The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-26

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 gov
eminent would have been today only a
name in history. / declare before God
and the nation that I believe Russia
saved the United States of America.
Last July stood before a great throng
of Russians in the embarrassing position
of speaking to an audience three-fourths
of which could not understand my Ian
guage any more than could understand
theirs. But there were two names that
they thoroughly understood as well as
you understand them, and the utterance
of those two names brought forth an ac-
clamation that made the city hall OF st.
Petersburg quake from foundation stone
to tower, and those two names We're
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 a nation OF
more possibilities than any other except
our own should we cultivate its friend
ship There is vast realm Of Russia as
yet unoccupied. If the population of the
rest OF Europe were poured into Russia,
it would be only partially occupied.
After awhile America will be so well
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 the next
century to come and culture great har-
vests and build mighty cities. What the
United States now are on the western
hemisphere Russia will be ON the east
ern hemisphere. Not only because of
but because of what she will be, let us
cease the defamation of all that pertains
to that great empire. If Russia can af-
ford to be the friend Of America, Amer
lea can afford to be the friend of Russia
And now l proceed to do what told the
emperor and the empress, and all the i'm
perial family at the palace of the Peter
hof I would do 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 the First-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 pre-
coded and followed and surrounded by a
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 III
have been charged with dynamite, and
in which the imperial family are said to
be prisoners, has never been the resi-
dence of the imperial family one moment
since the present emperor has been on
the throne. That winter palace has been
changed into a museum and a picture
gallery and place Of great levees. He
spends his summer in the palace at Peter
hof, fifteen or twenty miles from St.
Petersburg, his antumns at the palace at
Gratschna 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 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 Booth? But" says some
one, "did not the Russians kill the ia
Their of the present EMPEROR Yes, but
in the time that Russia has had one as
sassination of emperor America has
had two presidents assassinated. 'sBut
is not the emperor an autocrat| By
which you mean, has he not power
without restriction Yes, but it all de-
ponds upon what use a man makes of
his power. Are you an autocrat in your
factory, or an autocrat in your store, or
an autocrat in your style Of business?
Tt all depends on whatuse you make of
your power, whether to bless or to op-
press, and from the time of Peter the
Great-that Russian who was the won
der of all time, the emperor who became
incognito ship carpenter that he might
help ship carpenters, and mechanic
that he 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 unbelief!"-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