Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-24
ten minutes in his company without recos-
n:zing his great ability and force of CHAR

ten minutes in his company without recos
n.zing his great ability and force OF chai
acter.
De White first attracted public attention
while manager of the government railroad
by. disobeying orders 1t was IN great
emergency; he was compelieo 70 az
promptly; he had no time to explain anu,
being convinced that mistake hau peeh
made by his superiors, he had the nerve 10
assume the responsibility of violating POSI-
tive orders from headquarters, which is
the most dangerous thing an 0IncIai ~ i
Russia can do. 1t turned out all right IN
this case, and De White received the per-
sonal thanks of the czar-but II the results
had been otherwise he would undouDtediy
have forfeited his life That Illustrates the
character and courage of De White, and II
he is placed in control Of affairs at this
great crisis that characteristic will no
doubt be displayed in conspicuous man.
ner.
No Adler Statesman in Russia.
There is no ADLER statesman in Russia to-
day; there is no question as to his honesty
or his ability, and he has practical rather
than a theoretical method of thinking and
acting. He realizes that the people OF
Russia are not fit for self-government. and
will not consent to any experiments. He is
a stern, Incorporating defender OF the
autocracy but at the same time is Wiiiins
to concede to property owners ana taxpay
ers q voice in local and provincial aHaus ..
For that reason he was selected by the
car to confer with the committee OF the
zen stovs or provincial assempieS COIL
posed of representatives elected by the
house holders and landed proprietors
throughout the empire. The zemstov Is IN
force in thirty-four provinces. in lJI' the
number of electors was 4o,lI2 boyars; oI
land owners, -196,773 peasant lessees lana
owners. and 1901 taxpayers IN the ci'es,
which is a very small proportion of the
DC population of 141.030OOO souls composing
the Russian empire.
De White has no religious prejudlces he
is equally friendly to the Mohammedan. the
lew the Protestant, the Roman Cathollc
or the orthodox Greek. and has peen
stubborn opponent of religious prosecutions
and Determinations. His attitude on tnat
question particularly his friendly dispose
ton toward the Jews, was one or the
causes of the active hostility OF Pooeoon-
ostzeff, the procurator of the Holy SYNOD
and other members of the hlerarchy. he re
CARDS the Jews one of the most Valua-
BILE elements of the population, because OF
their frugality. industry and talents Tor
business; he believed that they should De
cultivated and encouraged instead OF pc
ing condemned, because they are capable
OF contributing more than any other class
to the wealth of the empire. He was OPP
posed to the war with Japan, because ne
believed that It would Interfere Wth tne
AGRICULTURAL and commercial development
of Asatic Russia and the territory lrlpu-
tary to the Siberian railroad. of which he
was the most prominent promoter
devoted his great ability and intense ener-
gy to securing the commercial supremacy
of Russia in China, Mongolia, Iurkestah.
Persia Afghanistan and other countries OF
Asia. Had he been left In power he Woulu
have avoided war with Japan and MADE
commercial instead. of territorial conquests.
But when he was driven from the ministry
because of his stern aud uncompromlslng
hostility to the speculatlons. corruption ana
grating of the grand, ducal ring that sur
rounds the emperor, the government dr11teo
ra pidly into political complications and war;
The grand dukes of the imperial family ana
bling the treasury in. every undertaking,
found De White the chief obstacle 10 the
success of their schemes, and Tor that rea-
son they poisoned the mind of the ear
against him and secured MS IeinoFai eiSh-
teen months ago.
His Probable Policy. 49, .,.s-
While we do not know how far De Witte
sympatnizes with the proposed reforms, De-
cause he has not expressed himself ON that
subject, his previous record justices the
opinion that he would not favor a consti-
tutional government. Judging from his pol
icy and uttsrances while minister OF nnahce
it might be expected that he. would attempt
to console the Zemstovs' by giving them an
intelligent, honest and economical govern
mcnt and by encouraging The development
of the resources of the empire. The news
papers have several times announced that
he bad been selected to succeed Svianto-'
polk-Mirsky as minister of the interior, be-
cause the latter is too liberal in his views
and too much in sympathy with the re-
formers to suit the grand dukes and the
rest of the imperial family; but the APP
pointment has not actually taken place.
De White is what is called a state social
list like Bismarck. He believes in state
ownership of all public utilities, including
banks and manufacturing industries, as
we'll as railways and navigation lines. He
established government, banks in Persia,
Peking, Shanghai. Harkow. Seoul and al
he large cities of interior Asia. He wanted
to buy up all the iron mills in Russia for
the government, which already owns most
Of the iron mines. 1t was his idea to have
the government control the manufacture
and sale Of liquo- and tobacco, both of
which have proven profitable enterprises,
and during his administration many large
interests including the telegraph and tele,
phone systems, were converted into state
monoDolies.
Perhaps the most far-Eeaehing scheme
that De Witte ever proposed was that of
establishing fixed price for wheat by in
ternational treaty. At his suggestion the
Russian government invited the Tn ted
States, the Argentine Republic, India, Can
ada, Hungary, Egypt and other wheat
growing countries to join in an agreement
to maintain prices and thus protect the
farmers from the fluctuations caused by
speculation and by the irregularity of sup
.,,1