The Osceola times., 1881-01-15
AMERICANS N RUSSIA.
They are Warmly weloomed-What Prince
q. says.
N.w York sun st. Petersburg Letter.


can citizens in general, and American
business men in particular, are warmly
Welcomed in Russia. On the part of the
Cars Government there is not the least
fear that they will inoculatc the Russians
with Iepubicanism. Once | asked n
Colonel Of gendarmes whether he had
any apprehension OF dangerous results
from tie close relations of the Russians
and the Americans. Not the least he
answered promptly Your American
citizens are too sensible and practical to
be dangerous to our Government. To
imagine practical Yankee indulging in
theorizing with idle Russians would be
10 suppose the most improbable of all
improbable things
The Russian capitalists and bust
ness men in general are apparently
clad TO have Americans come here,
and closely observe their ways of
doing business. They prefer to invite
American engineers 10 Russia instead of
sending their engineers TO study in Amer
len. Ii appears that the work done here
by Yankee engineers has confirmed that
high opinion which the Russians had
formed of them beforehand. The grain
elevators built by them in some Russian
ports, the boring for petroleum in the
Caucasus. and some of their mining eX-
periments fully satisfied The most extrava-
CANT expectations of the Russians. Amer
lean agricultural machines and imple-
ments, sewing machines, iron stoves, rub
Der goods, canned fruits and many other
articles are in fair demand everywhere in
this country, and have frequently heard
here the question: "Why don't the
Americans come here to make all
these things for us? They would save
the expense of transportation, and would
be sure to sell their goods" In proof of
this last assertion, Russians point to the
great and prosperous factory in st.
Petersburg. operated by the Russian
American Rubber Company
This suggestion of an investment of
American capital in Russian manufacture
and trade seemed to me very interest
ing one, and ! wanted to get opinions
about IT, \ Russian friend introduced
me to the Director of the Department of
Manufacture and Trade. ! asked his ex-
cellency whether he would advise Amer
lean manufacturers to come to Russia
and engage in business. "Most heartily"
he answered; though ! don't believe that
at present your manufacturers can be in
duced to leave their country of plenty
for one that is afflicted with grave
troubles. BY and by, when the security
of business here is insured beyond any
doubt, there will be opened an immense
field for Yankee enterprise, skill and
capital, and they can not be beaten here
by any foreign competitors, for these rea-
sons: They are our friends, and that no
other nation can boast of. The general
character of America is very analogous to
that of our own country. Our Causasus
Yields us petroleum. and the Don valley
gives us coal and anthracite like Penn
sylvania; our middle provinces yield grain
as abundantly as the Western States of
the Union, and the treasures of our Ural
Mountains can be fairly compared with
those of California and Colorado. This
is very important point, for experience
of Americans acquired at great expense,
can be fully and profitably applied here
in Russia. We have great natural wealth
with no capital and no skill; these the
Americans have in superabundance.
There can be no political trouble between
the two countries to interrupt our busi-
ness relations. The Yankees are very
skilfull teachers, as is shown by their
perfect absorption and assimilation of an
immense and heterogeneous immigration;
our history shows that we are diligent
and docile pupils. Bring the Yankee
teacher and the Russian pupil together,
and you will see surprising results"
Prince o. is one of the largest land
owners in Russia. He employs num-
Der of German agriculturalists to look
after his property-over 10000 acres on
the Nolga ! called on him and asked
whether he would like to replace his
Germans with Americans. "Only let me
have some practical American farmers"
said the Prince, "and | will not employ
ANYBODY else. But the trouble is that
your farmers seem to be perfectly satisfied
at home, and don't care to make roubles
and imperials so long as they are pocketing
dollars. think it would pay American
manufacturers of agricultural machines
and implements to send over here, say
100 skill farmers. They would readily
find employment with our large land
owners, and would be able to demon
strate the full value of the American farm
machines. Undoubtedly this would in
crease the demand for the machines far
more surely and rapidly than advertise
ment, exhibitions or agents. Russia is
prc-eminently farming country, and her
prosperity depends wholly on her crops.
Yet we do our farming on a prehistoric
plan. Now the crisis has come,and ii putsa
grave question before u.s. Either we
must Immediately apply all the modern
improvements in agriculture to our land
or we must be prepared TO be cut off from
the civilized world. What chance
there is for the enterprising Yankees to
come TO us, to stir us up, to show us how
to handle these wonderful machines, and
so to create an immense market for their
own waresl Our misfortune is that our
educated men become functionaries, parts
and parcels of the complicated and ricke-
ty machinery called bureaucracy, or else
become its bitter enemies, and so the
country at large is left without intelligent
business men; hence, we have to borrow
them from abroad. | need not tell you
that the Yankees are especially welcome
here
Uncle Sans boys lending their shoul-
ders to push Ivan lvanovtch's wagon
along-what a funny and unique scene it
would be. But, if it comes to that, | have
a suspicion that the Autocrat Of all the
Russiss will not stay long on top of the
wagon. That is point on which dis
agree with my friend, the Colonel of gen.
darmes.