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Show DEATH CALLS COUNT WITTE AT AGE OF 6 Russia's Greatest Statesman Falls Victim to Influenza After Week's Illness, Notable Career ACHIEVES FAME AT HOME AND ABROAD Becomes First Prime Minis ter When People Are Given Share in Government. Gov-ernment. LOVDON Marsh 18 9 36 a m. Count Sergins Juloticl. TVltte Busisia s first prims min ster died last n ght says a PetrogTad dispatch to Keuter s Telgiam company Count "Witts who was born June "9 1849 at TLflis was ons of the EuBsian plenipotentiaries at Portsmouth & H in the negotiations for peace -with Japan in 190o He was afterward mads a count and appointed pres dent of the new ministry but retired in 1906 and held no important post after that time Count 'Witte was taken sick a week ago His death was due to infia enza Count "Witte was regarded in some re-, re-, epects as one xf the most remarkable men his country had produced but his reputation was even greater abroad than at home Throughout his career dur mg which he accomplished much for Buss a hs had many and powerful en emies although his great ability and re- 1 markable capacity for work never were questioned. Begardless of his work as a statesman his chief fame in Bus s a rests upon h s development of min ing industries the expansion of rail roads and the placing of the monetary j system upon a gold basis " Descendant of Runks Although always a firm supporter of the monarchy he recognized the power of the people and had democratic ten J dencies On his father b side h s fam i lly was of common origin but his mother was a descendant of the Bunks i the old rulers of Bussia before the election of the Bomanoff dynasty r After his graduation from the Uni Tersity of Odessa "Witte entered the railroad Bervice in the shipping depart j ment He mastered the question of tariff rates and his advancement was rapid. In the meantime he had married a s ster of General Fadieff ne first attracted attent on at the capital dur ing the Busso-Turkish war by the ad mmistrative capac ty he d splayed in the movement of army s ppl es He went to Petrograd in 1879 and was given railroad service Alexander IH ap po nted him min ster of railways and common cat on m 1892 and soon after ward m nister of f nance It was then that he began to develop h s great scheme for the creat on of home man ufactures and the wide extension of Russ a s ra lroad system wh ch e en tually took the S ber an road to the Pacif c Used Every Power In his efforts along these lines Witte used every power of the state He gave subventions and government orders un til factories and nulls were running full blast Then he had the state take over the private ra lroads the state treasury guaranteeing the bond" To do all th 9 ne borrowed immense sums in France Under the plea of regulating the 1 quor traiho he had the state take over the vodka business of the empire thus vastly ncreas ng the government reve nue H s crowning achievement was regarded howe er, as the establ shment or the gold standard. As mm ster of finance in 1893 he reached the height of h s power His pol cy regarding Alanch r a which he desired to develop only from a commerc al and not from a polit caj viewpo nt resulted in powerful intr gues against him wh ch resulted in his removal re-moval in 1903 as m meter of finance He went for a time to Pans but re turned to Petrograd when the Busso-Japanese Busso-Japanese war was m -full swing He neither offered nor was asked for adv ce n regard to the conduct of the struggle but when Theodore Eoosevelt the presi dent of the Un ted btates preva led upon the emperor to cons der terms of f eace the tide turned and practically he ent re nation un ted in demanding the 6elect on of W tte as plenipoten tiarv Appointed a Count At the Portsmouth conference he sue ceeded in gaining terms under wh ch Eussia was not ool ged to pay a cash indemn ty to Japan This was consid ered a remarkable achievement and W tte again become a hero in h s own country The emperor rewarded him for h s services by appo nt ng him a count Witte throughout h s career was re garded as a supporter of the Jews On several occas ons he made public utter ance of his belief that the government should cease its persecnt on of the J ews and after ms second n arr age he exerted his influence to th s end The count s second wife whom he married shortly after he became min later of finance was a Jewess She was an exceedingly clever woman and stories have been told of her specula tion upon the bourse and the prof ts she made It wa3 one of W tte s amb tions after his second marriage to seenre social recognit on for his wife This was re fused h m even during the height of his power as minister of finance It was even said that the emperor once nformed him blunth that he must for get that he was man- ed V ctory how ever came at last when he was g ven the t tie of count and appointed pre-m pre-m er The empress rece ed ( o intess Witte at the palace at Peterhof im penal recognit on being the open sesame to all doors First Premier It was shortly after the onclus on of peace with Japan that the Russ an peo ?le began clamonng harder than ever or a share in the government "When the imperial man festo was issued which granted some of the demands Witte became be-came premier in Eussia e t rst real cabinet cab-inet on October 31 190o II s appointment ap-pointment as president of the council of m nisters was announced a week later The next day he pledged h tnself to support the plan for a con ocation of the national assembly Because of the oppos tion of the powerful interests op posed to democrati refo ms he ex per enced cons derable d f f culty n forming a car net The Liberals re fused to lift a finger to aid hi At the second session of h s cabinet on Vovember 11a project was cons dcred for j lacing the counc 1 of empire on an elect ve bas s This was a difficult per od in the in te nal h story of Russ a There werp sonous labor troubles n all parts of the emp re Serious threats on the Fart of the Poles to procla n a re olu on lei Count Witte to adv se the em Jieror to declare mart al law Po and Troops were employed to quell d sorders n the country Reports were cur ent that he had been condemned to d ath 1 the anarch sts Enemies Increase On November 16 the prcm er mado a personal apreal to workmen to return to the r dut es 1 ut h s efforts had no mm d ato effect and tho workmen s counc broke off negyt at ons with h m two dajs only On November IB how ever after an all n ght sesi on the eo n c 1 lecided to end the str ko The num or of enem es of the prem er stea 1 ly n reased and the demand for h s removal gained strength Lhssat s f ed th Is treatment at tho han In of th emperor a d feeling that t was bejood h s power to rostoro t Jnqu 11 t fount W tte tendered his reeignat on as pr n or on December lOOo b t t w 8 not ac epted and he was orde ed to rotain h s off ce until he was rel oved Off clal announcement that h s res gna t on had boon accepted was mado how over, on May 3 1906, and his rotire ment from rnblic life became complete In h s farewell rescript to Count Witte E nperor N cholas thanked him cor 11 1 ly for his Borvlces to tho emp re |
