The Washington times., 1914-09-18
TRADE WITH RUSSIA.

Sentimental as well as extremely
practical reasons are going to oper-
ate to give point to some recent Oh
servations of the Russian minister
Of foreign affairs, concerning the
opportunity for foreign trade be-
tween Russia and the United States.
NJ. Sazonoff issued his highly sug-
gestive statement through the
meiiumship of thu London Times.
The fact that, though using an Eng
lish vehicle, he observed that for
America especially does Russia open
opportunities for an industrial out
let such as hardly can be over
estimated" gives particular sig
nifcance to what he said.
Germany, next-door neighbor,
among all the great industrial coun-
tries, to Russia, has enjoyed first
call on the trade of the great domain
of the Car. Germany has under
stood the demands of Russia, and
has been close enough to the Rus
sian market to be able easily to
adapt her products and terms OF
trade most readily to the conditions
that must be met.
Yet the natural source from which
Russia should draw its manufactures
is America, rather than either Ger
MANY or Great Britain. This is true,
because Russia is, like the United
States, country of acres and area
rather than of dense population; a
country in which development,
whether of agriculture, of transpor-
tation, of commerce, must be exten-
sive rather than intensive. 1t is in
a latitude that makes it adaptable
to the same general line of products
that America knows best how to
produce. It has land in vast extent,
which means that it can acopt
American methods of farming.
Our American problem of tilling
the soil has been TO make two horses
md a machine do, so far as possible,
the work that in France or Saxony
would be done by the man with the
hoe. A sixteen-inch plow driving a
straight-line furrow half mile long
would have small chance in the
checkerboard miniature fields Of
Devonshire; but it is just the thing
the Russian agricrlturist needs.
Likewise, the tiny coaches and loco
motives that make the British rail-
roads look to an American like the
TOYS of an American family of chill
dren, have little place in the trans
portation scheme of an empire that
stretches from the Baltic to the Pa
cifc and that includes a mainline
of railroad near 1000 miles long.
The proper development of transpor-
tation for Russia demands the 12O-
ton locomotives of our transconti-
mental railroads, the huge freight
cars, the generous proportions on
which everything for American
transportation is built.
That is true of the whole Russian
business establishment. American
pipe lines are going to be built more
ard more to transport Russian oil.
American milling apparatus will be
called for, to grind Russian grain.
paraphernalia for handling
live stock and its products will be
more and more in demand.
American silos will in another
generation be dotting the plains
of Russia and Siberia. In
short, American leadership will point
the way as no other leadership in the
world possibly can, for the develop
ment of Russia into The great coun-
try it is destined to be.
Ir all this there will be a service
to civilization and peace, as we'll as
to commerce. The Russian people
will develop wealth and the stability
of character, love of peace, desire
for permanent institutions, that 60
with it. American civilization trans
planted to Russia will be the great
est possible guarantee against the
menace of Slav invasion of Western
Europe in the future.
That the Russians themselves re-
alize all this even better than many
Americans do, is suggested by the
observations of NJ. Sazonoff. He is
thus quoted by the London Times
Petrograd correspondent:
quite realize that accounts of vic
tories and routs, acts Of heroism and
magnificent assaults may sell newspa-
pers, but above and beyond all this
there now exists situation and an op-
portunity in trade and commerce with
NAV mean more in the decades to come
than It is easy to realize.
II Is the country which forces the
situation commercially in Russia that
will reap the enormous benefits that
the Russian markets now offer. 1t is
not enough that merchants and manu-
facturers should offer their goods here.
Experts should be sent here now, even
while the war is still in progress to
study and examine the wants OF our
country Our duties, our manner of do