The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-24
AMERICAN FLEET
 WARMLY RECEIVED Visit ArOuses Old Memories
 at St. Petersburg COMMENT OF PRESS
Various Interpretations Placed Upon Incident-Visit in 1863 of Moni- tor Miantonomoh to New
 York Is Recalled

St. Petersburg, July 2s.-Coming at an interval of 45 years after the redoubt- able trip of the monitor Miantonomoh l to Cronstadt, to return the friendly call of the Russian warships in New York in 1 the critical times of 1868. Admiral Bad gers squadron aroused old memories of nearly a century of Russo-Amercan his
 tory, which had become a tradition in | Russia, rudely shaken by events since | 1903
 Admiral Badgers reference to the | Miantonomoh at a banquet rendered by the Imperial River Yacht club was the keynote of the evening, as it fattered tue pride Russians take in having fur thered the fortunes of the American re- public, to which they formerly habitual- y referred as Our transatlantic friends
 The lack of adequate. advertisement of the fleets coming did not interfere with it's developing into a fair success. Before the week of the squadrons stay vas over, the Emperor and his navy. with the people of Petersburg, had sue ceeded fin making the guests feel thor oughly at home.
 The emphasis laid upon the fact that the squadrons visit was only a service cruise
 may account for the scanty crop of impressions in the newspapers. Most metropolitan dailes published articles of welcome, confining themselves to gener- alitics, and to reporting the various fetes offered to the visiting admiral, his officers
 and men. Some, like the Russkiya Nye-' l domosti of Moscow. which is the dean of
 the Russian liberal press, did not print a i.ne of editorial comment upon the visit. Others took the view that it's main object
 was bid for Russian support against
 Japan, but opinions divided as to what
 Rugsia's reply to this bid should be.
 The Petersburg Gazette declared that
 the international situation furnished a
 finn ground for a Russo American rap
 proachment. "The east brings Russia and
 the United States together, just as Geu
 many brought Russia and France. and
 lately England, together stated the
 Gazette. Russian and American inter-
 es.s cannot be secured better than by a
 unity in their AsiatIc policies" The
 general feeling that Russia should make
 good terms Is voiced in an interview with
 Admiral Sl<rydloff, who warns Russia
 against selling cheap"
 7he same idea is urged by the Zemsht- | china of Petersburg, reactionary organ.
 which declined to believe that the visit
 p.s destitute of 8 political purpose, and l says: This visit is a reflection of a l popular tendency in America in favor | Of seeking, in the shape of an interna- tional political combination, a counter | poise against the Japanese danger, with | which America cannot think of coping tnassisted. But the sweet smiles and | | ,.ft tIa ,nt to
 turn the heads of our diplomats, and | Russian support ought to be accorded | only in exchange for real advantages | tu Russia, and not for the mere sake of fraternization between two nations which | stand at the opposite poles of belief, na- | tional spirit and traditions"
 | Finally, third view Is that America | is acting in bad faith. flirting with | Russia. for the sake of exciting the | jealousy of Japan, and of driving bet | ter bargain with her. This view was de- l fended at length in an article in the | Ipeterburgski Vyedomosti. Prince Ukhtom- skis newspaper. The writer further de- | calops the idea that Russians and Amer 1 jeans are widely divergent national and | racial types, which have scarcely trait | in common, Tut the color of skin. | A similar variety of opinion was man. | fAsted by the press, in it's treatment of | the actual situation in the far east, as | aHectiHS husso-<ahieiicdh ieiotioHs' iho Novoe Vremya, Russia's leading organ. | sharply attacked American activity in 1 Manchuria, during the squadrons stay,
 undeterred by a possible charge of dis
 courtesy. It proceeded to explain that
 ihe situation had nothing to gain by
 vagueness on important outstanding | questions. In attacking and opposing the | American invasion of Manchuria. Russia | was combating the same trusts and com E.nations of capital which the American
 people had long been trying to control On the other hand. the Retch. edited
 by Professor Milyukoff, took the opposite
 view of the matter, and argued that
 American proposals with regard to Man churia are not directed against Russia
 end that Russian diplomacy had missed
 notable opportunity in not acquiescing | in an American initiative in Manchuria
 which would fight Russias battles for her.