The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-12-01
A Tribute to NJ. White !
e.4s~r~>e~-
a Plain Man, Risen from the
C%onnncn People, He Has Proved
Himself to Be invaluable to Rus
sia-sais Bluntness of Speech Mas
Made Him Unpopular at Court.
y Isabel f. Hapgood in The Craftsman.

by Isabel T.. Hapgood in The Craftsman.
The man White has a rough side to
MS tongue" as the Russians say OF
MN, and on occasion speaks the truth
and his opinions %unadorned. This is
why-in addition to jealousy of his rise
and power and popularity-he is dis
liked in court circles; for he uses the
same %plainness OF speech to the en-
peror, the grand dukes or to whomso-
ever may befall. Nevertheless, "a rare
man." as n of the resident Russians
here, himself a man of judgment and
previously pfejudiced against White,
said to me after frequent opportunities
OF talking with him INC comprehend
ing; "a rare man; it would be we'll for
Russia If she had many more such!"
In short, he is a strong man; an honest
man; a man whom Russia can trust In
the future, in that new constitutional
life which is opening u to her, and
Where he GEMS indicated by destiny to
lead, even as he has proved his honesty
and trustworthiness In the past, in re-
forms and measures raore f~ar-reaching
IN every class of Industry, government
and society thar any which have taken
place during the Lass two centuries
since the great REIMBURSEMENT under
that other giant, Peter the Great. Bot
ne mas been handicapped as Peter the
Great was not. He is blamed for every
unfavorable phenomenon, agricultural,
social or Industrial; for every catas-
trophe in over-capitaliZed or Imam
aged enterprises; for the creation of q
dangerous industrial proletariat; and
so on, ad infinitum. AS for the indus
trial proletariat, there are two sides to
that question. Manufacturers in Rus
STA have always complained that their
hands, who came to them to exc out
fnSjfilnJa11ts iyonnyo1n Nv, ;y,fnp ,.rf-,r,NA
to their fields in summer and had no
opportunity to become skilled. The Gre
alton of a regular class of factory
hands, rendering skilled and regular
labor possible. is obviously one of the
conditions to industrial development.
But MIR. White is not responsible for
the scarcity of land which drives these
people into the ranks of Industrial la
borers, for which, on Tie other hand,
he is blamed. The truth In general Is,
that if he ministers of the various de-
~partlnents had only co-operated with
him properly, his most judicious re-
forms would not have been nullified as
has too often happened. For this, both
envy and intrigue and the system are
to blame.
The cables Informed us, a couple of
days ago., that the emperor has ordered
plans to be elaborated for a ministerial
cabinet, Which shall prepare the prof.
Gets of new measures to be presented
to the coming national council (Gosu-
darstvennaya Doulna). The present
system is very defective. Peter the
Great had a series of Colleges" de-
rived from a German institution, and
revised by Swedish laws. Over the
collaborating boards Of these depart
mental colleges" Czar Peter himself
presided, and they worked in unison.
This system was abrogated under
Alexander L.. and since that time each
minister has been entirely independent;
With the result that where the work of
the departments overlaps, as it newt
ably must, each minister may be advo-
eating a totally different policy, which
conflicts with all the others. AS an in
stance-this was the reason why our
government at Washington could not
understand one set of statements com-
ing from Count Cassini, quite another
proceeding from M. Plancon, agent Of
Niceroy Alexieff, Who, by the way,
acted as of Mr.. Whites secretaries
at Portsmouth. The result is best de-
scribed by a alnous Russian fable, en-
titled 1.-THE Swan, the Pike and the
Crab" The fabulist, Kryloff, narrates
how these three, once on a time, did
undertake to haul a cart, II all
three hitched themselves thereto; they
strained every nerve, but still the cart
budged not. And yet the load seemed
very light for them. But towards the
- Yin ~ w tiA LIZ SOSi4 pSiSnGl1 GE9H LIN
crab did march, While the pike made
for the stream. Which of them was
wrong, which right. it's not our place
to judge-only. the cart doth stand
there still.''
Mr.. White, it must be Admitted. is an
ambitious man. But he is ambitious
in q noble, a perfectly legitimate way.
He has no children; he is not eager to
found a family" with the striving not
always quite pardonabke which that too.
often implies. He is honest, and de-
voted to the welfare of his country.
lies his ambition. One thing, which
undoubtedly has appealed to Amer
leans, is his career. 1t is 80 Amer
ican.' If the samurat whose sole bust
ness was fighting were the typical
Japanese Of old, and the brilliant
still. n have won for Japan a recog-
milton which its genius in the peaceful
arts might lave never extorted; if the
successful East India merchant We're
the American prototype of a past gem
Grafton, assuredly, a practical rail-
road a Interested in politics." is the
most American u%p-to-date ~type-unless
we except the inventors. 1t has been
the fashion, also. to describe him as
"a parvenu,' or as having risen from
Immense depths OF obscurity and
poverty to his present immense
hel6Al, az llOIie anu ABROAD. mo
doubt, this has contributed to his
popularity among "self-made" Amer
leans. ga practical railroad man, in
terested in politics." in the best sense,
Who had risen from the ranks ard
won promotion in every line by sheer
merit, is precisely what Mr.. White is.
But he Is not a parvenu, nor were his
parents paupers. His father was a
w~ell-ytaced official. in the department
IF TIE imperial appanages, i. e., the de-
partnent which administers the pri-
vate estates of the imperial family. He
was stationed in the Caucasus. and
here. at Tifis, sergyei Iulitch was
sorn, ffty-six years ago. AS a very
Foung man., his ambition was to become
professor Of mathematics, and working
% that end, he won the great gold
medal when lie graduated. at the age OF
%, from this University of Odessa. 1t
vas the objections of his relatives to
lis professional career which induced
lin to abandon his ambition for q
more active, official life; and to those
elativeB Russia should feel profoundly
hateful. His mathematical talents