Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-30
Incidents of the War of the
Rebellion.
VIEWS OF A DIPLOMAT
HISTORICAL FACTS BROUGHT TO
LIGHT.
Why the Cars Fleet Was Sent to
American Waters-Attitude Of
England and France.

1.-The representatives of Russia are trying
to convince the Americans that during the
time of our civil war Russia was our friend
and that she proved her friendship by send
ing to our shores an armed fleet of war
ships and treasures of gold. and that the
commander of that fleet had sealed or
ders that were to be broken only in a con-
tlngency that had not yet occurred which
contingency. We are given to understand
was the probability of an intervention by
France and England in our civil war, and
which had for Its purpose the disruption
of the federal union" said prominent dip
lomat to Star reporter today.
influential and widely read journals of
Russia like the Nova Vremya of ST. Peters,
burg and the Viedomosti of Moscow de-
nounce In acrimonious and unjust editorials
what they term the ingratitude of the
Americans because In the present war be-
tween Japan and Russia the latter has not
the sympathy of the American people.
Before admitting any of these claims of
Russia upon our gratitude, or pleading
guilty to the charge made. it will be proper
to go back to the period in which these
events took place and give due weight to
the condition of affairs in Europe and not
lose sight of some accomplished facts on
this side Of the Atlantic ocean.
The Russian Fleets.
'1t is a matter of history that there
was I'm the summer Of 1863 a Russian fleet
in the harbors of New York and San Fran
cisco. 1t is also fact that the vessels
composing that fleet were all of wood con-
struction. and represented a type of sea
fighters that were very inferior when
looked at in the light of the destructive
effects of ironclad vessels as demonstrated
by the confederate ironclad Merrimac
which in Hampton Roads in 1862 in a few
hours completely destroyed a fleet of war
VeSsels that In every particular were SUI
perior to the Russian fleet that in 1863 ap-
peared In our waters. The effect of that
battle. quickly followed by the conflict be-
tween the Monitor and Merrimac caused
congress to authorize the immediate con-
struction of a fleet of ironclads, many of
winch were of the Monitor type The gov
ernments of France and England were not
SLOW to take advantage of this lesson and
entered upon like policy of naval con-
struction. realizing that new era in naval
warfare had dawned and the uselessness of
wooden war vessels had been shown
Russia did not take any steps of this
klnd, Tor at this time she apparently did
not realize that naval warfare was no
longer to be decided by q conflict of wooden
vessels. and besides this her internal con-
dltion occupied her attention and consumed
her resources. The development in meth
ods and materials used in making war YES
sells at this period was of such a characte
that 1t is no exaggeration to say that. ex-
ceptlng for the purpose of chasing, captur-
ing OF destroying merchantmen, the Rus
siah Meet was worthless.
Useless Wooden Vessels.
Assuming that mad France and England
sent hostile feet of ironclads To our
shores. for at that time they had so far
reconstructed their navies as to have a
few such vessels afioat and ready for use.
the battle. If any would have been with a
part or all of the Union ironclads then
ready nine or more of which were in com
mission. After the exhibit in Hamilton
Roads. some eighteen months previously
the interesting question arises, of what use
would this Russian fleet have been against
armored vessels? Would not the battle
have been between the Union fleet on one
hand and the allied French and English
Meet on the other, with this Russian fleet
OF obsolete wooden vessels a negligible
quantity in the calculations of the fleet
commanders?
"The improbabilty of the Intervention of
those two powers at this time and the ne
cessity for accounting for the presence of
the Russian feet has to be looked for I'm
other directions than In the unsupported
statement that 1t was solely due to the
great friendship of that empire for the
United States 1t is to be remembered that
the battle of Gettysburg, which marked
the beginning of the end of the southern
confederacy, had been fought some time be-
iOTe lHe arrival or TINS fleet in
and that the results of this decisive victory
over the army of the southern confederacy
was known and appreciated at it's full val
ue by the governments of France and Eng
land some time before the arrival of this
fleet. so that any hostile purpose that these
governments meditated against US was
quickly dispelled by the conclusive effects
of that great battle.
The True Reason.
I'm order to get at the true reason for
the appearance of the Russian fleet in our
ports and to measure Russas pretensions
of friendship according to her ability to
carry out what she now claims was in
tended. 1t is in order to consider the condi-
ton of that empire prior TO and during the
time of the arrival of her fleet in Amer-
can waters and the general attitude of Eu-
rope toward her government.
In 1881, request of the Poles for a
more faithful performance by Russia of her
Obligations stipulated and guaranteed to
them by the treaty of Vienna was an
swered by massacre of Poles and Jews
in the streets of Warsaw. The year fol-
lowing, finding that this method failed. and.
in violation of the law and a method for
pacificaton, Russian soldiers paid night
dOmiciliary visits into Polish homes and in
Warsaw 1000 young men were seized,
taken away and forced into military serv-
ice and sent to the remote Asiatic frontiers
of the empire. system of terrorism was
established in Poland, Lithuania. Samogi-
tia and the Ukraiul These acts provoked
an insurrection. which took place in Janu-
airy. 1868 The area of territory covered by
the insurgents was something like 100000
square miles. nearly as large as the area
of the state OF Texas. In addition to the
garrisons already existing in Poland. Rus
sla hurried in 5000 infantry. II COO cav
airy. 10000 Cossacks. 5000 artillery. with
200 cannon. Soon thereafter she mobilzed
her entire army. which reached the num-
Der of 300. 900 men.
The Treaty of Vienna.
This insurrection at once attracted the
attention of the governments OF Europe,
who were parties to the treaty of Vienna,
and In March. 1868, the government of
France communicated with the cabinets of
Europe. calling attention to the deplorable
condition OF affairs in Poland and inviting
all the signatories to the treaty of Vienna
to take part IN a collective note TO Russia,
In which the government was requested to
stop fighting and to restore to the kingdom
OF Poland all of it's political and civil lib
critics guaranteed by the treaty of Vienna.
Favorable answers were received from all.
In April the notes from France, Great
Britain. Austria. Sweden. Spain and Italy
were presented to Russia. The notes from
France and Great Britain were almost men,
acing. Russia temporized. Soon as the ice
permitted her fleet left Cronstadt and APP
red I'm the American norris Ahaut this