The times., 1898-06-21
THE ATTITUDE OF RUSSIA.
Her Sympathies With America
in the Present Struggle.
ANGL0-AMERICAN ALLIANCE
Would BE Deeply Resented by the
Russian Nation as 1t Would Men,
ace Her Interests in the Far East
Her Position One of Friendly
NeutrnIity-Ape Superiority.

New York, June 2O-The Novoe Vremya.
of st. Petersburg, has sent here as its
special commissioner s. n. Syromiatni-
koff-Sigma, who is to write of the war
and of the attitude OF the United States
toward other nations. especially toward
Russia. Asked today of Russias attitude
toward us, the commissioner replied:
1.-The present attitude of Russia toward
the United States can be exactly de-
scribed by the words friendly neutrality
Russia does not have the slightest wish
to encourage Spain, but considering the
immense superiority of the American
forces, Russia does not see the need of
offering the United States her assistance
as she has done when England was at
tempting to bring about the disruption
of the American Union.
Yet. if such is the position of the
official Russia, the Russian people, and
particularly the cultivated classes, do not
lose sight of the fact that the American
people have now assumed the same noble
task in favor of the Cubans as that which
We accomplished twenty years ago for
the benefit OF BuIgarians. Therefore, the
natural sympathies of the Russians would
be with the efforts of the Americans to
hberate an oppressed people.
"On the other hand, II cannot be denied
that most painful impression has been
produced on the Russian public opinion
by the language of a part of the Ameri-
can press advocating an Anglo-American
alliance against Russia IN the Far East.
Should the American nation follow such
advice there is no doubt that it would be
deeply resented by the Russian nation,
which is determined not to yield one inch
of her legitimate position on the shores
of the Pacific.
Fortunately the admirable good sense
and the observation-disclosures of the Ameri-
cans do not admit of the possibility of
their adopting such policy. In the Far
East England and the United States as
two of the greatest Industrial nations, are
natural copartners, struggling for a
predominance on the Chinese markets
The part Of Russia in Manchuria and
Korea. as well as in China, Is that OF a
protector of less civilized people which
by their origin and history, are nearer
TO US than to Western nations. 1t is gen.
orally recognized that Russia has occu-
pied Port Arthur merely in order to coun-
terdct the perniciOus consequences of Ger
many's violent seizure of Kiao-Chau The
Russian policy in the Far East ought to
be particularly applauded by the Ameri-
cans, for 1t creates a boundless field for
American enterprise.
AT present important orders of every
kind are being made for the Russian
army and navy of East Siberia in the
United States, and even provisions for
Russian troops are being sent from San
Francisco Undoubtedly the development
of Russian influence in Manchuria viii
open considerable area to American
trade and industry The only necessary
condition of fully profiting by these most
favorable prospects Is the cessation of
playing at policy which might ALLEVIATE
an old and trusty friend without being
able to transfer a natural and traditional
opponent into a disinterested ally"