Show war parly is angered but czar disregards she protests strange career and rise of the plenipotentiary st petersburg july 13 12 55 p m emperor nicholas has signed the appointment of M president of the of ministers to be chief plenipotentiary representing the russian government in the peace negotiations to be conducted next month in the united states the appoint ment which was signed after midnight clothes M watte with plenary powers official notification of the designation of M watte to head the mission was forwarded to washington this morning M watte will take passage on the north german lloyd steamer kaiser welhelm der grosse which sails from cherbourg Cher bourg july 26 sergius witte the russian plenipotentiary tent iary may be regarded as the leading liberal statesman of russia for the last thirteen years he has been one of the strongest in the russian bureaucracy although his political fortunes suffered a setback when he was compelled to resign the portfolio of minister of fin ance in august 1903 and again when after being appointed president of the council of ministers in the same month his office gradually lost its importance until rumors of his anten tion to resign and go abroad had been persistently circulated M witte is about 56 years of age and has steadily worked his way up from the position of an underpaid under paid railroad clerk who occasionally acted as porter to that of the leading statesman of russia in spite of the tact that bis enemies are numerous and include some of the most powerful men in russia A man of large stature big limbed and muscular standing over six feet high witte has the reputation of being hard to his subordinates ant his honesty and ability have never absan doubted even by his worst enemies he was created a countin count in 1901 M witte Is thoroughly familiar with the far eastern question in all its bearings he understands the japanese position and fully realized before the war that an aggressive policy being pursued under the lead of viceroy alexieff Alex leff and M besobrazoff president of the balu yalu timber company and the coterie of adventurers connected with them would drive japan to take up the sword A one time watte talked over the situation with the marquis ito president of the japanese privy council and one of the leading statts men of japan practically it was wittes disapproval of dussias Rus sias far eastern policy and the creation of a vice royalty in the far east which caused his downfall as minister of finance NEWS OF WITTES appointment oyster bay L I 1 july 13 president roosevelt received from the associated press the first definite news of the declination of M juravleff leff to act as the principal plenipotentiary of russia in the conference and of the designation by the russian emperor of M watte as the leading russian envoy official notification of M appointment has not reached the president from st petersburg although it may come at any time unofficially the designation of M watte Is regarded as most propitious it Is believed that his appointment is an assurance that peace in the far east is now in sight beekman wynthrop governor of porto rico and edward C kent chief justice of the supreme court of arizona were guests of the president today at sagamore hill they arrived from new york in time for luncheon and spent a part of the afternoon with the denti WHY DECLINED paris july 13 the st petersburg correspondent of the echo re paris states that the declination of M mu to head the russian peace ms slon was cased partly on the state of his health and partly on the fact that his allowance for expenses to coyer the period of his sojourn in america was only coubles roubles rou bles which amount he considered insufficient owing to the great cost of living in the united states M witte twice refused to become the successor of M Mura viett on the mission on the aroun that he did not wish to be a mere figurehead in the transmission to emperor nicholas of the peace terms offered hy japan his selection therefore cannot but be taken to mean that the emperor has yielded to hla insistence that real powers plenipotentiary be conferred upon dussias Rus sias principal plenipotentiary in tho mission destruction IN WARFARE As seen in the bombardment of kar sak tokio july 13 P TO an eyewitness of the japanese bombardment of Karsak wires that the russian forts were silenced on july 7 after the exchange of a few shots the piers warships and other buildings were set on fire the conflagration was reflected by the foggy atmosphere converting the ky into one mass of blood red color the japanese army landed amidst the fire which was fast spreading to the forts the infantry quickly captured the forts from the tops of which the bewildered inhabitants were seen fleeing in every direction carrying what property they could remove the fires were not subdued for over forty eight hours the sunken russian cruiser velch was destroyed by the japanese at laatt august and tho ruined town and forts are sad witnesses of the rapidity with which destruction st is wrought in modern warfare |