The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-07-05
RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES.
CROWN Of the Two Nations -EOmr Inter,
cEtinR kI1uIcs.

lnHJ ever NlSllcu lllS country, strWcf
with the equality of condition tina
characteri2cs our society and govern
ment, wrote his famous work on "Dcmo
cracy in America" in which occurs tn,
following and remarkable parallel be
tween the United states and Russia
parallel that is of peculiar interest at TIN
present time;
There are at the present time tw,
great nations in The world, which startet
from different points, but seem to tent
toward the same end. ! allude to tn,
Russians and the Americans. Both o
them have grown up unnoticed and
whilst the attention Of mankind wa
directed elsewhere, they have suddenl
placed themselves in the front ranl
among the nations, and thcworld Learned
their existence and their greatness a
almost the same time.
All other nations seem to have reached
their natural limits, and they have only
to maintain their power; but these are
still in the act of growth. All the
Others have stopped, or continue tc
advance with extreme difficulty; these
alone are proceeding with ease and
celebrity along Il path to which no limit
can be perceived. The Americans
struggle against the obstacles which
nature opposes to him; the adyersarie~
OF the Russians are men. Their former
combats in the wilderness and savage
life the latter civilization with all it,
arms. The conqucsts of the American.
are, therefore, gained by the plowshare
those Of the Russians by the sword. The
Anglo American relies upon personal
interest to accomplish his end, and give'
free scope to the unguided strength and
common sense OF the people; the Rus
sian centers all the authority of society
in single arm. The principle instru
ment of the former is freedom; OF tho
latter, servitudc. Their starting point
is different and their courses are not the
same, yet each OF them seems marked
out by the will of Heaven to sway the
destinics of half the globe.
1t will be profitable at the present
time to analyze De Tocqucville's gene
and follow the parallel in its
details; and first, with regard to growth.
Under Ivan the Terrible, in 1875 Russia
81, 200 geographical square
miles. Russia now comprises one
seventh of the area of the earth, or s.
$50, 900 square miles, divided as follows;
Russia in Europe, 2,26l ,657 Russia i'll
Asia, 6,I70,SS2. Since De TocquevllIe
wrote his work, Russia has added to her
territory between two and three million
square miles. The area of the United
States, including Alaska, is reported by
the census of 1870 at 3,6O3,S4 square
miles. When De Tocqueyille wrote his
book, it was about 2,OO0,OoO square
miles. The population of Russia in
1873 was about 10000, goo. When DE
Tocqueyille wrote, it was 4s,OOO,OOO ;
now it is 10000, 900 European Russia
having 78,OO0,OOO, and Asiatic Russia
about SOOOOO0. In 1890 the popula-
ton of the United States was 3,929, 32S
When De Tocqueyllc wrote, it was
1000 600; nov it is $4,000, OOO. These
figures cloquentIy proclaim the growth
Of these two nations, and there is yet no
limit to it, either in the extent OF area
to be traver,ed, or by the opposition Of
other powers. The United states will
continue to spread north and south,
Russia will spread to the east until she
reaches the wall of the llimalayas---her
natural boundary.
Since the days when Tocqueville
wrote, both countries have developed Il
colossal scheme of railroads. We have
SPAWNED the continent from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, and have covered the
states with Il network OF roads. Russia
has connected the Baltic and Black seas.
She has transported an army from the
heart of the country to the Caucasus by
railroad. She can carry her Cossacks
from the NOIga to the very frontiers OF
Austria and Germany. In the days OF
the Crimcan war she hadl none Of these
roads, and by their absence alone were
the allies able to defeat her. Since De
days, both countries have
covered their rivers with steamers, their
harbors with ships, their valleys with
canals, their railroad routes with tele-
graphs. They have vastly increased
their manufactures, developed their in
dustri,s, augmented their production,
and improved their civilization. Under
the name OF freedom, a great nation has
in one land under the name
of depotism, a great nation has peace.
fully developed in the other. Russia
emaneipatcd 20,O0oOOo serts without a
war, we emancipated nearly, 5000 900
with a war. We have had our recon-
struction troubles and settled them.
Russia has bad hers, and is now slowly,
but surely, working toward a cDn'titlI-
tional form of government, beginning in
her communes. She has adopted our
jury system and our system OF ludlca-
ture. She has commenced 10 tale our
free.school system in part; We have al,
most universally adopted it. They have
covered their vast steppes with civlI'za
ton beyond the Ural mountains; Nc
have covered our vast prairies and
plains beyond the Rocky mountains.
Such facts As these strengthen the
parallel that De Tocquevile drew wheI
this country was comparatively in it
infancy, and place Russia and the UniteC
States in the position OF the two leadIn!
nations in the world, with their posi-
bilties only beginning to be developed
with no preceptible limits TO thei
career. The next two powers are Gel
many and Great Britain, but thei
boundaries are already marked cut
France has reached its natural limits
Italy its old boundaries. Austria IS il
more danger of falling to pieces than o
incre lsing, and spain is stagnant ant
decaying. The destini9s of the gloO'
are, as De Tocqueyille says, yet to b
settled by Russia and tbs United states
The Side-Saddie.