Douglas Island news., 1904-01-20
Americas Attitude.

The imminence of war in the Orient this time between Russia and Japan may cause every thoughtful citizen to study the situation with care before taking a decided stand in behalf of either nation.
 The relations of Japan to the Pacific Northwest today are much closer and far more extensive than Russian inter- ests will be likely to be for years to come-and such condition naturally prejudices the mlnd.
 On the other hand, the future of Rus sian development in the Far East, as it is called from an Atlantic Coast stand point, and the attitude of that country toward the United States in the past may we'll have weight with all our people.
 It is a notable fact that always throughout the history of the great re- public Russia has conducted herself as a true friend under all circumstances.
 Her relations with the. United States have ever been of the friendliest char acter, and there have been times in the history of this nation when Russia's at titude controlled the situation.
 To be sure, when Russia sold Uncle Sam Alaska, vast majority of the Americah people felt that it was the re- suit of superior diplomacy and that William Henry Seward, and then Sec retary of State, had been hoodwinked into bad trade.
 Be it remembered that in 1867, only two years after the close of the Civil War, the payment of s7,200,00o was very large transaction-and at that time appeared larger than it really was.
 The Nation had passed through four years of strife unparalleled in history. A people numbering only thirty million had marshaled four millions of men in fratricidal strife, and though the issue had been successful for the Union, it had cost three billion dollars in cash.
 Moreover, the multitude belle, ed that Alaska was barren country, possessing many high mountains, covered with glaciers, and at least the northern portion rendered uninhabitable by req son of cold and darkness.
 What wonderful mistake! Thirty three years have demonstrated that Alaska is one of the richest mineral countries in the world. Already sev- eral times the price paid by our gov ernment has been returned in gold alone-and the value of her fisheries cannot now be estimated.
 So that when the century in which this transaction occurred has come to a close, the world knew that Russia had conferred a wonderfully rich favor upon the American Nation by deeding her five hundred and thirty-five thous- and square miles of country in the North American continent for paltry nsideration-instead of having made 8 smart trade.
 While this may have been done in ignorance of the future, it is more likely to have been done as an evidence of friendship for the American people.
 But at that critical point in the his- tory of the Republic when the Confed- crate States were seeking recognition at the hands of foreign nations and at the very time when Great Brit ain had reached point where almost an additional breath of argument would have landed her on the side of the Confederacy-her statesmen were forced to pause and regard the atti- tude of other nations.
 1t was then that Alexander II. caused 1t to be proclaimed throughout Europe and Asia that his government stood in the most friendly attitude toward the government over which Abraham Lin coin presided.
 The force aud influence of Russia's attitude at that time were so great that we have not the slightest doubt that silence on the part of the Russian Czar would have been followed by England's recognition of the Confederacy.
 To tho men now living, who were old enough to remember the importance of the conditions which prevailed in the ridst of the Civil War when Russia took this attitude, there comes at this