The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-03
A COVER IN BOTH INSTANCES

Two most significant and interest
ing communications, throwing Il flood
of light upon the purchase of Alaska
and the Philippine islands. has APP
peared i'm the last week. 1t is well
known that when the Peace Commits
sion went to Paris they had no idea
of buying the Philippine islands.
which in reality Spain had already
Virtually lost. Later they were pur-
chased upon a cablegram order from
the President. What secret caused
his sudden change of mind? 1t has
mvstified many. Captain Ashe sug-
gests what is probably the true
reason.
The first of these communications,
headed "Russia's Friendship for Us
is from Mr.. T. w. Balch, of Philadel-
phia. and is as follows:
80 much is heard nowadays of the
recent friendship of Great Britain
and the hostile feelings of other ma
tions toward the United States, that
it NAV not be amiss to recall how dur
ING the dark days of the civil war
Russia was our good friend. While
the English government permitted
the building of confederate cruisers
i'm English ports, and then allowed
them to be armed with English gums,
manned with English men, and TO 90
forth to prey upon the commerce OF
friendly nation. the Russian govern
ment. from the beginning OF the war,
was most friendly to the United
States. The government OF the ear
not only did not recognize the belhg-,
erency of the confederate states. but.
in addition, when there were VARIOUS
credited rumorS that the English
and the French governments contem-
plated an intervention in behalf OF
the confederacy. it sent a fleet under
Admiral Popotf to San Francisco and
subsequently another under Admiral
Lessovsky to New York. indeed. 1t
was even limited that Admiral LessoN-
skV had secret orders that. in case of
an attack upon the United States by
foreign power. he should PLACE his
squadron at the disposal Of President
Lincoln: and. as at that time-as Mr..
Laird, formerly of Lard Bros. the
builders of the Alabama. had more
than once shown-the English navy
was inferior for defensive purposes
to that of the United States. the pres
ence of Admiral LessovsSy and his,
ships in American waters was an inn
portant factor in the game of inter
national politics. The fleet of Adj
miral Lessovsky. which consisted of
the Alexander Nevsl<i. the Osliaba the
Persevet. the Naraig. and the Nitiaz,
arrived i'm the harbor of New York
in the autumn of 1868. The citizens
aud the authorities of the city gave
the Russian a grand welcome. They
showed the Russian officers over the
Notifications of the port. gave them
a public reception. and held a mill
tary review i'm their honor: and the
significance of these festivities were
the more marked in that an English
| feet. to whom only the usual courte-
| sizes were extended. was also in the
| harbOr at that time. Afterward Nd
miral Lessoyslly took his squadron
into Chesapeake Bay and up the Po-
tomac river: and President Lincoln
and Secretary Seward gave the Rus
sian a most cordial welcome at Wash
ington.
''The letters of Lord Palmerston and
Lord John Russell to one another in
1861 and 1862, show. that both were
eager to break the United States into
two parts: and that they were anN-
ious to join Napoleon III in an in
tervention. But they feared Russia.
| These telI-tale letters may be found
in "The Life of Lord John RUSSELL
by Spencer Walpole. London 1889,
second edition. volume II.
"And today the way the British
| empire makes large land claims upon
| our Alaska domain is hardly Il mark
of friendship toward us.
Capt. S. \. Ashe. of Raleigh, writ
ing about THE Purchase of Alaska
in the same paper few days after
says:E
THE communication Of I. w.
| Balch in your issue of the 18th. rcla-
| tive to the demonstration made By
| Russia i'll behalf of the United States
| in 1868, prompts me to add word to
| il. When we at the South were re-
| turned to the Union after the great
war. | observed the very cordial rela-
| tons existing between our republic
and the car Later heard that
| Alaska came to be purchased in this
wise: The czar applied to the United
States to be reimbursed seven millions
of dollars for the demonstration
mentioned by Mr.. Balch. Our secrc-
tarv of state replied that the amount
claimed ought to be paid. but that
| there was no secret fund at the dis
! posal of the administration. and no
moneys could be withdrawn from the
treasury except after appropriation,
and he could not ask Congress to
make an appropriation 10 pay for such
1 a service. The administration was
/ very much troubled until Simon CAIN
eron observed that Alaska was with
out value to Russia. and that perhaps
the ear would part with it for the