The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-02-17
PREMIER WITTE STILL
 FIGHTS FOR HIS CAUSE
STRUGGLE IN THERUSSIAN GoV- ERNMENT MUST SOON COME
 TO CLOSE.

Resignation of Minister of Interior
 DunOv0, Who is Leading the Move
 ment for Repression, or of Witte and
 Several of His Cabinet at Hand
 Extraordinary Powers Confided to
 Governor Generals--The Great Ques-
 ton at Issue.
 St. Petersburg, Feb. 16.-Information has reached the Associated Press that the desperate struggle which has been raging in the government between the reactionary and the progressive forces is approaching a culmination and must end within few days in the resigna- ton either of Minister of the Interior Durnovo, who is leading the movement for thorough-going repression, or of Premier Witte and several other mem- bers of the cabinet.
 The question at issue is the with drawal of the extraordinary powers -confided in governor generals through out the empire, which in many cases, 1t is alleged, have been exercised for the repression not only of political dlsor- ders, but also of the political activity of the liberal parties. The discussion has reached such an acute and passionate stage in the cabinet that no other issue than the fall of one faction or the other Is possible
 The chances of victory incline to the side of Count Witte, who insists that the governor generals must be deprived of their extreme powers within fort night in order to remove the restric- tions upon free electoral campaign.
 Minister of Agriculture Kuttler, the Associated Press has been informed on excellent authority, has resigned. The announcement of the acceptance of his resignation, which was due to intiuen- tial opposition to his project for expro- priaiton of private lands, andtheir divi- sion among the peasants, may be ex- pected shortly. It is stated that M. Kutler, who, like his predecessor, M. Yermoloff, is possessed of exceedingly strong progressive tendencies, will leave the state service entirely, not eve nreceiving the usual promotion to the coucil of the empire, the body which is reserved for discarded min isters.
 Rumor is busy with other changes to follow the first break in the cabinet of Count Witte. The most persistent story is directed at the premier himself, who, according to general report, is credited with having bluntly informed Emperor Nicholas that he must chose between him and Minister of the Interior Dur novo, who through his control of the public machinery of the empire, has been pushing repression to the extreme and throwing all clements of society into opposition to the government. The 1 Associated Press was authorized to- | day at Count Wltte's thancellery to positively deny the report that Count | Wittee had alreay resigned; but the words of an official high In the pre- mier's confidence, that he could vouch | for the fact that lat the present mo- ment the report is untrue" indicate | that there may be something in the wind
 The project of Minister Kutler, who, next to Minister of Commers M. Timir- iazeff, Is the most liberal member of the cabinet, struck to the heart of the agrarlan problem, which the zemstvo- ists, who are liberals but landowners, | found too tieklish to handle at the last | congress. It provided for the eXpropri- alton of private estates in excess of a maximum acreage at price dependent on actual market values. and their dis l trfbution on easy terms of payment to l the peasants whose land hunger is too l intense to be satisfied with the promis- | ed partition of crown and church lands M Kutler held that this was the only means of preventing augmentation of the agrarian troubles whose rising bll- 1 lows are the chief source of peril to the government; but his proposal not only awakened the intense opposition of the rich and powerful camilla at court, but also was too dractis to suit the mar shals of nobility, who sent deputation from the convention at Moscow to de- mand explicitly of Premier Witte whether he intended to accept the Kut- Ter scheme. The premier responded that the project was only tentative suggestion of an individual member of the cabinet, and that the agrarian problem was too important to be set | tied without reference to the national assembly. However, the mere father ing of the proposition seems to have been fatal to Minister Kutler.
 Should M. Kutler not be nominated to the council of the empire it win be the first instance of the kind since the re- itrement of M. Krivoshein from the ministryof railroads, who, a decade ago, was dismussed in disgrace for steal ing.