The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-10-27
CHIEF ADVISER OF THE CAR
MAN WHO MADE PEACE IS LEAD
ING EMPEROR ALONG LIB.
ERAL PATHS.
COUNTESS WHITE AT COURT
RECEPTION OF WHITES JEWISH
WIFE BY CAR SHOWS COUNT
DOMINATES.

st. Petersburg, Oct. 25.-It was per-
sistently reported in the clubs and in
government circles late last night that
the emperor yesterday had appointed
Count Witte premier. with the port
folio of minister of finance. All the
papers his morning give prominence
to the report.
An earlier dispatch from st. Peters
burg says:
Count Sergius Witte, it now seems,
has definitely come into imperial IA
vor, and the ~shrewdest observers con-
slider it certain that he will shortly be
in active direction of the government
as premier and head of a responsible
cabinet. Since his return from the
United States Count White has boldly
ranged himself on the side Of the
Liberals, and has o only advocated
complete
Liberty of Speech,
of the press and of assembly as a cor
Rotary of the coming douma, but has
urged the extension of the powers of
the douma along the lines demanded
by the refOrmers, as we'll as a broader
franchise, so as to admit of fuller rep
resentaton from the ranks Of labor
and the cultured classes. The emper-
or, to whom the count personally out
lined his views, displayed much SYM
pathy with them and leading members
! of the ministers supported Count
White, including Gen. Trepoff, assis-
tant minister of the interior. who now
ranks as one of the broadeSt minded
of his majesty's counsellors and is
derstood to be working tremendously
with Count White.
The question of appointing a cabinet
with a responsible premier, to which
a faction in the ministerial ranks has
been offering stubborn opposition in
special conference, Is liable to be de-
cided on Wednesday. The newly for
mulated statute governing
The Right Of Assembly
was generally recognized as not being
broad enough even before it's promul-
CATION, and the Solsky reform commits
sion is now at work on a more liberal
draft.
The reception of the Countess Witte
by the empress yesterday Is considered
a singular evidence of the emperor's
determination to confide his fortunes
to the hands of Count White. No other
Interpretation is placed upon it in court
circles, where the reception Of the
countess created great excitement.
The countess is a Jewess of ordinary
birth and had never before beer re-
ceived at court. When M. Witte was
appointed minister the emperor was re-
ported to have said to him:
Remember, you are not married"
The fixing of his wife's social status,
which has been one of Count Whites
ambitions, must rank as one Of the tri-
umphs of his life.
Grand Dukes Lose Grip.
The decrease in the influence of the
grand dukes perhaps made it easier
for the emperor to turn to Count
Witte. The resignation of Grand Duke
Vladimir. the emperor's uncle, as COM
mander-in-chief of the military district.
of ST. Petersburg, however, has not
yet been accepted. In rendering his
resignation the grand duke wrote to-
the emperor substantially as follows:
81 have served your grandfather,
your father and yourself; but now that
your majesty has disgraced my son, I
| no longer have the heart to serve you
The emperor is said to favor even
depriving Grand Duke Cyril of the
title of grand duke, saying that he
should be known simply as Monsieur
ROmanOff."
General Strike Threatens.
st. Petersburg, Oct. Is. - The rail-
road strike situation has now entered
On a highly serious phase. The move
ment is spreading rapidly to all the
railroads of the empire, and apparent
ly cannot be stopped, while in many
cities it is communicating itself to the
mill and factory employees.
The general strike in all branches of
labor which the Socialists planned for
the end of this year is seemingly burst
ing forth of it's volition.
Minister Of Finance KokOvsoff yes-
terday received a telegram from the
governing committee of the Moscow
bOurse which said that a continuation
OF the strike Tor a week longer q
force every factory in the Moscow re-
gion to shut down owing to lack Of
coal whether or not the factory hands,
took part in the strike.