New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-10
OUR INVASION OF RUSSIA
The American Business Man Doe. Not Attempt to impose
Kulur Along with His Business Ventures
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Permit me to answer the sdi-
.orial article Of Mr. L. Menshikof that
was published In a recent issue OF the
"Novoe Vremys" in Petrograd, Russia
and has created such widespread com
m.nts throughout Russia and In Eu-
rome. am writing the answer 70 Mr.
Menshikof In an American daily be-
e.us. his argument touches the most
vital questions Of this country; the
effect OF the European war upon the
future development Of the Unied
States social-political conditions
Though Mr.. Menshiko1 has titled bis
article Russia and America II goes
far deeper than mere Russo-American
trade relations, which seemingly have
inspired this most brilliant OF Rus
alan writers to snalyze the problem.
Mr.. MsnshikoH takes as a motive OF
his editorial article an incident from
a certain Russo-American commercial
transaction. q negotiation OF equipplng
the city Of Tomsk, In Siberia, with
American machinery. and, 80 TO say,
Americaniling . Russian city in all
It's communication facilities. hygiene
and modern commodities. This work
was TO be done by the Russian-Amer-
lean -Asiatic Corporation. one OF the
foremost industrial-commercial insti.
tutions operating between Russia and
this country. The freedom that the
city Of Tomsk had given 10 the named
corporation aroused comments In the
Russian press to the effect as X such
steps on the part Of Russian munich
palities were dangerous. The "Russkoye
Slovo" In Moscow and the "Novoe
vremya" in Petrogrsd published stories
as II the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Corporation, located in New YORK,
would eventually come TO rule all
Russian municipalities and create .
kind Of state in the empire.
With these comments Of the Russian
press Mr.. Menshikoff disagreed and
came out in q fiery article in defence
Of the American business methods.
However, he looked through too pessi'
mistic glasses at tho future evolution
of the New World. Mr.. Menshikoh
has been generally . strong sympa-
thizer with everything American. He
tas a clear idea Of this country's life
and spirit His judgment In reference
70 American affairs is correct and his
language exceedingly ford. But
where Mr.. Menshikoff fails is in Civ
o. - lax~ n
system Of industrialism, which, &C.
cording TO him, may become . danger
to modern civilization. Mr.. Menshi'
koff sees nothing else in American
future tendencies than the dollar.
Mr.. Menshikoff points out in his ar
ticle how detrimental an effect the ex-
cess Of gold will have upon the Amer
lean social life that is flowing now
from Europe to the New World. He
sees in this calamity similar to that
which befell Spain after the discovery
of America, when the American gold
was brought in loads to Spain. "Over-
loading a country with gold has never
been q blessing, but q curse to it," he
writes. at has affected a nation as
Nm enervating toxin. Like overeating,
this overlooking a country with gold
naturally brings about a disorder Of
the organism" Mr.. Menshikoff comes
to the conclusion that Russia should
not hesitate in throwing its markets
open to American business men Of
the type Of the board of directors Of
the n-American-Asiatic Corpora
ton, which includes men like DR..
Thomas Darlington, Sir Henry NJ. Pei
latt, A. H. Martens, A. D. Edwards and
Alexander De Bodisco or Professor l..
Holmogorotf, from Petrogrsd.
So far | fully agree with Mr.. Men
shikof. But where | disagree is in
the fact that the American business
men never think Of anything but the
business. With a few exceptions the
American merchants do not preach any
"Kultur" or alteration Of a Kaiser, as
the Germans used to do in Russia. The
American business man, with all his
commercial interests, acts ultimately as
a missionary of an industrial civiliza-
ton. With American machinery and
instruments he carries TO the less de-
veloped nations American spirit. He
is a missionary without preaching any
thing. In developing a foreign coun-
try or exploiting the natural riches
of Russia or Far East he is taking
only q fair interest on his investment
but introducing into that country the
soul and body Of American energy and
inventive spirit.
II seems like a paradox that this
country is getting back from bleeding
Europe what the latter extorted from
America since so many centuries. Evil
IDENTIFY the present war has brought
In A FRONT LINE TRENCH