Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-11-23

acb arroBhuliyf rePi1eu, - eS, W
do" Then she said: why does tn
world hold our government responsibl
for exceptional outrages? As soon as a
official is found to be cruel he immed
,tely loses his place"
Then l bethought myself, Do the pee
lie In America hold the government a
Washington responsible for the Home
Jtead riots, or for railroad insurrections
or for the torch of the villain that cor
sumes block of houses, OF for the rui
fans who arrest rail train. making th
passengers hold up their arms until tn
pockets are picked? Why then hold tn
emperor Of Russia, who is as impressiv
and genial man as have ever lool<e'
at or talked with, responsible for tn
wrongs enacted in nation with popu
lation more than twice as large in mum
bers as the millions Of America?
Suppose one monarch in Europe rule,
over England, Scotland, Ireland, France
Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Nor
way and Sweden. Would it be fair I,
hold the monarch responsible for all tha
occurred in that mighty dominion
Now you must remember that Alexan
der the Third reigns over widor domin
ion than all those empires put together
As nation Is only man or woman
on a big scale. let me ask, Would yot
individually prefer to be judged by you
faults or your virtues? All people, ex
cept ourselves, have faults.
The pessimist attempting to write
your biography would take you in you
weaker moods, and the picture of yor
on the first page Of your biography
would be as you looked after some
meanness had been practiced on you and
you were tearing mad. Now, as am al
optimist, give you fair warning that il
1 ever write your biography will take
you as you looked the day your divi
dends came in twenty per cent. larger
than yon ever anticipated, or the morning
on your way to business after your first
child was born, or the morning after
your conversion, when heaven had
rolled in on your soul. The most ac.
cursed homunculi of all the earth are
the pessimists, who, whether they judge
individual or national character, and
whether they WELD tongue or pen, are
filed with anathematization, and who
have more to say about the freckles on
the cheek of beauty than of the sunrises
and sunsets that flush it.
1t is most important that this country
have right ideas concerning Russia, for
among all the nations this side Of
heaven Russia Is Americas best friend.
There has not been an hour in the last
seventy-fve years that the shipwreck OF
free institutions in America would not
have called forth from all the despotisms
Df Europe and Asia shout of gladness
wide as earth and deep as perdition.
But whoever else failed us, Russia never
lid, and whoever else was doubtful,
Russia never was. Russia, then an old
government, smiled on the cradle of our
government while yet in its earliest in.
'ancy. Empress Catherine Of Russia in
I770 or thereabouts offered kindly inter-
'erence that our thirteen colonies might
lot go down under the cruelties of war.
Again, in 1918, Russia stretched forth
oward us merciful hand. When our
lreadful civil war was raging, and the
wo thunder clouds of northern and
outheru valor clashed, Russia practi-
ally said to the nations of Europe,
Keep your hands off and let the brave
nen of the north and the south settle
heir own troubles" Prince Gortscha-
,oH, the Russian statesman, diplomatist
nd prime minister, during that war
ooked earnestly into the face of Bayard
Taylor, our minister plenipotentiary to
Russia, and said: Russia alone has
TODD by you from the first, and we will
ontinue to stand by you. You know
he sentiment of Russia. We desire,
bove all things, the maintenance of the
american Union as one indivisible
Union. We cannot take any part more
han we have done. We have no hos
ility to the southern people. Russia has
eclared her position and will maintain
!. There will be proposals for inter-
ention. We believe that Intervention
ould do no good at present. Proposals
yill be made to Russia to join in some
Ian Of interference. She will refuse
ny invitation of the kind. Russia will
ccupy the same ground as at the begin
ing of the struggle. You may rely
pom it, she will not change"
rehearsed some of those scenes to the
mperor last July, saying, You were
robably too young to remember the po-
ition your father took at that time" but
nth radiant smile he responded, "Oh,
es; l remember, | remember" and
here was an accentuation of the words
yhich demonstrated to me that these
ccurrences had often been talked of in
he imperial household.
stood on New York Battery during
no war, rs | suppose many of you did.
,olSing off through magnifying glass
pom feet Of Russian ships. "What
re they doing there?' / asked, and so
very one asked. "What business have
ne Russian warships in our New York
arbory' Word came that another fleet
Russian warships was in San Fran
isco harbor. .'What does this meanY'
ur rulers asked, but did not get imme-
late answer. In these two American
arbors the Russian fleets seemed sound
sleep. Their great mouths of iron
poke not word, and the Russian flag,
neither floating In the air or dropping
y the flagstaff, made no answer TO our
lquisitiveness. William II. Seward,
scretary of state, asked the Russian
linister at Washington the meaning of
lose Russian ships in American waters
nd got no satisfactory response. Ad-
Iiral Farragut said to u Russian officer
fter dining in the home of the eminent
olitician, Thurlow Weed, that maker