Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1901 — Fulfilling Peter's Will. [ARTICLE]

Fulfilling Peter's Will.

For upward of 800 years Russia has has had a definite policy, conceived by Peter the Great, and outlined by him in the famous instrument left by him at his death, whch Imposed on all who should succeed him the unshirkablo duty of carrying out that policy to the letter. As it was a policy of steady advance toward the east, of constant aggression, and so understood by all the powers of the world, there has ever been danger that jealous powers would unite t* resist Russia’s advance eastward, and so defeat ultimately its avowed purposes of conquest in Asia. Several times already the jealous powers have united for this purpose and have succeeded in wresting from Russia the fruits of victory fairly achieved. But the government of St. Petersburg is never discouraged, its policy is never changed. Its dear eye is ever on Constantinople, on India and on a good part of China. It is an eye that seems never to be dosed for a minute in sleep, and hence no chance is ever missed to make an advance. Russia is always prepared to move on, but generally its moves are made without an alarming display of soldiers. With all the watching of the jealous powers, Russia gets to where it would be, and mostly unperceived till it appears that its footing is secure for all time. On the approaches to India Russia is several hundred miles nearer to the boundary line was five years ago. And invading China it is now in Manchuria, and notwithstanding all the remonstrances, the protestations and the threatenings by the other interested nations in Manchuria it will remain. Japan Is the only one of the interested powers that can with a good face protest. Russia’s military preparations are always going on, and most times ini such a degree of silence that almost nothing is heard of them till the moment of surprise comes. It is the same with respect to Russia’s financial preparations for any emergency. It is ever flush of funds when the day of trial arrives. All the last year reports came from every capital in Europe that Russia’s finances were dangerously low—Russia was borrowing wherever there was a large sum to ba had on its credit. The inference permitted to be drawn was that the state was on the point of bankruptcy. But now the world is told, and certainly knows, that so far from being in financial straits Russia is better off in this respect than any other of the great nations. It is the richest of nations in its own natural and available resources, and its public debt, enormous as that is, is by no means unmanageable. Henry Norman, publicist and member of the English parliament, has an article in the current number of Scribner's Magazine in which he sets forth clearly the financial resources of Russia and states that during last year $1,250,000,000 of the public debt was paid off and that in the last ten years $15,000,000,000 has been discharged. Large part of this money was borrowed, but at a low rate of Interest, so that in the refunding of the public debt a vast saving was made. Says Mr. Norman: “During the past fourteen years Russia has borrowed enormously, • • • b u t during the fourteen years it has converted and redeemed in cash previous loans amounting to over $220,000,000,000. Besides its profitable borrowings It has had $2,375,000,000 income from the forests, more than twice that amount from the rentals of lands, and immense amounts from the railroads and manufactures condueted by us for the government.” Mr. Norman is a true Englishman and looks on Russia as the traditional enemy of his country, but he is compelled to admit that Russia is always prepared either for peaceable conquests or for great wars.