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the　fact　that　its　two　millions　of　people　are　utterly　powerless



against　the　brute　force　of　the　one　hundred　and　twenty　millions　of



the　Russian　Empire。　The　struggle　in　South　Africa　meant；　after



all；　that　if　worst　came　to　worst；　the　Boers　would；　within　a



generation　or　two；　enjoy　a　higher　type　of　constitutional　liberty



than　they　ever　could　have　developed　under　any　republic　they　could



have　established；　but　Finland　is　now　forced　to　give　up　her



constitutional　government　and　to　come　under　the　rule　of　brutal



Russian　satraps。　These　have　already　begun　their　work。　All　is　to



be　〃Russified〃：　the　constitutional　bodies　are　to　be　virtually



abolished；　the　university　is　to　be　brought　down　to　the　level　of



Dorpatonce　so　noted　as　a　German　university；　now　so　worthless　as



a　Russian　university；　for　the　simple　Protestantism　of　the　people



is　to　be　substituted　the　fetishism　of　the　Russo…Greek　Church。　It



is　the　saddest　spectacle　of　our　time。　Previous　emperors；　however



much　they　wished　to　do　so；　did　not　dare　break　their　oaths　to



Finland；　but　the　present　weakling　sovereign；　in　his　indifference；



carelessness；　and　absolute　unfitness　to　rule；　has　allowed　the



dominant　reactionary　clique　about　him　to　accomplish　its　own　good



pleasure。　I　put　on　record　here　the　prophecy　that　his　dynasty；　if



not　himself；　will　be　punished　for　it。　All　history　shows　that　no



such　crime　has　gone　unpunished。　It　is　a　far　greater　crime　than



the　partition　of　Poland；　for　Poland　had　brought　her　fate　on



herself；　while　Finland　has　been　the　most　loyal　part　of　the



empire。　Not　even　Moscow　herself　has　been　more　thoroughly　devoted



to　Russia　and　the　reigning　dynasty。　The　young　monarch　whose



weakness　has　led　to　this　fearful　result　will　bring　retribution



upon　himself　and　those　who　follow　him。　The　Romanoffs　will　yet



find　that　〃there　is　a　Power　in　the　universe；　not　ourselves；　which



makes　for　righteousness。〃　The　house　of　Hapsburg　and　its



satellites　found　this　in　the　humiliating　end　of　their　reign　in



Italy；　the　house　of　Valois　found　it；　after　the　massacre　of　St。



Bartholomew；　in　their　own　destruction；　the　Bourbons　found　it；



after　the　driving　out　of　the　Huguenots　and　the　useless　wars　of



Louis　XIV　and　XV；　in　the　French　Revolution　which　ended　their



dynasty。　Both　the　Napoleons　met　their　punishment　after　violating



the　rights　of　human　nature。　The　people　of　the　United　States；



after　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law；　found　their　punishment　in　the　Civil



War；　which　cost　nearly　a　million　of　lives　and；　when　all　is



reckoned；　ten　thousand　millions　of　treasure。







When　I　talked　with　this　youth　before　he　came　to　the　throne；　and



saw　how　little　he　knew　of　his　own　empire；how　absolutely　unaware



he　was　that　the　famine　was　continuing　for　a　second　year　in



various　important　districts；　there　resounded　in　my　ears；　as　so



often　at　other　times；　the　famous　words　of　Oxenstiern　to　his　son；



〃Go　forth；　my　son；　and　see　with　how　little　wisdom　the　world　is



governed。〃







Pity　to　say　it；　the　European　sovereign　to　whom　Nicholas　II　can　be



most　fully　compared　is　Charles　IX　of　France；　under　the　influence



of　his　family　and　men　and　women　courtiers　and　priests；



authorizing　the　massacre　of　St。　Bartholomew。　The　punishment　to　be



meted　out　to　him　and　his　house　is　sure。＇4＇











＇4＇　The　above　was　written　before　the　Russian　war　with　Japan　and



the　assassinations　of　Bobrikoff；　Plehve；　and　others　were　dreamed



of。　My　prophecy　seems　likely　to　be　realized　far　earlier　than　I



had　thought　possible。















As　I　revise　these　lines；　we　see　another　exhibition　of　the　same



weakness　and　folly。　The　question　between　Russia　and　Japan　could



have　been　easily　and　satisfactorily　settled　in　a　morning　talk　by



any　two　business　men　of　average　ability；　but　the　dominant　clique



has　forced　on　one　of　the　most　terrible　wars　in　history；　which



bids　fair　to　result　in　the　greatest　humiliation　Russia　has　ever



known。







The　same　thing　may　be　said　regarding　Russia's　dealings　with　the



Baltic　provinces。　The　〃Russification〃　which　has　been　going　on



there　for　some　years　is　equally　absurd；　equally　wicked；　and　sure



to　be　equally　disastrous。







The　first　Russian　statesman　with　whom　I　had　to　do　was　the



minister　of　foreign　affairs；　M。　de　Giers；　but　he　was　dying。　I　saw



him　twice　in　retirement　at　Tzarskoye　Selo；　and　came　to　respect



him　much。　He　spoke　at　length　regarding　the　entente　between　Russia



and　France；　and　insisted　that　it　was　not　in　the　interest　of　war



but　of　peace。　〃Tell　your　government；〃　he　said；　〃that　the　closer



the　lines　are　drawn　which　bind　Russia　and　France；　the　more



strongly　will　Russian　influence　be　used　to　hold　back　the　French



from　war。〃







At　another　time　he　discoursed　on　the　folly　of　war；　and　especially



regarding　the　recent　conflict　between　Russia　and　Turkey。　He　spoke



of　its　wretched　results；　of　the　ingratitude　which　Russia　had



experienced　from　the　peoples　she　had　saved　from　the　Turks；　and



finally；　with　extreme　bitterness；　of　the　vast　sums　of　money



wasted　in　it　which　could　have　been　used　in　raising　the　condition



of　the　Russian　peasantry。　He　spoke　with　the　conviction　of　a　dying



man；　and　I　felt　that　he　was　sincere。　At　the　same　time　I　felt　it　a



pity　that　under　the　Russian　system　there　is　no　chance　for　such　a



man　really　to　enforce　his　ideas。　For　one　day　he　may　be　in　the



ascendancy　with　the　autocrat；　and　the　next；　through　the　influence



of　grand　dukes；　women；　priests；　or　courtiers；　the　very　opposite



ideas　may　become　dominant。







The　men　with　whom　I　had　more　directly　to　do　at　the　Foreign　Office



were　the　acting　minister；　Shishkin；　who　had　formerly　been　at



Washington；　and　the　head　of　the　Asiatic　department；　Count



Kapnist。　They　were　agreeable　in　manner；　but　it　soon　became　clear



that；　regarding　the　question　of　the　Behring　seal…fisheries；　they



were　pursuing　a　policy　of　their　own；　totally　distinct　from　the



interests　of　the　empire。　Peter　the　Great　would　have　beheaded　both



of　them。







The　strongest　man　among　the　Czar's　immediate　advisers　was



understood　to　be　the　finance　minister；　De　Witte。　There　always



seemed　in　him　a　certain　sullen　force。　The　story　usually　told　of



his　rise　in　the　world　is　curious。　It　is；　in　effect；　that　when　the



Emperor　Alexander　II　and　his　family　were　wrecked　in　their　special



train　at　Borki；　many　of　their　attendants　were　killed；　and　the



world　generally；　including　the　immediate　survivors　of　the



catastrophe；　believed　for　some　time　that　it　was　the　result　of　a



nihilist　plot。　There　was；　therefore；　a　general　sweeping　into



prison　of　subordinat'e　railway　officials；　and　among　these　was　De



Witte；　then　in　charge　of　a　railway　station。　During　the



examinations　which　ensued　he　showed　himself　so　clear…headed　and



straightforward　that　he　attracted　attention　was　promoted；　put



into　the　finance　ministry；　and　finally　advanced　to　the　first



place　in　it。　His　dealings　with　Russian　finances　have　since　shown



great　capacity：　he　has　brought　the　empire　out　of　the　slough　of



depreciated　currency　and　placed　it　firmly　on　a　gold　basis。　I　came



especially　to　know　him　when　he　offered；　through　me；　to　the　United



States　a　loan　of　gold　to　enable　us　to　tide　over　our　difficulties



with　the　currency　question。　He　informed　me　that　Russia　had　in　her



treasury　many　millions　of　rubles　in　American　gold　eagles；　and



that　the　Russian　gold　reserve　then　in　the　treasury　was　about　six



hundred　millions　of　rubles。







The　only　result　was　that　I　was　instructed　to　convey　the　thanks　of



the　President　to　him；　there　being　no　law　enabling　us　to　take



advantage　of　his　offer。　What　he　wished　to　do　was　to　make　a　call



loan；　whereas　our　Washington　Government　could　obtain　gold　only　by



issuing　bonds。







I　also　met　him　in　a　very　interesting　way　when　I　presented　to　him



Rabbi　Krauskopf　of　Philadelphia；　who　discussed　the　question　of



allowing　sundry　Israelites　who　were　crowded　into　the　western



districts　of　the　empire　to　be　transferred　to　some　of　the　less



congested　districts；　on　condition　that　funds　for　that　purpose　be



furnished　from　their　coreligionists　in　America。　De　Witte's



discussion　of　the　whole　subject　was　liberal　and　statesmanlike。



Unfortunately；　there　was；　as　I　believe；　a　fundamental　error　in



his　general　theory；　which　is　the　old　Russian　idea　at　the　bottom



of　the　autocracynamely；　that　the　State　should　own　everything。



More　and　more　he　went　on　extending　government　ownership　to　the



railways；　until　the　whole　direction　and　management　of　them



virtually　centered　in　his　office。







On　this　point　he　differed　widely　from　his　predecessor　in　the



finance　ministry；　Wischniegradsky。　I　had　met　the　latter　years



before；　at　the　Paris　Exposition；　when　he　was　at　the　head　of　the



great　technical　school　in　Moscow；　and　found　him　instructive　and



interesting。　Now　I　met　him　after　his　retirement　from　the　finance



ministry。　Calling　on　him　one　day；　I　said：　〃You　will　probably



build　your　trans…Siberian　railway　at　a　much　less　cost　than　we



were　able　to　build　our　first　trans…continental　railway；　you　will



do　it　directly；　by　government　funds；　and　so　will　probably　not



have　to　make　so　many　rich　men　as　we　did。〃　His　answer　impressed　me



strongly。　He　said：　〃As　to　a　government　building　a　railway　more



cheaply　than　private　individuals；　I　decidedly　doubt；　but　I　would



favor　private　individuals　building　it；　even　if　the　cost　were



greater。　I　like　to　see　rich　men　made；　they　are　what　Russia　most



needs　at　this　moment。　What　c