Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13
OPPOSITION TO W|TTE
Bitter Campaign is Waged
Against the Count in Russia.
ATTACKED BY MONARCHISTS
Clerical Orators Attack Him at Meet
ings of League.
UNREST IN ST. PETERSBURG
Despondent Recrimination Succeeds
Complacency of the Political Old
Guard-The Coming Election.
UNREST IN ST. PETERSBURG
Special Cablegram to The Star.

ST. PETERSBURG, January 12-The
short-lived complacency of the political old
guard has given way to mood of despond-
ent recriminaton. The upper ranks of St.
Petersburg's social life have abandoned
hopes that the year, which will begin on
Monday will be less menacing to their for
tunes and political status than the momen-
tous year which is closing. Their detesta-
ton of everything associated with the i'm
perial duma vents itself at present in an
extraordinary campaign against Count
White. Their clerical orators denounce him
at meetings of the Monarchist League of
the Russian people.
The bitterness of their anmosty to Count
White is due to the plain demonstration
that his electoral law, even when unscrupu-
lousy gerrymandered by the imperial SEN
ate, can never produce national assembly
compatible with the cars absolute sover-
eighty. 1t is certain that the government
will never venture another general election
until it has rescinded the electoral law in
toto and substituted franchise limited to a
while Count White, himself, is earnestly
seeking to create a sympathetic reputation
among the masses of the people
Count Whites Income.
An account is published in the paper most
widely read among the poor here by a
friend of Count Whites which aims to de-
stroy the impression that he accumulated
vast wealth from the government service.
The friend writes that his actual salary
from the government at the present moment
is only 5000 roubles member of the
council of the empire. He gives the further
informatio that Count White received half
a million roubles from the imperial treas
ury while he was president of the council
of ministers, but this was largely consumed
by the expenses necessary for that position
Apart from this he has only $1,000 roubles,
which was the amount of his wifes dowry.
He adds that Count White received only
1900 roubles for his mission to America
to negotiate the treaty at Portsmouth, While
his actual expenses were $1,000 roubles.
The friends communication concludes
with a description of the charities CT the
Countess White. She gives 2oI dinners
daily to the poor of the district where they
live, besides free suppers, boots and warm
clothing.
Observers gather that Count White, who
is frankly DESTROYS of active political life, is
preparing the way thereto on the bass of
popular support, and that the prospect of
the emperor's difficulties rendering him in
dispensable to the maintenance of the eX-
listing system, is now completely out of the
question.
The Election Outlook.
Reports to the labor combination from
the provinces assure them that they will
have many successes in the coming cleo
ton. Their leaders in the southwest and
the south, particularly at Kieff, Volhynia,
Tchernigoff, Kherson and Katerinoslav de-
clare they are quite secure, wn1e in other
populous regions, such as Grodno and
Kowno they believe they will succeed in
arranging a Bloc formed from the RADICALS
and progressives
They are dubious about Minsk, Riasan.
Poltava, Bessarabia, and some provinces
in Poland. They will willingly form a
union with the kadets in Saratnov, Mini,
Novgor0d and several other Nolga prov
inces.
| The minister of justice has prepared a
scheme for Russia's adoption of the inter-
national literary and musical copyright
which hitherto has been non-existant here.
| 1t will be laid before the council of min
| istry