The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-12-07

OF Russian ships. wv hat are they doing
| therey' I asked, and so every one asked
"What business have the Russian wars6'ps
in our New York harbor?' Word came that
smother feet of Russian warships was in
San Francisco harbor. "What does this
mean,n our rulers asked, but did not get i'm
mediate answer. In these two American
harbors the Russian deets seemed sound
asleep. Their great mouths OF iron &sree
not word, and the Russian nag, wneGner
| floating in the air or dropping ny tne nag
staff, made no answer to our lnqulsltlVe-
mass.
William n. Seward, secretary of state,
asked the Russian minister at Washington
the meaning Of those Russia2 ships in Amer
ican waters and got no satisfactory re-
sponse. Admiral Farragut said to Russian
officer after dining in the home Of the ern:-
nent politician, Tnhrlow Weed. that maker
aud unmaker OF presidents, What are you
doing here with those Russian vessels OF
wars Not until the war was over was it
found out that in case of forsiga interven-
tion all the guns an the last gun OF these
two fleets in New York and San Francisco
|. harbors were to open in full diapason upon
auy foreign ship that should dare to inter.
fere with the right Of AmsricanS north and
south, to settle their own controversy.
JuIy. saving, you were probably too
Young to remember the position your father
took at that time" but With radiant smile
he responded, "Oh, yes, I remember, re.
member" and there was an accentuatlon OF
the words which demonstrated to me that
those occurrences had often been talSea OF
in the imperial household.
stood on New York Battery during the
war, as suppose many Of you did, looking
but for those Il acts and their presence in
American waters thsrs 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 Ms ne in eis-
tory. declare before Go AMI the nation
that 7 believe Russia saved the United
States oil. America. Last July stood be-
fore great throng OF Russians IN the en-
barrassing position of speaking to an audi
ence three-fourths Of which could not un-
derstand my language any more than
could understand theirs. But there were
two names that they thorou ghly UNDER
stood as we'll as you understand them, and
the utterauce of those two names brought
forth an acclanation that made the city
hall Of st. Petersburg quake from fouuda-
tion stone to tow.rs, and those two names
were "George Washington and Abraham
Lincoln"
NOW is it not important that we should
feel right toward, tnat mighty, that God
given friend OF more than one hundret
years? Yea. because it is nation Of more
possibilities than any othe except our own,
should we cultivate its frien tshlp. There Is
a vast realm OF Russia as yet uuoccunied.
II the population o. the rest Of Europe ware
poured into Russia it would be only partially
occupied. After awhile America will bs so
we'll populated taat the ii les Of emigration
will 60 the other way, aud by railroads
from Russia at Behring straits-where Asia
ct~ Np
America-mlllions Of people will pour down
through Russia and Siberia, aud on down
through all the regions waiting for the
civilization of the next century TO come,
and culture great harvests ami build mighty
cities.
What the Unite States now are on the
western hemisphere Russia will be on the
eastern hemisphere. Not only because OF
what Russia has bean to our republic, but
because of what she will be, let US caase the
defamation of all that pertains to that great
emp re-. II Russia can afs ,rd to be the friend
Of America, America can AT ord to be the
friend of Russia. And now proceed to do
what told the emperor and the eupress
and all the imperial family at the palace OF
Peterhos would do il ever got back to
America, an that is to answer some OF tho
calumuies which have been announced and
reiterated and stereotypsd against Russia.
Calumny the First-fne emperor and all
the imperial family are in perpetual dread
Of assassination. They are practically prls-
oners in the winter palace, and trenches with
winter palace. They dare not venture forth,
except precs led and followed aud surround.
ed by most elaborate military guard.
. NV answer to this is that never saw q
face more free from worri nent than the en-
peror's face. The wiater palace, around
which the trenches are said to have been
charged with dynamite AMI in which the
imperial family are said 20 be prisoners, has
! never been the residence Of the imperial
family one moment since the present em-
peror has oeen on the throne.
The winter palace has been changed into
a museum and picture gallery an 1 q place
Of great levees. He spends his summer in
the palace at Peuernof, fifteen or twenty
miles from st. Petersburg; his autunns at
the palace at Gratschua, and his winters In
palace at st. Petersburg, bu5 in quite q
different part Of the city to that occupied
by the winter palace He rides through the
streets unattended; except by the empress
at his side and the driver on the boz. There
is not person In this audience 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 Booth? but" says some one, Ibid
not the Russians kill the father Of the pres
eut emperor Yes, but in the time that
Russia has had one assassination of en-
peror America has had two presidents assaS-
sinated. "But is not the emperor an auto
Graf? By which you mean, has he not
power without restriction: Yes, but 1t all
depen Is upon what use man makez OF his
power.
Are you al. autocrat in your factory, or an
your style Of business? It all depends on
what use you make Of your power. whether
to bless or to oppress, and from the time OF
Peter the Great-that Russian who was the
wonder of all time, the emperor who became
incognite a ship carpenter that he might
help ship carpenters, and mechanic that
he might help mechanics, and put on poor
mems garb that he m ght sympathizs with
poor men, and who in his last words said:
INV Lord, am dying. Oh, help my unbe-
]iefr-Isay from that time the throne OF
Russia has, for the most part. been occupied
by rulers as beneicent and kind and sym
| pathetic as they were powerful
To go no further back than Nicholas, the
! grandfather of the present emperor.
! Nicholas had for the dominant idea Of his
| administration the emancipation of the
serfs. When 1t was found that he premedl-
| tated che freedom Of the serfs he received
I the following letter of threat from deputa.
ton Of noblenen: "Your Imperial Majesty
We learn that the council and senate OF
| the empire have before them for delibera-
ton, 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 matter and to
loyalty support your will, but there are in
| Russia large number of small owners OF
serfs who are dependen for actual subsist.
ence on the labor Of those serfs, and who
| consequently will be left wholly penniless