The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-17
From the Chicago News.

C ERGIEJ JUL1EWITSH WITTE, NN named as member of the Russo l " Japanese peace committee, has
 risen by sheer force of merit to the high
 est position which subject can attain
 in Russia He started his career without
 any of the advantages of high birth and 1 influential connections, which count Tor
 more. probably, in the Czar's service than
 in any other public service in the world. l M. Witte is not even a Russian. He was born at Tihls, in Transcaucasia, in
 1S49 and is therefore, an Asiatic by birth. | His origin Is German The latter fact ] has proved heavy handicap to him all 1 through his career. Ills numerous enc mics have a strong appeal to Russian pre- | judice always ready to their hands ''Why should this German rule over us?"
 But Sergiej Witte soon "broke his l births invidious bar" He was educated at Odessa, and astonished his teachers | by his genius for mathematics and phys | les. Leaving college he entered the serv- | Ice of private railroad company. He 1 could not go into the army or the navy
 or the civil service, because he was not
 nobly born or connected with any public | officials.
 He showed great talent for the organ 1 ization and administration of railroad af-
 fairs, but only his fellow-workers knew of his ability. It is supremely difficult 1 for any man to make reputation in Rus sia unless he Is either a public official l or Nihilist But when he was 27 Witte's l chance came.
 l The Russo Turkish war broke out, and
 the Russian railroads proved hopelessiy l inadequate to the task of transporting 1 the Czar's troops to the front. Road
 after road was choked up by commits I sariat supplies. while the regiments for which those supplies were destined were I waiting thousands of miles away for
 transportation. and generals were losing I battles because those regiments did not arrive to reinforce their armies.
 l In the midst of this muddle one man
 kept his head. Sergiej Witte was still a subordinate, but he was the only railroad I official who understood the situation and 1 possessed initiative
 .'He had things done before his su- | perors started to think of them,' said I a man who knew him at that time. "The audacity of his orders took everybody s I breath away. He side-tracked dozens Of I trains which had been ordered through
 at top speed by great personages, and he rushed soldiers through instead. He countermanded many of the orders given
 by his official superiors, but they dared
 not rebuke him. for he straightened things l <.f !, q f1d
 personally thanked him.
 After the war M. Witte was called to St. Petersburg and given a high position
 in the railway department of the civii service It had been shut against him | when he started on his career, but now l it was only too glad to have him. In few years he became director of the Rus
 sian southwestern railways; two years | later head of the railways department, and then, by rapid promotion, minister | of means of communication, chairman Of the tariff commission minister of finance, and finally, a few weeks ago, imperial chancellor-the crown of his great ca-
 reer.
 .Why has he risen?, said a Russian officer in New York, who is well ac-
 ouainted with him. Simply because he has never been afraid to do big things on his own responsibility. Nothing is
 valued in the Russian service more than | initiative, just because it Is so scarce there.
 I'M. Witte had a great advantage over his rivals in being a practical man. He knows all about railways, from the oil- ing of truck or the driving of loco-
 motive to the planning OF a new trans continental road
 "Other Russian officials, especially in the railroad and industrial departments. may be immensely clever men. put they are merely theorists. They would regard 1t as beneath their dignity to consort with mechanics and engineers in order | to learn the practical details of the rail-
 way business.
 | .I remember once several years ago when I was in St. Petersburg the Czar
 wanted to consult with M. Witte in hurry He was not to be found in his office or at his house. but after long search an aide-de-camp discovered him
 seated on the step of the cab of loco- motive several miles up the line chat
 taing affably with the driver and sharing his dinner of black bread, cheese and
 vodka. He had gone out there to inquire personally into the details of a railroad
 accident
 M. Wittes work of developing Russia s
 material resources and latent strength hes been phenomenal.
 | =
 In his report on the budget estimates in 1900 he was able to tell the Czar that the value of Russia's industries had in- lcreased within twenty years from 54l. 600 Irubles to 1.s1s.o0o.0o0 rubles. In 1888, when he took charge of the railway depart ment in the ministry of nnance. he in itiated the policy of acquiring railroads for the state. Within ten years he had