER, SUPERINTENDENT OF CHURCH SCHOOLS. The Battle of Liao Yang. The battle of Liao Yang, fought during the closing days of August, (beginning the 24th, the day of the christening of the Czarevitch, and concluded September 3), and the first days of September, will stand forth memorable in the great battles of the world as one of the epoch-making encounters of history. If the Japanese should finally prove victorious, and force Russia into the acceptance of humiliating terms of peace, some one of the battles, during the present war, will stand out as among the decisive battles of the world. It will be the demonstration of the military superiority of an Asiatic over a European race. Just what was the loss to these great armies during the days of the intense struggle will, perhaps, not be known for some time to come. It was early stated that the Russian loss would reach something like seventeen thousand. Later estimates fixed the loss of the two armies at fifty thousand. Again, it is difficult to say just how many soldiers were engaged in the fights about Liao Yang. According to reports, the Japanese had something like two hundred thousand men; and, from the reports given to the world from St. Petersburg, the Russians had about one hundred and seventy thousand. This report, however, from St. Petersburg was given out some weeks before the battle took place, and it is known that the Russians were sending recruits as rapidly as possible to Kuropatkin's support. Again, it is known that the Russians have given out estimates of their CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 953 fighting strength in Manchuria below the actual number of men. This has been done, it is said, with the intention of alluring the Japanese into battle at places thought by the Russians to be impregnable. Taking, however, a conservative estimate, there must have been nearly four hundred thousand men on both sides. In our own Civil War there were many battles in which large numbers of men were brought into action, but our battle fields were not so densely covered. The whole number of troops on both sides at Gettysburg, for example, did not reach one hundred and sixty thousand. In the war between France and Germany in 18701871, the forces both at Metz and Sedan were very large. At Sedan, there must have been four hundred thousand men. The greatest number of men, however, that has been marshalled together in recent times was at Leipsic where the allied forces had two hundred and ninety thousand with which to oppose the one hundred and fifty thousand under the command of Napoleon. This would make the battle of Leipsic, in point of numbers, exceed that of Liao Yang by forty thousand. Although the army of the Japanese exceeded that of the Russians by at least thirty thousand, the position of the Russians was far superior to that of the Japanese, the latter being compelled to fight Kuropatkin on his chosen battle ground. The hilly country about Liao Yang made it an excellent position for defensive tactics, so that the strategic advantages of the Russians far outweighed the superior numerical strength of the Japanese; and it may fairly be said that the latter are entitled to the credit of superior military ingenuity and heroism. Kuropatkin, on the other hand, is praised for his ability to extricate himself from a complete surrender or annihilation. He has succeeded in withdrawing his troops to the city of Mukden; but as this city possesses no military advantages, he must select some point north of Mukden at which to concentrate his forces for another great encounter. The Japanese were not in a position to follow up their dearly bought victory, as their men were in absolute need of rest, and supplies had to be brought up for the support of the army. It was hoped, by the Russians, that the battle of Liao Yang would result in a Japanese repulse. Orders have now been given 954 IMPROVEMENT ERA. to forward great numbers of soldiers from Russia to the front, in the hope of saving Harbin, the most valuable to Russia of all Manchurian cities. With the loss of Harbin, the Japanese would be in complete control of Manchuria,and have Port Arthur and Vladivostok at their disposal. It looks very much as though there might be two months of hard fighting before the Japanese could reach Harbin, especially if the Russians are largely reinforced by recruits from the west. A Japanese Balance Sheet. The Vladivostok fleet played great havoc with neutral ships engaged in commerce with Japan. The losses to Japan through these raids have been very great, as Japan was very greatly handicapped by the necessity of keeping the main part of her fleet at Port Arthur, to meet any emergency in the last days of the siege. As soon, however, as the Port Arthur fleet had been practically demolished, in its efforts to escape on the 10th day of August, Kamimura was detailed with a sufficient number of ships to engage successfully the Vladivostok fleet, in any future raids it might undertake. That fleet was caught and also demolished; and what is remarkable about the naval battle between the Japanese and the Russians, is the sinking of the Russian battleship Rurik, four hundred of whose men Kamimura rescued from a watery grave. To understand the appearance of this international balance sheet, one must go back to the war of 1894-5, between China and Japan. Russia at that time did not at all appreciate Japanese victories; and Russia, therefore, did all that she could to humiliate Japan by cutting off every possible Japanese advantage,in the treaty that followed the war. The Russians were really guilty of some bulldozing, and menaced Japan, and embarrassed her at every turn. In 1895, the Japanese had sent their high commissioner to Chef oo, a Chinese port, to sign the peace protocol,the minutes of an international treaty or other political understanding. In order to intimidate the Japanese and make them appreciate Russia's naval greatness, the Russians cleared the battleship Rurik, which the Japanese have just sent to the bottom of the sea, for action. The Rurik at last got the opportunity which she seemed so anxious to have nine years ago. So far as the Rurik is concerned, the bal- CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 955 ance sheet is complete, and Russia has been taught that "he who laughs last laughs best." A Question of Citizenship. A very interesting question of citizenship arose in this country, as it was announced that Mrs. Florence Maybrick had set sail for the United States. It will be remembered that Mrs. Maybrick, an American girl, married an Englishman, and left her own country to make her home with him. According to an arrangement between Great Britain and the United States, such an act would make her a citizen of the former country, her citizenship being determined by the citizenship of her husband. After they had lived together for a while, she was convicted of having killed him, by means of poison. Her sentence was commuted from one of death to one of life imprisonment; and after she had served some fifteen years in an English prison, she was released. Her case was one in which the people, both in this country and in Great Britain, took, for many years, a lively interest. In the United States there was quite a strong and ever-growing conviction that the woman was innocent of the crime of which she was convicted. That opinion was also shared by some English people, especially by the Lord Chief Justice of England, who was her attorney at the time of the trial, and before he was promoted to the bench. The profound respect in which the judgments of courts in Great Britain are held is so great that it is hardly possible, in this country, to appreciate the reverence that Englishmen have for their judicial procedure. The question now, however, arises: "Is Mrs. Maybrick, under the terms of our statute, entitled to admission into the United States?" The statute forbids admission into the United States to those "who have been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude." Our international law provides that when a woman resides in a foreign country with a man to whom she has been lawfully married, and who is himself a citizen of that country, the citizenship of the woman s determined by that of her husband. It will be remembered that Nellie Grant married Algernon Sartoris, a British subject, and lived with him until his death, in ' 956 IMPROVEMENT ERA. 1896. In 1898, Congress passed a bill conferring upon her American citizenship. Whether the course was absolutely necessaryhas been a question of some doubt. It would seem not, from a ruling given by Secretary Hay, who has held that when an American woman, whose citizenship has been changed by marriage, is divorced (which for purposes of retaining citizenship would be equivalent to death), she is entitled to resume her citizenship in this country, provided her conduct expresses the intent to make the United States her future home. Mrs. Maybrick has enjoyed the sympathy quite generally of this country because of the belief in her innocence. Her landing was felicitated, and she will un- doubtedly be the recipient of considerable popularity. Another Reason Why Our Sympathies are with Japan. In countries like the United States and Great Britain, national sympathies towards foreign countries are based very largely upon the treatment which those countries accord to their citizens. No despotic country could ever stand very high in the favor of the people of the United States. Liberty of action and personal rights are so dear to us that we are deeply in sympathy with the inhabitants of those countries that are ruled in a spirit of despotism. There is a general tendency towards liberty of action, in emigrating to and becoming citizens of foreign countries. A Russian cannot become a citizen of the United States without the imperial consent of Russia. If he did so, he would be liable to the loss of all his civil rights; in other words, if he had property in that country, he could lay no claim to it.He could not enforce the payment of debts due him. He would be subject to perpetual banishment from the empire. If he ventured to return to Russia,he would be deported to Siberia. Jews who come to this country are not allowed even to enter Russia again without special consent. There is no treaty between the United States and Russia respecting the subjects of the Czar who become American citizens. A Russian who becomes an American citizen must take his chances, if he returns to Russia. Our country could do nothing for him. Of course, as a rule, none care to return. It is to be hoped that Russia will see her way to accord something to the demands of modern civilization to the subjects of that empire.