part05+-第14章

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apartment　for　its　representative；simple；　decent；　dignified；　and



known　to　the　entire　city；the　American　representative　had　lived



wherever　circumstances　compelled　him：sometimes　on　the



ground…floor　and　sometimes　in　a　sky…parlor；　with　the　natural



result　that　Russians　could　hardly　regard　the　American　Legation　as



on　the　same　footing　with　that　of　other　countries。







As　I　write；　word　comes　that　the　present　ambassador　has　been



unable　to　find　suitable　quarters　save　at　a　rent　higher　than　his



entire　salary；　that　the　proprietors　have　combined；　and　agreed　to



stand　by　each　other　in　holding　their　apartments　at　an　enormous



figure；　their　understanding　being　that　Americans　are　rich　and　can



be　made　to　pay　any　price　demanded。　Nothing　can　be　more



short…sighted　than　the　policy　of　our　government　in　this　respect；



and　I　shall　touch　upon　it　again。







The　diplomatic　questions　between　the　United　States　and　Russia



were　many　and　troublesome；　for；　in　addition　to　that　regarding　the



Behring　Sea　fisheries；　there　were　required　additional



interpretations　of　the　Buchanan　treaty　as　to　the　rights　of



Americans　to　hold　real　estate　and　to　do　business　in　Russia；



arrangements　for　the　participation　of　Russians　in　the　Chicago



Exposition；　the　protection　of　various　American　citizens　of



Russian　birth；　and　especially　of　Israelites　who　had　returned　to



Russia；　care　for　the　great　American　life…insurance　interests　in



the　empire；　the　adjustment　of　questions　arising　out　of　Russian



religious　relations　with　Alaska　and　the　islands　of　the　Northern



Pacific；　and　last；　but　not　least；　the　completion　of　the



extradition　treaty　between　the　two　nations　by　the　incorporation



of　safeguards　which　would　prevent　its　use　against　purely



political　offenders。







Especial　attention　to　Israelite　cases　was　also　required。　Some　of



these　excited　my　deep　sympathy；　and；　having　made　a　very　careful



study　of　the　subject；　I　wrote　to　Secretary　Gresham　a　despatch



upon　it　in　obedience　to　his　special　request。　It　was　the　longest



despatch　I　have　ever　written；　and；　in　my　apology　to　the　secretary



for　its　length　I　stated　that　it　was　prepared　with　no　expectation



that　he　would　find　time　to　read　it；　but　with　the　idea　that　it



might　be　of　use　at　the　State　Department　for　reference。　In　due



time　I　received　a　very　kind　answer　stating　that　he　had　read　every



word　of　it；　and　thanked　me　most　heartily　forit。　The　whole



subject　is　exceedingly　difficult；　but　it　is　clear　that　Russia　has



made；　and　is　making；　a　fearful　mistake　in　her　way　of　dealing　with



it。　There　are　more　Israelites　in　Russia　than　in　all　the　remainder



of　the　world；　and　they　are　crowded　together；　under　most



exasperating　regulations；　in　a　narrow　district　just　inside　her



western　frontier；　mainly　extending　through　what　was　formerly



Poland；　with　the　result　that　fanaticismChristian　on　one　side



and　Jewish　on　the　otherhas　developed　enormously。　The　Talmudic



rabbis　are　there　at　their　worst；　and　the　consequences　are　evil；



not　only　for　Russia；　but　for　our　own　country。　The　immigration



which　comes　to　us　from　these　regions　is　among　the　very　worst　that



we　receive　from　any　part　of　the　world。　It　is；　in　fact；　an



immigration　of　the　unfittest；　and；　although　noble　efforts　have



been　made　by　patriotic　Israelites　in　the　United　States　to　meet



the　difficulty；　the　results　have　been　far　from　satisfactory。







There　were；　of　course；　the　usual　adventurous　Americans　in



political　difficulties；　enterprising　Americans　in　business



difficulties；　and　pretended　Americans　attempting　to　secure



immunity　under　the　Stars　and　Stripes。　The　same　ingenious　efforts



to　prostitute　American　citizenship　which　I　had　seen　during　my



former　stay　in　Germany　were　just　as　constant　in　Russia。　It　was



the　same　old　story。　Emigrants　from　the　Russian　Empire；　most　of



them　extremely　undesirable；　had　gone　to　the　United　States；　stayed



just　long　enough　to　secure　naturalization；had；　indeed；　in　some



cases　secured　it　fraudulently　before　they　had　stayed　the　full



time；　and　then；　having　returned　to　Russia；　were　trying　to



exercise　the　rights　and　evade　the　duties　of　both　countries。







Many　of　these　cases　were　exceedingly　vexatious；　and　so；　indeed；



were　some　which　were　better　founded。　The　great　difficulty　of　a



representative　of　the　United　States　in　Russia　is；　first；　that　the



law　of　the　empire　is　so　complicated　that；to　use　the　words　of



King　James　regarding　Bacon's　〃Novum　Organum；〃〃Like　the　Peace　of



God；　it　passeth　all　understanding。〃　It　is　made　up　of　codes　in



part　obsolete　or　obsolescent；　ukases　and　counter…ukases；　imperial



directions　and　counter…directions；　ministerial　orders　and



counter…orders；　police　regulations　and　counter…regulations；　with



no　end　of　suspensions；　modifications；　and　exceptions。







The　second　difficulty　is　the　fact　that　the　Buchanan　treaty　of



1832；　which　guaranteed；　apparently；　everything　desirable　to



American　citizens　sojourning　in　the　empire；　has　been　gradually



construed　away　until　its　tattered　remnants　are　practically



worthless。　As　the　world　has　discovered；　Russia's　strong　point　is



not　adherence　to　her　treaty　promises。







In　this　respect　there　is　a　great　difference　between　Russia　and



Germany。　With　the　latter　we　have　made　careful　treaties；　the　laws



are　well　known；　and　the　American　representative　feels　solid



ground　beneath　his　feet；　but　in　Russia　there　is　practically



nothing　of　the　kind；　and　the　representative　must　rely　on　the　main



principles　of　international　law；　common　sense；　and　his　own　powers



of　persuasion。







A　peculiar　duty　during　my　last　stay　in　St。　Petersburg　was　to



watch　the　approach　of　cholera；　especially　on　the　Persian



frontier。　Admirable　precautions　had　been　taken　for　securing



telegraphic　information；　and　every　day　I　received　notices　from



the　Foreign　Office　as　a　result；　which　I　communicated　to



Washington。　For　ages　Russia　had　relied　on　fetishes　of　various



kinds　to　preserve　her　from　great　epidemics；　but　at　last　her



leading　officials　had　come　to　realize　the　necessity　of　applying



modern　science　to　the　problem；　and　they　did　this　well。　In　the



city　〃sanitary　columns〃　were　established；　made　up　of　small　squads



of　officials　representing　the　medical　and　engineering　professions



and　the　police；　these　visited　every　nook　and　corner　of　the　town；



and；　having　extraordinary　powers　for　the　emergency；　compelled



even　the　most　dirty　people　to　keep　their　premises　clean。



Excellent　hospitals　and　laboratories　were　established；　and　of



these　I　learned　much　from　a　former　Cornell　student　who　held　an



important　position　in　one　of　them。　Coming　to　town　three　or　four



times　a　week　from　my　summer　cottage　in　Finland；　I　was　struck　by



the　precautions　on　the　Finnish　and　other　railways：　notices　of



what　was　to　be　done　to　prevent　cholera　and　to　meet　it　were



posted；　in　six　different　languages；　disinfectants　were　made



easily　accessible；　the　seats　and　hangings　in　the　railway…cars



were　covered　with　leather　cloth　frequently　washed　with



disinfectants；　and　to　the　main　trains　a　hospital…car　was



attached；　while　a　temporary　hospital；　well　equipped；　was



established　at　each　main　station。　In　spite　of　this；　the　number　of



cholera　patients　at　St。　Petersburg　in　the　middle　of　July　rose　to



a　very　high　figure；　and　the　number　of　deaths　each　day　from



cholera　was　about　one　hundred。







Of　these　victims　the　most　eminent　was　Tschaikovsky；　the　composer；



a　man　of　genius　and　a　most　charming　character；　to　whom　Mr。　Andrew



Carnegie　had　introduced　me　at　New　York。　One　evening　at　a



dinner…party　he　poured　out　a　goblet　of　water　from　a