The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-17
THE PREMIER
 OR DURNOVO One of Them Must Out
 Cabinet. WTTTE TIRES OF sQUABBLE Tells the Emperor That He Mus
 Make a Choice. AT. KufIer. the Minister of AxrscuIfure.
wIrTE TIRES OF sQUABBLE
M. KnfIer, the Minister of Agricuitares Resigns, as His Idess are Too Progressive to suit Those
 Now In Power.

St. Petersburg, Feb. i6.--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 continuation and must end within few days in the resigna- tfon either of Minister Of the Interior Durnovo, who Is leading the movement for thorough-soing repression. or of Premier Witte and several other mem- bers of the cabinet.
 The question as issue is the with drawal of the extraordinary powers oonffded in Governor-GeneraIs which. in many cases. 1t Is alleged, have been exercised for the repression not only of political disorders, but also of the political activity of the parties rho discussion has reached such an acs1ta 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 tho Governor-Generals must be deprived of their extreme powers within a fort night In order to remove the restruc- tions upon a free electoral campaign.
 Resignation of KutIer.
 Minister of Agriculture KutIer, the Associated Press has been informed on excellent authority, has resigned The announcement of the aceeptanoa of his resignation, which was due to the influential opposition to his project for appropriation of private lands and their division among the peasants. may be expected shortly. It Is said that M Kutler, who. like his predecessor, M Yermoleff, is possessed of exceedingly strong progressive tendencies. will leave the State service entirely. not even receiving the usual "promotions to the Council of the Empire, the body which is reserved for discarded miniss ters.
 Rumor is busy with other changes to follow the first break in the cabis net of Count Witte The most persis- tent story Is directed at the premier himself. who. according to general re- port. is credited with having hiunfly Informed Emperor Nicholas that ha must choose between him and Mlnls4 ter of the Interior Durnovo, who through his' control Of the police ma chinery of the Empire. has been push ing repression to the extreme and throwing all the clements of society into opposition to the government.
 The Associated Press was authorized today at Count Wittes chancelierle to deny positively the report that
 Count witte had already resigneds but the words of an official high in the premier's confidence that he could vouch for the fact that "at the prea- ent moment the report is untrue" are indicative that there may be some. thing in the wind.
 Scheme to Appropriation.
 The project of Minister Kutler. who next to Minister M. Tiziareff is the most liberal member of the cabinet, struck to the heart of the agrarian problem, which the Zemstvolsts, who are liberals. but land owners. found too ticklish to handle at the last con- gress. It provided for the expropria- tion of private estates In excess of a maximum acreage at a price dependent on actual market values and their distribution on easy terms of payment to the peasantry. whose hunger is too intense to be satisfied with the pron- ised partition of crown and church lands.
 M. Kutler held that this was the onIy means of preventing ausmenta~ tlon on the Agrarian troubles. whose rising pillows are the chef source oe peril to the government; but this pro- posal not only awakened the intense opposition of the rich and powerful camarilla at court but was also too drastic to suit the marshals of nobility, who sent q deputation from the con- ventlon at Moscow to demand expltc- itly of Premier Witte whether he Inc tended to accept the Kutler scheme.
 The premier responded that the pro- feet was only q tentative suggestion of an individual member of the capf- net and that the agrarian problem was too important to be settled without reference to the national assembly. However, the mere fathering of the proposition seems to have been fatal to Ministr Kutler.
 should M Kutler not be nominated to the council of the empire. 1t will be the first instance of the kind sinca. the retirement of M Krivoshein from the ministry of railroads, who a de- cade ago was dismissed in disgrace for stealing.