The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-11-23

unoccupieu' II Jne pOpulhblOn VI ehV
rest Of Europe were poured into Russia,
it would be only partially occupied.
After while, America will be so well
populated that the tides OF emigration
will go the other way, and by railroads
from Russia at Bering 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
the 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 be-
cause Of what Russia has been to oui
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 proceed
to do what l told the emperor and the
empress and all the imperial family at
the palace of Peterhof would do II ]
ever got back to America, and that Is te
answer some Of the calumnies which
have been announced and reiterated
and stereotyped against Russia.
Calumny the frst-The emperor and
all the imperial family are in perpetual
dread of assassination. They are prac
tically prisoners 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 surrounded
by most elaborate military guard.
My answer to this is that / never saw
a face more free from worriment than
the emperor's face. The winter palace,
around which the trenches are said tc
have been charged with dynamite and
in which the imperial family are said tc
be prisoners, has never been tho resi-
dence Of the imperial family one mo
ment since the present emperor has
been on the throne. The winter palace
has been changed into q museum and q
picture gallery and place Of great
levees He spends his summer in the
palace at Peterhof, fifteen or twenty
miles from St Petersburg; his autumns
at the palace at Gatschina, and his win.
ters at palace at St Petersburg, but
in quite different part Of the city tc
that occupied by the winter palace. He
rides through the streets unattended,
except by the empress at his
side and the driver on the box.
There is not person in this audi.
ence more free from fear of harm
than he is His subjects not only
admire him but almost worship him.
There are cranks In Russia, but have
we not had our Charles Guiteau and
John Wilkes Boothp But" says one.
did not the Russians kill the father oi
the present emperor" Yes, but in the
time that Russia has had one assassina.
ton Of emperor, America has had two
presidents assassinated. "But is not
the emperor an autocrat?" By which
you mean, has he not power without re-
strictiong Yes, but It all depends upon
what use o man makes Of his power.
Are you an autocrat In your factory, OF
an autocrat In your store, or an auto
crat In your style Of business? It all de.
pends on what use you make Of your
power, whether to bless or TO oppress,
and from the time Of Peter the
Grcat-the Russian who was the
wonder Of all time, the emperor who be-
came incognito ship carpenter that
he might help ship carpenters, and a
mechanic that he might help mechan.
les, and put on poor m ems garb that he
might sympathize with poor men, and
who in his last words said: my Lord,
am dying. o, help my unbelief"--I
say from that time the throne OF Rus.
sia has, for the most part. been occu.
pied by rulers as beneicent and kind
and sympathetic as they were power
full To go no further back than Mich
olas, the grandfather Of the present
emperor; Nicholas had for the dominant
idea OF his administration the emanci.
patton Of the serfs. When 1t was found
that he premeditated the freedom OF
the serfs, he received the following let
ter Of threat from a deputation OF mo-
blemen: "Your Imperial Majesty: We
learn that the council and senate OF the
empire have before them for delibera.
tion, with your sanction, the plan to
abolish serfdom throughout the Russian
empire. We are perfectly willing TO abide
by your majesty's decision in this mat
ter and to Loyalty support your will, but |
there are In Russia large number OF |
small owners OF serfs, who are depend |
cnt for actual subsistence on the labor
of those serfs, and who consequently
will be left wholly penniless and with
out any resource by the operation Of
emancipation. They will .hen undoubt-
edly resort 10 desperate measures, and
In the extremity Of their despair will
put the life Of your Majesty in jeop-
ardy." The emperor replied In words
that will'last as long as history: Gen
tlemen, II / should die because Of my de-
votion 10 such a cause, am willing TO
meet my fate" When, under an attack
Of pneumonia from exposure TO severe
weather In the service OF his people, that
emperor put down his head on the pillow
Of dust, Russia lost as good monarch
rs was ever crowned Then came
the Second, the father Of the
present emperor. Amid the mightiest
and innumerable protests
he, with one stroke Of his pom, emanci-
pated twenty million serfs, practically
aging: go free Be your own mas
4ers, and this Is for you and your chill
iren forever" On the day he was base
y assassinsted land I will parentheti-