Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-04

vi DDStuEG VI NAN- man HANNA
with Jewish strain. Of uncertain re-
Iigious denomination, his ethical worth
was gagged Alright years ago by his
colleagues in the miuistery OF justice
and recently again in the council OF
ministers. Aware OF their hostile Judg-
ment. his first acts were calculated TO
modify IT, He set out for the sacred
shrine near Moscow, the Troitsko-Ser-
ghieffsky monastery. where he devoutIy
received holy communion at the hands
Of an Orthodox priest. While he was
thus displaying his picty in view OF his
subordinates the peasants In kharkov
and PoltaVn were being cruelty logged
by his orders for showing signs of dis
affection Visiting those provinces in
person. NJ. de Plehve promptly reward
ed the governor or kharkov for fog
ginC the malcontents at once and pun
ished the governor or ioltnva for fog
cling them only as nm nfterthought.
That revolt Of the peasants. which
was repeated i'm Saratov and elsewhere,
marks an era in Russian history. for it
resulted in NJ. lie Whites commission
of inquiry into the condition Of the ag
ricultural classes in Russia and in that
minister's fall. The marshals of the no
bility were empowered TO summon
members of the zemstvo. landed pro-
prietors and anybody else who could
enlighten them in their investigations.
Peasants, too. We're asked to give their
views, and all were encouraged to
speak out freely. And this was the
question asked: If the peasantry are
materially impoverished and physically
degeuerating, if their live stock is dwin-
ding to nothing and if the food they
eat is less in quantity and worse in
quality than ever before, is nature to
blame or man, and, If man, what man?
The results of the inquiry were con-
vfncing, for without previous conSulta-
ton those spokesman of various social
classes throughout Russia. whose inter
ests conflict in many ways, were practi-
cally at one in their opinion. Partial to
euphemisms. they condemned the sys-
TEN of administration. DOtting their is
and crossing their is, NJ. de Plehve
called that system by the name of au-
tocracy, and no Russian can honestly
say that he was wrong.
The reform inaugurated by AleXan-
der II. when he struck off the letters
of serfdOm ought, so these commission
ers held, to be further developed. The
peasants should be freed from the
shackles of special penal legislation.
They should be taught to read, to keep
themselves clean in body and in soul,
TO cope with the horrible diseases
which in their ignorance they now
communicate to each other. to shake
off the network of superstition which
is eating away their spiritual nature as
the poison of infection is undermining
their physique and to fit themselves for
trade and industry.
That was the opinion of all Russia's
representatives -nobIemen, landed pro
prietors, doctors, lawyers, tradesmen
and peasants.
Yet the men who uttered it were pun
ished for their audacity. NJ. de White
had exhorted them to speak their
minds. the car punished them for
obeying his minister, and NJ. de Plehve
encouraged the car.
NJ de White is q statesman of high
powers and great limitations, a finan-
cier whose earlier policy did, 1 believe.
much harm, as his mature acts did
much good. to the nation. As minister
he came eventually to understand the
needs of his time and country and
sought with alternating success and
failure TO satisfy them. His work was
q mixture of promise, achievement and
failure If the one eyed man is neces-
sariIy the leader in the kingdom of the
blind, NJ de Witte deserved TO be the
head of the government in contempt
rary Russia. But the members of the
camarilla refused to have him. and with
the monarch's support they proved
more powerful than he. for they al
ready had brought things to such
pass that none can now serve Russia
as ministers but such as are Skillful in
fattering the car, and NJ de Witte
was not one of these. He not only
spoke freely to Nicholas IL, but refused
TO change his opinion in accordance
with the empcrors desires He also
declined to dupe for foreign powers
Your majesty pledged your word to
evacute MancLuria, and the world be
leyed you. Russia viii now lose all
credit and perhaps not even gain Man
churia if it please your majesty to
break that pledge. War also viii fol-
low, and we sorely need peace. Be
sides. Manchuria is useless to us There
fore l cannot be n party to this policy
Thus plainly spoke the finance minister.
needless of cOurtly phraseology. "Witte
is q naughty dictator who gives him
self the air of an emperor" So spoke
the courtiers among themselves and to
his majesty through the grand dukes
And the autOcrat. wrathful that a sub
ject should oppose his wishes and re-
fuse TO cooperate with him in pro-
Tossing to work for peace while pro-
vokinC war, dismissed him
NJ. de Plehve tassasSinated since this
article was writtenl is now the most
influential parsonage in the Russian
empire, a MuscOvite grand vizie-. who
yields absolute power over what we
may be pardoned for calling the great
est nation on the globe, and lie holds his
position at the pleasure of his imperial
Iy-T.n+rrn.- 10,