The argus. (Holbrook, Ariz.) 1895-1900, 1896-01-23
Russia and the United States,

has vast amount of gold at her dis
posal, and she is an excellent friend
for the United States to have in case
of war with England. The staunch-
ness of her friendship was shown
during the period of the late war of
rebellion, when she stood firmly by
that portion of the country which
represented the Old Flag and the
traditions of American freedom
Without the moral support which
she then gave us, there were times
when even the loyalty of the ma
tion might have become dishartened,
and felt that the struggle was I'M
certain,
But the so-called despotism of
Russia was with our struggling and
loyal armies, and never once through
that long period of strife, in defeat
or in victory, did she prove faithless,
and today, while the press of Europe
was almost universally denouncing
the Venezuelan message of President
Cleveland, and declaring that the
Monroe doctrine was untenable and
worthy of condemnation, the Russi-
an press came out warmly in its fav-
or and cordially indorsed the senti-
ment of "America for Americans"
With a surplus in her treasury
which, according to the best informa-
tion, is not less than 81 1,OOO,OOO,OOc,
Russia's offer to stand by the treas
ury of the United States is not with
out value. In the international chess
game which is being played, it will
be great thing for the United
States to have Russia as a friendly
power at our elbow. In times of
trial she has been better friend to-
us than ever John Bull, who is al
ways on the alert for ascendancy.
Russia is not standing idle in the
worlds march for advancement. She
is building the most extensive and the
most expensive railroad of the world,
and its completion means for the
Russian people new conditions and
enlarged commercial facilities, great
er comfort for her people, the open
ing up of vast mineral wealth, and a
continent of rich farming lands for
her peasantry. There can be, under
existing conditions, nothing like
stagnation in Russian affairs, but
rather broad expansion and growth.
Says the Washington correspond
ent of the Chicago Record in a re-
cent letter to that journal:
'Russia's chief motive for her offer
of gold to the United States was
her desire to give her great plans
broader and more secure basis. 1t
was originally made months ago, un-
conditionally, and in a peaceful,
friendly, spirit. She made it partly
with the purpose of freeing the
United States from England and
the European money-lenders, and
partly in order to place some of her
gold reserve where it would do her
the most good in case of emergency.
although she does not seek war
with England, she is wise enough to
be prepared for it. Should war be
forced upon Russia her gold would
be in the United States, where it
could be used to pay for war mate
rial, provisions, ect., which she natur-
ally would buy from the States.
The trial order of armor plate, given
to Carnegie at time when it could
have been filed easily at home, is
one of the strongest proofs that
Russia wanted to ascertain whether
she could rely ou the States IN case
of war to execute her orders"
In view of the completion of the
Nicaraguan Canal under American
control and the consequent enlarge
ment of both American and Russian
commerce, the same correspondent
suggests:
''Then, not until then, but then in
reality, Russia and the United States
will be masters of the Pacific, and
supremacy in commerce and at sea
will be wrested forever from the
English flag, and wrested by two
powers who are so widely sparated
and whose spheres of interest are so
different that they would never
clash"