The Irish standard., 1904-03-05
He Still Retains Vivid Recollection ~ Facts
and Incidents Connected With
Those Days.
Says that it Was at the Request of Secretary
Seward that the Russian Fleet
Came in Our Need.

Did the Russian government at or
about the time of the civil war, it Is
commonly asked, do anything to merit
special favor or consideration from the
United States, aid if so, is there sub
stantial evidence, documentary or
otherwise, tending to prove it? That
individual opinions respecting this
query are diverse and confusing is
shown by the numerous expressions
which have appeared from year to
year in the newspapers, and particular
ly in the columns of The New York
Times during the last two or three
weeks, says The New York Times.
Few of the men who shared the con-
fidence Of President Lincoln and his
cabinet and knew from personal OBJ
servation the precise nature of the in
tenational problems which confront
ed the rulers of this republic in the
Cos and the manner of their solution
are now alive to tell the story.
OF the seven men who were present
at the signing Of the treaty for the
annexation of Alaska-to which much
Significance has been attached in the
attempts to explain the relationship
between Russia and the United States
but one survives, this being Fred
erick w. Seward, son of Lincoln's
secretary of state, William II. Seward,
| who acted as assistant secretary of
state under his father
Mr.. Seward still retains vivid rccol-
lection not only of the incidents of
.,.ose troubious days, but also of the
facts, involving many conferences of
the secretary with foreign ministers
and mass of correspondence leading
up to them. TO a reporter of Inc New
lOrk Times, who found him at his
nome in Montrosc, N. Y, yesterday
the ex-assistant secretary reviewed in
detail the happenings often regarded
as forming the basis of peculiarly
friendly relations between America
and Russia.
Mr.. Seward began by telling of q
communication which he received
some years ago from Alexander II
Rice, then governor of Massachusetts
Governor Rice stated" said he
chat there was story current in tho
Boston clubs that the purchase of Alas
ka was the result of a bargain made
in 1868, when Secretary Seward want
ed the presence and help Of the Rus
sian fleet. The United States, so tho
story ran, was to pay some millions OF
dollars for this aid after the close OF
the war, and to cover the transaction
Russia was to transfer to the United
States some worthless territory of hers
in the region Of the north pole. The
governor added: You were in Wash
ington, of course, at the time, and car
tell me whether there is any truth ii
this story In reply wrote:
"'My Dear Governor: You were
then member Of congress, and yor
may remember that we sometimes
queried. What will posterity say tt
these things that we arc doing now
Well, we have arrived at that time
and find that, while posterity is lcni
cnt enough in its judgment, it is very
much mixed up in it's facts
OF course" Mr.. Seward added, EN-
phatically, 'there was no truth what
ever in the story"
Mr.. Seward went on to describe tho
feeling manifested toward the United
States by Russia and other countries
Of the Old World in 1861 '"rhe spring
of that year." he said, drought tht
answers Of the European governments
to the communication which the Amer
lean secretary had addressed to then
at the opening Of the war. Three ma
tions, whose sympathy had been reck
oned on, did not disappoint the expec
tation-the republic of Switzerland
the kingdom Of Italy, and the empire
of Russia. Prince Gortschakoff, the
Russian prime minister, wrote as fol
lows:
"The union is not simply in oul
eyes an element essential to the uni
versal political Equilibrium. It consti