The San Francisco call., 1904-07-29
Won PLEHwE's CAREER
Slowly Made His Way to a Position
of Great Power.

Slowly Made His Way to a Position
of Great Power.
Won Plehwe was app inted Minister
Of the Interior on April IS. 1902, sue
ceeding Sipiaguine, who was assassin
! ated on April 16, 1902, by a student
| named Baimashoff He had formerly
| been director of the Department Of Po-
lice, which position he practically as
sumed Of his own accord when in
charge of the Department of Political
Prosecutions, owing to the incompe-
tence of the official in charge of the po-
lice when Emperor Alexander II was
killed, on March 1S. 1881. Won Plehwe
conducted the prosecution Of the regi-
cides and afterward reorganized the
police. From that time on the power
Of Won Plehwe increased until it be-
came second only to that of the En-
peror. Several plots to assassinate the
Minister were discovered during the
last two years, which period has been
marked by strong political rivalry be-
tween the Interior Minister and the
former Minister Of Finance, Wltte
now president of the Committee Of
Ministers.
Plehwe was not a scholar. but from
his youth he had been brought into
contact with official circles, and he
ahead. Before the Emperor called Won
Plehwe to take the portfolio of Minis
ter of the Interior he had already spent
about forty years in official work and
at the time of his death he was about
Go years of age. The educated youths
of Russia are said to have been bitterly
opposed to Won PlehWe, owing, ii has
been claimed, to his turning on his own
people and to the drastic changes
which he instituted or advocated He
is said to have regarded the common
people as either dangerous criminals to
be repressed, or as innocents, to be ig
nored.
Won Plehwe was largely Of Polish
blood. He was regarded as in many
ways being the power behind the
throne, and was dreaded on account Of
his control of the third (secret) section
Of police and also owing to the fact
that he controlled the press of Russia
through the censors, who. 1t has been
understood, did Won Plehwe's bidding
without question.
The deceased Minister was laborious
in the extreme, but had no trace of
brilliancy and was an. Indifferent con-
versationalist. He was, however, fond
OF music, and was accustomed to read
many French novels during his leisure
hours.
In May, 1903, Won Plehwe was ap-
pointed president OF lne Imperial COM
mission. appointed to carry out the
Emperor's reform decree.
What part, II any, Won Plehwe act
ually played in the Kishenev mas
sacres probably will never be known,
but his enemies have claimed that he
had full knowledge of the events lead
ing there o, trough his political friend
and agent, Kishouhevan, known as the
most extreme anti-Semite in Russia
and proprietor of the Bessarabetz, a
newspaper of Kishenev.
1t should be added that the allega-
tiOns made against Won Plehwe have
never been proved to be founded on
fact, and in view Of the Emperors in
quiry into the matter and the fact that
Won Plehwe retained the Emperor's
confidence, it is only just to assume
that the charges were unfounded.
The last great public work of Won
Plehwe, so far as known, was the
drafting of the Peasant Code, early
this year. This is scheme for peasant
reform, ordered by the Emperor in his
recent manifesto.
On June 13 of this year it was an
nounced from St. Petersburg that the
Council Of the Empire had approved
Won Plehwe's decree for the repeal of
the law under which Jews were forbid
den to reside within thirty-two miles
OF the frontier. This measure has been
approved by the Emperor.