The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-22
CT. PETERSBURG. December 2l.-
 \ Special. )-Count Witte, greatest
 Russian statesman and the mnnN

INT PETERSBURG. December 2l.-
 Special )-Count Witte, greatest 0 Russian statesman and the man who carried through the treaty for Ports mouth which brought the Russo-Japanese war to an end. is in bad odor at the court of Nicholas IT. Because of his liberal tendencies he has many enemies and the court reactionaries, led by his greatest enemy, the Grand Duchess Vladimir, are scheming night and day to bring permanent disgrace upon him. Already it is rumored that they have succeeded 10 such an extent that the Czar has promised not to renominate his former favorite for his council of empire next January
 Witte lately left for Biarritz with d painful stomach complaint and a more painful deprecating temper. He has managed to become the most hated of all Russians. Liberals say that he be- trayed them in 1905; and reactionaries say he is liberal and q Judophile. But the nationalists hate him most of all, and it is they who are troubling him most now
 Witte has brought much of this trou- ble on himself. His pen is too indus irious Since he went more or less into retirement he has produced several con tentious books. One is the origin of the war with Japan; another on eco- nomical questions; and third is called "On the Subject of Nationalsm."
 On the subject of nationalism Witte is bitter. He is against the persecu tion of Films, Poles and Jews: and the other prosecutions that the nation elists want. The nationalist party is a creation of the late Peter Stolypin; and it has never done anything but denounce. inform and persecute. Nat urally Wittes condemnation enraged it.. Firstly. says Witte, it is not true na- tionalism at all. Nationalism consists in elevating ones own nation. but Rus sian nationalism consists in depressing other nations. In short, Russian na- tionalism is anti-ciyilizatory.
 These obvious tiuths edihed the Films, Poles and Jews. but they made the nationalist party very angry.
 Nicholas II is. of course, a national ist in the sense that he stands for persecution of Films. Poles and Jews, though he stands for persecution Russians, too. And lately he was pleased wehn deputation of fierce nationalists came from Grodno and Wilma to report the yillainies of the local Poles. The deputation count ed NJ. Yavortsoff, Pruzhansky and Gen. eral Golenko. three doughty fighters against all aliens They told Nicholas that the local Poles are circulating a million copies of "On the Subject of Nationalism;" and they added: Count Witte we respectfully affirm, is the most pernicious citizen in your maj esty's dominions" Worse, they added than even a Pole or Jew, not to men ton Finn.
 Whenever Russian falls into court disfayor all wise men know it and join in the hunt. The sem-official (that means officiaD newspapers of Wilma, Gradno Kovno and other western prov inces have begun fierce attack on Witte The Wilma official paper actu- ally published an Ancestral Tree of Count Witte." in which it shows that the counts great grandfather was a Bielostovk Jew named Witten This awful news was followed wits the threat "A hundred years ago the Wit tens may have suffered in a pogrom fmassacre): but today true Russians are happily too temperate to resort to such extremes" This was an open in- citement to assassinate Witte and the indictment was made plain by a ref erence to 1907 when two reactionaries put bombs down the chimney of Witte's house in the kamennoostrovsky boulevard Other newspapers devoted to the government have made other fierce attacks on Witte: and one of them says that Count Witte left for Biarritz because the incensed temper of our people threatens consequences which we for one would regret"