Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-26
RUSS|A'S LAST NOTE
Sugar Question Is What Was
 Discussed Therein.

UlSCuSS6Q ln6P6lus
 Russians Who Have Read It Are As
 tonished-They Point to What M.
 Witte Said He Would Do in Case
 Germany Carried Out Tariff Policy
 Threats.
 St Petersburg, Aug 9-The last note of M. Witte, the Russian minister of finance, to the foreign press on the su- gar question has not been published in Russla Among those Russians who nave read 1t in Torelsn newspapers it appears to have caused unbounueu as- tonlshment. M. Witte's conviction
 that ill this question the powers will be guided by their interests and not by what is right" and his threat in case any increase of duties is enforced agalnst Russian sugar that the Rus slan government will consider itself free to disregard treaty stipulations when it thinks fit," along with the sys- tenn of guerrilla tariff warfare he laid down, are considered as out-Witteing even the Russian finance minister. The Russian critics of M. Witte point out that aS-the sugar convention will be- come effective after the expiration of most of the Russian commercial treat les, the finance ministry will be wise not 10 rake general measures against the powers collectively" but to adopt
 measures which will be the most ad- Vantageous for Russia in the special circulnstances of each case They also point out that about q year ago NJ W1tte was Illuminating threats of what he would do in case Germany. carried out her tariff policy, threats of winch nothing more has been heard.@
 Always a subject of lively interest. M. W1tte and his financial system and policy have lately more than ever en- gagged the serious attention of Russian economists and men of affairs gener- ally. They are filled with unconceal- ed misgivings when they consider the situation of jthe country after ten years of his administration and if is expressing matters mildly to say that the possibility of his plunging the country into series of commercial conflicts has caused downright alarm in wide circles of the Russian public. The anxiety from this source would be Intensified if it were not suspected that M. Witte is indulging in a Dit of bluff
 Since M. Witte procured the closing of the Imperial Free Economical soci- ety after over one hundred years of honored activity, his critics have been. largely s1lenced, except in private con Versation and in foreign publications. 5ItqfQIU hnYuoxrays courage. The last formal onslaught IS made in the Preussische Jarbucher py Paul Rohrbach, who uses Russian materials and cites Russian authors. MT Rohrbach summarizes his results as follows:
 '"The balance of trade is absolutely depeHdent upon the grain export. Such e1portatlon should not exist at all. It IS impossible permanently to maintain this system. which habitual1y forces a very large part of the population to 20 nungry Signs that the bounds of endurance have been over-passed be- gln 10 heap up, such as disease, abnor- mai mortality and peasant revolts.
 GIo which might be added the pub ilsiaed testimony before the agricul- tnral inquiry commission.
 M. Witte's scheme. of industrial development is unwise The human factors and other essential conditions are too unfavorable for an eynort trade while the high tariff and crush Ing taxes prevent the deyeIopment of the domestic market. A crisis already lasting several years is the result.
 5 The introduction of the gold standard was, in these circumstances a most daring experiment. The i'm mense loans Russia has made and is striving to make would have no had effects if there was a prospect of inc export trade being increased. There is no such prospect The grain exnort district is not large comprising main ly the black earth district. while. the north, west, northwest and Turkesta require more grain than they nro- duce. Precisely, however. in inc black earth district the soil has heen so exhausted by irrational tillage that without improved methods, which de- mand a more highly educated people. no increase of productivity is possi- Die. The falling off in yield per acre mas hitherto been in part compensated 9y the extension of the railroad sys- rem. There remains, however. no considerable tillable land to be brought within range of the export harbors. Aside from it's distance from the worlds markets, Siberia contains little tillable land and it has been largely settled already. Moreover, cotton growing Turkestan will require great deal of. Siberian grain'