Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-11-26

given friend Of moro Thai one hundred
years? Yea, because it is a nation Of
more possibilities than any other, except
our own should we cultivate its friend
ship. There is a vast realm of Russia as
! yet unoccupied. If.the population of the
. rest of Europe were poured into Russia,
! it would DO only partially occupied.
! After awhile America will be- So well
populated that the tides OF emigration
| will so the other way and by railroads;
from Russia at Behring straits-where
Asia comes within thirty-six miles Of
joining America millions of peoplewill
pour down through Russiaand Siberia,
and on down through all the regions
waiting for the civilization OF the next
century to come and culture great har-
vests and build mighty cities. What the
United States now are OH the western
hemisphere Russia will be on the east
isern Hemisphere Not only because of
ESwhat: Russia has been to our repu bic;
iIEbuty because of:what she VII zbe, Jet JUS
cease thee efamati on FILL that pertains
tothat great sempire I + Russiasc can Of
ford 60 bel end Of: America Amer
ag fsiisna SRussia:
Ard now I proceed to do what III tolil-tfie
'emperorand the empress, and all the I'M
perial family at the palace of the Peter
Lof | would 10 if ever got back to
America, and that is to answer some Of
The calumnies which have been an
nounced and reiterated and stereotyped
against Russia.
Calumny tho First-The emperor and
all the imperial family are in perpetual
dread of assassination. They are prac-
tically prisoners i'll the winter palace,
and trenches with dynamite have been
found dug around the winter palace.
They dare not venture forth, except pre-
ceded and followed and surrounded by
most elaborate military guard.
Ny answer to this Is that never saw
face more free from worriment than
the emperor's face. The winter palace.
around which the trenches are said u
have been charged with dynamite, and
in which the imperial family are said to
be prisoners, has never been tho resi-
dence of the imperial family one moment
since the present emperor has been on
the throne. That winter palace has been
changed into u museum and picture
gallery and a place of great leVees. He
spends his summer in the palace at Peter
hof, fifteen or twenty miles from st.
Petersburg, his autuinns at the palace at
Gritschna and his winters In palace
at st. Petersburg, but in quite different
part OF the city to that occupied by the
winter palace. He rides through the
streets unattended, except by the en-.
press at his side and tie driver on tho
boz. There Is not a 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 Booth? But" says some
one, did not the Russians kill the fa-
ther of tho present emperor" Yes, but
III the time that Russia has had one as
sassination of emperor America has
had two presidents assassinated. "But
is not the emperor an autocrat?' By
which you mean, hns he not power
without restriction? Yes, but it all de-
ponds upon what use q man makes of
his power. Are you an autocrat in your
factory, or cn autocrat in your store, or
an autocrat in your style of business?
1t all depends on what use you make of
your power, whether to bless or to on.
press, and from the time of Peter the
Great-that Russian who was the won
der of ell time, the emperor who became
incognito ship carpenter that he might
help ship carpenters, and mechanic
that be might help mechanics, and put
on poor mems garb that he might SYM
pathize with poor men, and who in his
last words said: My Lord, am dying.
Oh, help my unbeliefr'-I say, from that
time the throne of Russia has, for the
most part, been occupied by rulers as
benefcent and kind and sympathetic 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 it was found that he
premeditated the freedom of the serfs
he received the following letter of threat
from deputation of noblemen: Your
Imperial Majesty-We learn that the
council and senate of the empire have
before them for deliberation, 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 OWL
ers of serfs who are dependent for actual
subsistence on the labor of those serfs,
and who consequently will be left wholly
penniless and without any resource by
the operation of emancipation. They
will then undoubtedly resort to Gesper-
ate measures, and in the extremity Of
their despair will put the life of your
majesty in jeopardy" The emperor
replied in words that will last as long
as history: Gentlemen, if | should
die because of my devotion to such
cause, am willing to meet my fate.
When, under al attack OF pneumonia
from exposure to severe weather in the
service Of his people, that emperor pus
down his. head on the pillow Of dust,
Russia lost as good monarch as was
ever crowned.
Then came Alexander tho Second, the
father of the present emperor. Amid the
opposition and innumersble
protests he. with one stroke Of his pen,
emancipated twenty million serfs, prac-
tically saying: go free. Be your own
masters, and this. is for you and your
children forever" On the day he was
basely assassinated land | will paren-
thetically say that I saw his carriage in