The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-07

other barbarians. and along about the
year 1000 accepted Christianity. The
Firms finally located in tract of coun-
try considerably bigger than Kansas,
stretching from the present site of St.
Petersburg to the west and north
around the Gulf and the Baltic so that
they were in what is now partly Rus
STA and partly Swede. They kept a
neutrality-suspicious. until the Swedes
annexed them. Their sway was
nominal until the Films were taken
from the Swedes by Peter the Great
and his successors who wanted Fin
land because of its command of the
sea. The Firms are a brave and free.
dom loving people. much like their
Hungarian and Polish cousins and just
about as unfortunate They have
fought against being merged into the
their own language and. local govern
ment They had a Russian governor
but when the cars troubles began
last year they ran the governor out of
town and now they are simply waiting
to see what will happen to Russia,
hoping at least to secure a guaranty of
Finnish autonomy as a Russian state,
or to set up little government of
their own.
The captain. who was very friendly
to his American passengers, called to
me as we entered the first Finnish port,
Hango. See that big fish. I didn't
and said so. THAT is a man fish
pointing to a group of three men.
See, man with a Finn on each side"
Then he laughed a good hearty Swed-
ish laugh and I Joined him I always
laugh at the captains jokes and then
borrow his spy glass / suppose that
joke is one he learned years ago and
keeps constantly on tap for the enter
tadnment of his English speaking
friends.
We spent several hours at Hango and
at Helsingfors, and that with the as
sisJance of the captain and Miss Sweden
I learned the little Finnish history which
I have given. You can land in Finland
without passport. but a passport is
required to enter Russia and it is the
only country in Europe except Turkey
where such a fornality is even suggest
ed. I had received my passport from
washington with the signature of Secre-
tary Root and a big red seal AND
thought I was fixed. But at Berlin I
found it must be used" So I went to
the American consul who gave me an
order to the Russian consul. who put on
his written certificate that was q
Protestant in religion" and an Ameri-
can by nationality, and could be per
mitted within the cars dominion with
out danger to the government. The
Russian consul scOwled and acted IN
HltdSdllllN Out ne charged me a QOiidE
fee so I knew he understood his duties
Now we have a fine linen document with
three certificates of character. three
seals and a lot of fOolishness which cost
me SO, most of which has gone to my
own beloved country.
AS near as I can learn from the
sources indicated the Firms are a right
decent lot of people with schools, some
education. poor land, good fishing and
q willingness to fight at the drop of the
hat. Helsingfors, the principal CITY, has
about 100 coo population and I was sur
prised to find in a short ride around
town with a man who knew nothing
Of America except to charge the foreign
er a plenty, that it was a handsome
place with good buildings. parks, a uni
versity, a fine harbor and a good trade.
Coming up the Bay OF Finland this
morning realize that I am about to
break into Russia. a. country which is
being talked about considerable and
which is likely to add an exciting
chapter to history unless all the signs
fail. We have passed the naval sta
ton at Cronstadt, superb from a naval
standpoint, with many big ships, in
Guiding several men of war and two in
construction to take the place Of those
which the Japs treated in such an un-
gentlenanly manner. Russian forts
poke their ugly-looking guns at US and
Russian officials have boarded the
boat to see that we are not bringing in
anything that might disturb the peace.
They do not worry me. 7 am not go
ing to do anything to the car or the
duma. ] don't propose to even offer
to hold the coats in case of a fight.
Meekness and humility will mark my
conduct and I viii not have, form or
express an opinion until I get back
across the frontier. As the Kansas
statesman who was a candidate for Of
fee in the old Alliance days, said to
his audience after stating his platform:
These gentlemen, are my convictions.
the honest beliefs of my heart and the
principles by which I viii be actuated.
But, gentlemen, If you don't like en-. 1
can change en-
W. Y. MORGAN.