Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1904-03-04
GOVERNOR HERREIO AND RUSSIA

GOVERNOR nERREID AND RUSSIA
The Governor Calls Attention tO
Russia's Past Friendship.
The Argus Leader publishes the fol
lowing special from Pierre:
Governor Herreid does not agret
exactly with the generally expressed
sentiment in the present trouble bs
tween Japan and Russia. In speaking
of the situation hs says:
Now, when nearly everybody II
sympathizing with Japan. I want to &C
on record as calling attention to ths
fact that during our existsnce - M
tion, Russia he's been our stead fast
and best friend. England has often
either been at war with us or been plot
ting against rs. During the civil war,
while England was secretly but ener'
Retically trying to induce the European
powers to recognize and aid the south.
ern confederacy. let us never forget
that the efforts were frustrated by Rus.
sis, who during those terrible dark days
remained faithful" Governor Herreid
takes the correct view of the matter at
the time when people are shouting for
the yellow man.
The writer is q friend Of Russia and
has been since the dark days of 1923,
because the Russian sailors showed
their unquestioned friendship for Uncle
Sans soldiers and sailors at q time
when the French and English sailors
showed their open sympathy for the
the southern cause. The writer re-
members 80 we'll the time after our
forces captured Norfork, Virginia, in
1862, when French and English and
Russian warships crowded the harbor.
When the big gray coated Russians
came ashore they hunted up the sold
iers or sailors of Uncle Sam. and would
lock arms with them and march away
happy and contented and spend their
money freely without being able to
talk more than few words of our Ian.
guage. Those big Russians went out
Of their way on every occasion to find 9
Yankee soldier or sailor. They would
have nothing to do with a Frenchman
or an Englishmsn. They were only
happy when they were with those who
were fighting to save the Union. When
the English and the French sailors came
ashore, they treated the Yankees with
silent contempt, and il rebel sympa.
thizer could be found-and there were
many and bitter ones in Norfolk and
Portsmouth-there would you find the
Englishmen and Frenchmen, and sever.
al bloody fights took place on account
of this friendship for the rebel cause.
The friendship of the Russians in con.
trast with the other Europeans was
marked end remarkable, and every
Union soldier and sailor who saw those
things in the dark hours of our national
life, have never forgotten nor will they
ever forget.
Those who are patting the Japanese
-Mongolian on the back are encourag.
ing a power represented by nearly nine
million yellow faces, power
that swept Europe twice and with mod.
srn war equipment and modern Japan.
ess methods. this power could sweep
Europe to the shores of the British
Channel, and there is no telling where
the followers of the Crescent would
stop. The Turk, tho Persian, the Hin.
doc, the Chinaman and the Jap are of
common origin and color and hate the
followersof the cross. If Japan should
win ont in the Orient China would be
aroused to action-four hundred and
fifty millions of them, and this would
arouse three hundred millions in India
to instant action and the British would
be swept inso the sea. The French and
English and Gsrmons would be hurled
from China and blood would flow in
rivers throughout Europe before the
yellow millions could be driven back if
back at all. England has put torch
and sword in the hands of the follow
ers of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane,
and no man can measure the fearful
results that may follow.
The Russian system Of government is
different from ours. She has some of
the most turbulent people on the globe
to govern, and they must be governed
with an iron hand. 1t 10 all right for
England to go into Africa and wipe out
the Dutch burghers who subdued
wilderness. but wrong for Russia to ex-
tend her civilization over the Turcoman
hordes of Eastern Asia. and her civili.
zation, be it good or bad, it is better
than any that that wild country ever
had. ., .-.
We, like Governor Herreid, stand for
Russia-she stood for Us when the life
of the nation was in the balance, and
while in New York recently, on the 9th.
in company with General Williams Of
Bismarck, we called on Gen. Pobanin-
sky, Russian Consul General at 7S
Broadstreet and left our cards. He
assured us Russia appreciated every
friend in the United States, and he
knew that the great liberty loving
heart of the nation could never forget
the dark days of 1868, when a powerful
Russian fleet sailed along the Atlantic
coast in full sy sympathy with the Union
cause, and later when Russia sold her