THE STRONG MAN OF RUSSIA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8925, 11 September 1905, Page 6

THE STRONG MAN OF RUSSIA.

o That M. Witte is a sincere opponent of war has long been understood in Russia. . None, know this better than the enemies of ) England in the great military party. Xot only did this great statesman strenuously protest aaginst the policy which precipitated the conflict with Japan, but he had ' previously. Jivhen Minister of Finance, defeated the Russian War Office authorities when thty had drawn up a plan of cam- . paign. and had'actually made an experi- ~ mental mobilisation on the Afghan fron- _ tier We were then in the midst of tHe South African trouble, and the most influential members of the war party at St._ Petersburg pointed out the opportunity. M. Witte resolutely refused to grant the funds needed for a war with '"Kovarnaja Anglia." or "Perfidious Albion." and the. Czar backed him up. Furthermore, all Russia credits Witte with "an active share in the authorshi pof the Czar's famous Peace Rescript. Had his remonstrances been heeded "there would - have been no_ war. The keynote of his policy has al-_ ways 1-een that Russia could gain in ? finitely more by" diplomacy than by war and waste. The i-Jse of Witte is_a romance jdi life's; realism. Born fifty.-six-year&_ago at Tiflis, he i= no_w at his best perio<3. able to" serve his country with jullest ejaerg'y. and equipped with the rich accumulation of extraordinary experiences that have- characterised his unique career. But as he is not really a Russian, he has succeeded simply )Jy that almost matchless"-com-bination of determination, application and geniu£ which has amazed the world. His father was a Dutch emigrant. Sergei Witte gained his early education in" the -gym-, nasium at Tiflis. from'which he proceededto the University of Odessa. He only had one predilection asTaT student. TRough Zhe astonished his teachers by" his ability in mathematics and physics, he excelled in no other department. Leaving the University he atcepted the humble post -as clerk on a railway in the souths Not being "vuisoki Todni." or high born," he could not enter the army or navy as "an officer, and as his family were not 'tchinovniks." or officials, he had no opening in- the great Civil Service. Surely no youth was more heavilyhandicapped, yet" he remained in obscurity for an astonishingly brief period. . Patrician privileges young Witte had none. Yet this poor plebeian was destin-, ed to become the -"Atlas of Autocracy," as he has often been lty led. As a railway clerk he quicklj^-becai*© mai'ked as an~,ex; pert in all the details of'the department, | and when he- was promoted he did _wrSt more important work he had to do better than ir had ever been accomplished befoie. Soon -he became manager of the branch, but not long afterwards a more important company claimed his services, and he .was, made director and chiefs ad--ministrator of the Kieff railroad. Then he was formally nominated to the. Governnient Ly the directors as -managing directoi. But the great bureaucrats- did not knG\\- him. They -superciliously asked"Who is Witte ?'L-and rejected him with-" out waiting for an answer." Again the _ directois presented him, aiuFthe astonished Government ratified the choice, concluding that some prodigy unknown to them nfust have beeen discoveied.Seigei WitteV great chance came when, he wai only twenty -seven. The Russo-' Tuikisli war broke out, ..and the whole railway administration was -plunged into chaos. Roads were' checked "by "'commissariat supplies. _The -regiments for- which those supplies were- destined were waiting a thousand miles awaj- for transportation. Genera Is were being robbed- of. victory because those regiments did not- arrive to" temfciK-e their armies. In the midst of this appalling confusion one man kept his "head. Sergei Witte, was still_a subordin-_ ate. but he was the only railway official, who understood the situation" and possessed "initiative. One who watched his behaviour at that crisis said : "He had things done Ixsfore his superiors started to think of them. ~ The audacitjLof his orders took everybody's breath away. He sidetracked dozens of'trains which had been" ordered through at express speed by- great personages, and he -rushed soldiers through instead. He countermanded -many o.f the" ordeis given by his official "superiors, but they dared not rebuke him, for he straight"-' ened things out. "and the Czar heard "of j his work aiuLpersonally thanked him." 1 Then began- Witte's niagicaHy rapid;fun up thei_laddef. After the war he" was' called to St. Petersburg and appointed- to a high place in the Railway Department of the Civil Service. In a few years he became director of'the South -West-em Railways;- in 1838 head of _the~- •wholeRailway Department ,oi Russia ; then, by rapid promotion.. Minister of Means of Communication. Minister of Finance. "and 7 to crown llis career. Imperial Chancellor. To make him Finance" Minister, the Czar ~ looked over tlie heads of "bankers and ovtM -theoretical financiers to the- practical man of affairs who knew how to create sources. of revenue and to spend that revenue economically -after^it^had been collected. Witte rose thus rapidly Jx> Eminence simply because he was never afraid ~ * k - Jr "»s oniiis own responsibility. is valuecTmor* in jv^i? VV h l n initiative, just- becgusp i£ i* 50 scarce theirs. " 1 "J4* iall of Witte" Svas a'femiliac topic j two years ago7~ln th« ipring of 1903 tlw* a |»r«at statesman was under a cloi" 1 •■$o m \. -mall; l«rwa» "promoted" '^ of Member of tto-^mcii o fjhe Empire.- All Ity^pe was_mystified at this "kicking-up" into retirement from his stupendous authority of the greatest . financier in Europe. The world spent weeks in discussing i'what had really happened to Witte." , The incident was the -most sensational one since the dismissal- of Bismarck by" the young Kaiser. Was it possible^ that Witte. the economic bmin of Russia., who had' filled fhe~ whole- country with movement, this ■wonderful combination of Colbert- and Petemkin.-was to be a merely ornamental figure, a ttftresracratic arabesque, a shadow of hin.self, a faarful and wonderful mummy? The truth was that already

Witte comprehended that his enemies were leading the nation to the edge of a fearful precipice. He has from the hour when he retired from the Ministry of Finance been the consistent advocate of progress and freedom, the friend of the Zemstvos, and the opponent of the fatal Grand Ducal "ring." His "fall" denoted the temporary victory of the Muscovite tradition over th© spirit of moderate reform. How soon has he been avenged, and how powerfully have events vindicated his policy? Witte's ten years of financial administration were years of wonderful achievement. He it was who already had made the Siberian railway. Then he took in hand the Exchequer. The increase in revenue during his lease of i power was almost incredible. He initiated three methods — indirect taxation, the crea1 tion of State capital out of current revenues, and expropriation of monopolies. He increased the Imperial revenue 100 per cent. In 1895 he started the curious and gigantic system of State monopolies. Spirits, tea, sugar, chemicals, and drugs were the chief. And he began the acquisition of railroads, and soon made the Czar the owner of more miles of railway -than many Yankee millionaires. It was the work of a magician. This extraordinary man made his way because he had absolutely mastered his business. He differed from other clever men who were mere theorists and regarded it as beneath their dignity to consort with mechanics and engineers in order to learn practical details. The late Czar once wanted to consult M. Witte in a hurry. He wasjiot to be found in his office, but after a long search an aide-de-camp discovered -him seated on the step of the cab of a locomotive several miles up the line, chatting affably with the driver, and sharing his dinner of black bread, cheese and vodka He had gone out there to enquire personally about a railway accident. Witte is a striking personality. Tall, simply dressed, with large brown eyes and brown hair and beard, his is reserved and taci--turn, yet is exceedingly affable to all who have any business to do with him. — William Durban, Evening Standard.