The Osceola times., 1877-06-30
RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES.
Growth Of the Two Nations some Inter
esting ksgures.

| Ten. Jackson, lie 1Ocquevllle, the
closest and most philosophical observer
that ever visited this country, struck
with the equality of condition that
characterizes our society and govern
ment, wrote his famous work on Demo
cracy in America" in which occurs the
following and remarkable parallel be-
tween the United States and Russia
parallefthat is of peculiar interest at the
present time:
There are at the present time two
great nations in the world, which started
from different points, but seem to tend
toward the same end. | allude TO the
Russians and the Americans. Both OF
them have grown up unnoticed and,
whilst the attention of mankind was
directed elsewhere, they have suddenly
placed themselves in the front rank
among the nations, and the world learned
their existence and their greatness at
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 to
advance with extreme difficulty; these
alone are proceeding with ease and
celebrity along path to which no limit
can be perceived. The Americans
struggle against the obstacles which
nature opposes to him; the adversaries
of the Russians are men. Their former
combats in the wilderness and savage
life the latter civilization with all its
arms. The conquests of the Americans
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 gives
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 the
latter, servitude. 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
destinies of half the globe.
1t will be profitable at the present
time to analyze De Tocqueville's gene
ralizations, and follow the parallel in its
details and first, with regard to growth.
Under Ivan the Terrible, in 1885 Russia
comprised $4,000 geographical square
miles. Russia now comprises one
seventh of the area of the earth, or s.
45O, 900 square miles, divided as fellows
Russia in Europe, 2,26l ,657 Russia in
Asia, 6,170, ,SS2. Since DE Tocqueville
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 3,603,S44 square
miles. When De Tocqueyille wrote his
book, it was about 100000 square
miles. The population of Russia in
1873 was about 100000 When De
Tocaueville wrote, it was $4,000, 900 ;
now it is $4,000, ,000.-. European Russia
having $4,000, 900, and Asiatic Russia
about s, 0OO, 900. In 1890 the popula.
ton of the United States was 1928, 1928
When DE Tocqueville wrote, it was
IA 600 900 now it is As, 900, 900. These
figures eloquently proclaim the growth
of these two nations, and there is yet no
limit to it, either in the extent Of area
to be traversed, 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 Himalayas--her
natural boundary.
Since the days when Tocqueville
wrote, both countries have developed a
colossal scheme of railroads. We have
spanned the continent from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, and have covered the
states with 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 Volga to the very frontiers ol
Austria and Germany. In the days OF
the Crimcan war she hadI none of these
roads, and by their absence alone were
the allies able to defeat her. Since DE
Tocquevile's 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
dustrits, augmented their production
and improved their civilization. Under
the name OF freedom, great nation ha,
developed in one land under the name
of depotism, great nation has peace
fully developed in the other. Russia
emancipated 20,O00,000 serfs without q
war, we emancipated nearly, 5000, ,0O(
with a war. We have had our recon
struction troubles and settled them
Russia has had hers, and is now slowly
but surely, working toward c)nstitu
tional form of government, beginning in
her communes. She has adopted oul
jury system and our system of judIca
ture. She has commenced to tale oul
free school system in part we have al
most universally adopted it. They have
covered their vast steppes with civil'za
ton beyond the Ural mountains; w
have covered our vast prairies ant
plains beyond the Rocky mountains.
Such facts As these strengthen th'
parallel that De Tocqueville drew whel
this country was comparatively in it
infancy, and place Russia and the Unite'
States in the position Of the two ieadlnl
nations In the world, with their posi-
bilities 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 out
France has reached its natural limit
Italy its old boundaries. Austria is
more danger of falling to pieces than {
increasing, and spain is stagnant an
=, decaying. The destinies Of the glot
are, as De Tocq neville says, yet to |
settled by Russia and ths United State
-..uszlhe Side-saddIe.