Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-12-02

conversion, when heaven had rolled in on
your soul. The most accused homunculi OF
sill the earth are the pesslmlsts, who,
whether they judge Individual or national
character, and whether they WELD tongue
or pen, are filled 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 America best friend. There has
not been an hour in the last seventy five
years that the shipwreck of free institutions
in America would not have called forth
from all the despotisms of Europe and
Asia a shout Of gladness wide as earth and
deep as perdition. But whoever else failed
Us, Russia never did, and whoever else was
doubtful, Russia never was. Russia, then an
old government. smiled on the cradle of orr
government while vet in its earliest infancy.
Empress Catherine Of Russia in 1716 or
thereabouts offered kindly interference that
our thirteen colonies might not go down uu-
der the cruelties Of war.
Again, in 1913 Russia stretched forth to-
ward us a mercifuI hand. When our dread
full civil war was raging and the two thun-
der clonds Of northern and southern valor
clashed. Russia practically said to the ma
tions of Europe, Keep your hands of and
let the brave men Of the north and the south
settle their own troubles" I rehearsed
July, saying, You were probably too
young to remember the position your father
took at that time" but with radiant smile
he responded, 'Oh, yes, | remember, re-
member" and there was an accentuation of
the words which demonstrated to me that
those occurrences had often been talked of
in the imperial household
[ stood on New York Battery during the
war, as l suppose many of you did. looking
off through magnifying glass upon feet
hot %hcvT
there?' l asked, and 50 every one asked.
what business have the Russian warships
in our New York harborg' Word came that
another feet of Russian warships was in
mean" our rulers asked, but did not get i'm
mediate answer. In these two American
harbors the Russian fleets seemed sound
asleep. Their great mouths of iron spoke
not word, and the Russian fla, whether
floating in the air dropping bJ The flag
staff, made no answer to our lnqulsltlve-
ness.
William H. Seward. secretary of state,
asked the Russian minister at Washington
the meaning Of those Russian ships in Amer
lean waters and got no satisfactory re-
Spouse. Admiral Farragut said to Russian
officer after dining in the home of the emf
nent politician, Thurlow Weed that maker
and unmaker Of presidents "What are you
doing here with those Russian vessels Of
war;" Not until the war was over was it
ton all the guns and the last gun of thes3
two fleets in New York and San Francisco
harbOrS were to open in full diapasOn upon
any foreign ship that should dare to inter
fere with the right Of Americans, north and
south, to settle their own controversy.
But for those fleets and their presence in
American waters there can be no doubt
that two Of the mightiest nations of Europe
would have mingled in our fight. But for
those two fleets the American government
would have been to-day only a name in his
tory. declare before Go and the nation
that L believe Russia saved the United
States of America Last July [ stood be-
fore great throng of Russians in the en-
barrassing position of speaking to audi
ence three-IoCrths of which could not I'M
derstand my language any more than [
could understand theirs. But there were
two names that they thoroughly under
stood as well as you understand them, and
the utterance of those two names brought
forth an reclamation that made the city
hall of st. Petersburg quake from founda-
ton stone to towers, and those two names
were George Washington and Abraham
Lincoln"
Now is it not important that we should
feel right toward that mighty, that God
given friend of more than one hundred
years? Yea. because it is nation of more
possibilities than any othe :, except our own,
should we cultivate its friendship. There is
If the population Of the rest of Europe were
poured iuto Russia it would be only partially
occupied. After awhile America will be so
we'll populated that the tides of emigration
will go the other way, and by railroads
from Russia at Behring straits-where Asia
comes within thirty-six miles Of joining
America-millions of people will pour down
through Russia and Siberia, and on down
through all the regions waiting for the
civilization Of tho next century to come,
and culture great harvests and build mighty
cities.
What the United States now are on the
western hemisphere Russia will be on the
eastern hemisphere. Not only because OF
what Russia has been to our republic, but
because of what she will be, let us cease the
defamation of all that pertains to that great
empire. II Russia can afford to be the friend
of America, America can afford to be the
friend of Russia. And now I proceed to do
what told the emperor and the en- press
and all the imperial family at the palace of
Peterhof l would do if I ever got back to
America, and that is to answer some of the
calumnies which have been announced and
reiterated and stereotyped against Russia.
Calumny the First-The emperor and all
the imperial family are in perpetual dread
of assassination. They are practically pris-
oners in the winter palace, and trenches with
dynamite have been found dug around the
winter palace. They dare not venture forth,
except preceded and followed and surround
ed by most elaborate military guard.
Ny answer to this is that I never saw
face more free from worrilnent than the en-
peror's face. The winter palace, around
which the trenches are said to have been
charged with dynamite, and in which the
imperial family are said 20 be prisoners has
never been the residence of the imperial
family one moment since the present en-
peror has been on the throne.
The winter palace has been changed into