The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-28
SKETCH OF Won PLEHwE.
His Predecessor In Office Also Was
ASSaSsinated.

st. Petersburg, July Ex-senator Won
Plenwe was appointed minister of the
int Nrior April IS, 1902. succeeding NJ.
Sipiaguine VINO was assasSinated April
16, 1902, bya student named Baimashoff
He had formerly been director of the
department of police, which position he
practically assumed of his own accord
when in charge of the department of
political prosecutions, owing to the in
competency of the official who was i'll
charge of the police when Emperor
Alexander II was killed, March Is, 1881.
NJ. Plenwe conducted the prosecution of
the regicides and afterwards reorgan-
lied the police. From that time on the
power of NJ. Plehwe increased until it
became only second in importance to
that of the emperor. Several plots to
assassinate the minister have, accord
ing to reports, been discovered during
the last two years, which period has
been marked by strong political rivalry
between the interior minister and the
former minister of finance, NJ. Witte,
now president of the committee of min
listers.
NJ. Won Plehwe was not a man of
learning, but from his youth he had
been brought up in official circles and
he slowly but surely pushed himself
ahead. Before the emperor called NJ.
Plehwe to take the portfolio of minister
of interior he had already spent about
forty years in official work and at the
time of his death he was about Sc years
old. The educated youths of Russia
are said to have been bitterly opposed
to NJ. Plenwe owing, it has been claim
ed, to his turning on his own people and
to the changes which he inaugurated
or advocated. He is said to have re-
garded the common people as either
dangerous criminals to be depressed or
as innocents to be ignored. Won
Plehwe was largely of Polish blood.
yet, it is alleged, no man in Russia has
so signalized himself for severity
against the Firms as NJ. Plehwe. He
f7eal 1lefra
the power behind the throne and was
dreaded on account of his control of the
third section of the police and also ow-
ing to the fact that he controlled the
press of Russia through the censors,
who it has been understood, did NJ.
Plehwe's bidding without question.
The deceased minister was laboriouS
in the extreme but was an Indifferent
fond of music and was accustomed to
read many French novels during his
leisure hours
In May. 1903, NJ. Won Plehve was
appointed president of the imperial
commission appointed to carry out the
emperor's reform decree.
What part, if any, NJ. Won Plehve
actually played in the Kishinen mas
sacres will probably never be known,
but his enemies have claimed that he
had full knowledge of the events lead
ing thereto through his political friend
and agent, Kroushevan, known as the
most extreme anIl-Semlte IN Russia
and proprietor of the Bessarabeltzs~a
newspaper in KiShineff.
1t should be added that allegations
made against NJ Won PIehve have
never been proved to be founded on
fact and in view of the emperor's in
quiry into the matter and the fact that
NJ. Won Plehve retained the emperor's
confidence it is only just to assume
that the charges were unfounded
The last great public work of NJ
Won PlehNe far known. was the
drafting of the peasant code early this
year. This is a scheme for peasant
reform, ordered by the emperor in his
recent manifesto.
On June IS, of this year it was an
from St. Petersburg that the
council of empire had approved M
Won Plehve's decree for the repeal of
the law under which Jews were for
hidden to reside within 80 miles of
the frontier. This measure has been
annroVed by the er1neror