The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-12

1ouao1c part q toc csty, ~ kAo11A ss,ne
has greatly increased In value since he
bought il last fall. and Crosby Moves. the
editor of the Star. has farm near Wash
ington which could be cut up into city lots
and sold 1t big profit.
Ex-xIxIsTEs CURTIN or KCsSIA.
l had long talk the other day with
Governor Curtin, Of Pennsylvania, who
was for years our minister at the court Of
ST, Petersburg. he Is an intimate friend
of the Russian minister at Washington.
He keeps up his interest In Russian
affairs. and he probably understands the
feeling of Russia for America better than
any man IN the United States. He is very
liberal in his views. and he evidently
thinks that Mr.. Remnants statements
should be taken with grain Of salt.
Said he:
I'm order TO get a proper idea of Russia,
its government and its possibilities. you
must consider the immensity of the empire
of the car. 1t is the biggest empire in
the world outside Of that of China Its
territories comprise one-seyenth of all the
lands on the globe. and it has more than
one hundred millions of people. These
people speak eighfy-nve different languages
and 80 per cent. OF them can neither read
nor write. The rules for governing such a
people must be different from those gov
u ~
and the population is so widely scattered
and Of such diverse elements that it must
be ruled on q plan of its own. The great
majority of the people are farmers, who
live in little villages and cultivate the land
surrounding them. Only about one-tenth
of the people live in town and of the half
million settlements In the country, only
There Is q vast difference between the
peasants and the upper classes. The ed
ucated Russian Is the peer Of any man
anywhere, and at ST. Pefersbnrgh the So
ciefy is as cultivated rs you will ind in the
world. The statesmen and diplomats of
the Russian capital are the equals of those
of any capital on earsf, and the evils of
Russia do not come from the central gov
ernment. The empire Is divided into
eighfy-iive provinces. Each of these prov
inces has government, and the abuses of
power largely come from those subordin-
ate governments. l think the great need
of the country is some means or Man
by which the different parts of ii could
consult together in regard TO the evils ex-
isting in the empire, and as TO the means Of
mitigating these. Had the former car
lived he would have accomplished this
thing, and would have probably had par
Lament. think the country must lave
this in the future, and in such condition
lies the only safety of the car"
THE POWER OF THE GEAR
.At present the car is eyerything?"
YES" replied Governor Curtin, sthe
government of Russia is an absolute hered-
itary monarchy. The whole legislative.
executive and judicial power is bound up
in the emperor, whose will is law He adj
IN inisters his. empire through four great
boards, but only three men in the coun-
try have acdess 70 him. and the doings of
such an immense territory and Of such a
vast number of people cannot be known
to him. The only ones he sees without re-
stIaint'are the chief OF police, the chan
ceIIor Of the empire and the governor
general OF st. Petersburg. He is SO hedged
around that the people cannot get at him
and the only means can see BY which he
could get an idea of the doinRS of his
country nnd the remedies for its evils, are
IN the parliament Ihave spoken of above ;.
do not think the United States should
judge Russia without due consideration. -
C0uflnu&l Governor Curtin. land with us
the burden Of proof shonld always be
placed upon Russia's enemies in case of
trouble. lthas been our best friend among
the European powers, and it was the only
country in Europe which was our friend
during the rebellion. When Napoleon was
dickering with the Confederacy and when
England was almost openly supporting it
Russia was the ayewed friend of the
United States, and it seems TO me that we
owe something to them for their kindness
to US In our hour of need"
4 VISIT TO NAPOLEON III.
II understand, governor, that you met
Louis Napoleon while you were abroad.
viii you please tell me the circumstance
Of the meeting and how he impressed
your"
Il met him after the Franco russian
war was over" Governor Curtin replied,
"and he was at Chiselhu-st, near London.
/ had not been feeling very well in st. Pet
ersburg, and had taken quiet run over to
London. Not half-dozen people in the
city knew that | was there and was to a
certain extent incognito. Among the men
/ met was Chevalier Wyckoff, who, you
know, was q very close friend of Napo-
Icons. He asked me if did not want to
go TO call upon Napoleon. / replied that
/ did not; that was in London incognito
and that would not think OF doing such
thing. But replied Mr.. Wyckotf,
suppose the Emperor Napoleon invites
you to call upon him. What would you do
would be different matter, as an invita-
ton from monarch is equivalent
Wyckof. and the next day one of
the aides de camp of Napoleon
called upon me and asked me if would
not call upon the ex-emperor at noon of
that day. replied that would. and /
Chiselhurst Wyckoff introduced me to
Napoleon. He was sitting in q plainly
furnished room when / entered with the
chevalier. Shortly after the introduction
Mr.. Wyckof excused himself and left the
emperor and myself alone. Napoleon
looked very much like his pictures. He
had Il long body and short legs, and on
horseback or sitting down he looked like q
big man. He was In vigorous health at
this time, and when ne became interested
IN conversation he bore an animated aud
striking appearance. As soon Us Wyckoff
left be began TO chat freely. He
talked English as we'll as I do and he re-
ferred very pleasantly 10 his visit to the
United States, and discussed national af-
fairs, veerlng all the time towards Russia.
lie limited At Russian matters again and
again, and l saw that he wanted TO get
from me the opinion of the Russian gov
eminent as to his future. He was evident
iy anxious to know whether Prince Gort-
schakoH would favor his return to the
throne of France. and he evidently knew
l was intimately acquainted with Gort-
schakoff l understood his hints very we'll.
but did not respond to them, though we
chatted together for over an hour Finally
! arose 10 leave and he half babe me good.
by and then said:
by the way. Mr.. Curtin, / want TO ask
you question, which you may answer or
not as YOU please. | Will not feel Offended
If You do not answer it, He then asked
Inc as 10 whether | had heard Prince
Gortschakof express any opinion concern
ing him ard his future. l replied that I
had, but that the remark was such that
would rather not repeat il TO him. AT
this NAPOLEON bowed and haie me fare