The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-04-23

ST. Petersburg-Nic ii hopes
to restore his lost authority by estap-
fishing control over all the hnanclai
resources of his vast empire. The ann
of his present policy and of the polcy
of his court and ministers, is to create
money trust with pol1tlcal ehus'
This fact has long been suspected Dy
Russian economists, who ascrlbe 10
such motives the vast growth IN rus
sia's revenue and gold reserve anu
the increasing grip which the state Is
getting on private industry. Inc sus-
picion that this is a conscious state poi-
icy is confirmed by the revelations
published in Vienna by an ex-omclal
of the ministry of finance.
The state money trust scheme is the
creation of the state comptroller, nj.
Kharitonoff M. Kharitonoff is one Oh
the ablest of the more reactionary
high officials. To the public he is best
known by the Intentionally lax man
ner in which he exercises his func-
lions of controlling state expenditure
and by the pliancy with which he al
lows money voted for specific pur-
pose to be spent on different aims.
Kharitonoff four years ago presented
to the car a memorandum declaring
that the financial independence of the
local governing bodies is menace
to state security, and that the only
way to check the growing power or
these bodies is to starve them OF
funds The taxes which they could be
prevented collecting for local needs
would easily, said Kharitonoff, be d.
verified into the central treasury.
Money" said Kharitonoff in his
memorandum, "is the chief power In
the modern state. Your majesty's au-
tocracy was threatened in the past
mainly by the rise Of a wealthy and
Independent bourgeois existing with
out favor of the state. The ideal
should be rather a relatively poor peo-
pie and a rich state, and everything
should be done to attain this aim.
The first thing is to continue the pol
icy of concentrating wealth, and in
creasing state control over wealth
which is in private hands"
This program for a state money
trust was approved of, continues
Kharitonoff, by Count White. When
minister Of finance in 1900, White got
!, the car to consent to a law which
forbade the zemstvos, or provincial
administrative council, to increase tax
alton more than a limited amount an
nually. Whites aim was thus to di.
vert money, which might be taken in
the form of taxes, into the central
treasury. The more starved the
zemstvos the fatter the imperial
budget. In many other respects White
concentrated money in the hands of
the state, and did everything to pre-
vent concentration in private or in
local government hands.
AS a result of Whites policy and of
the policy outlined by Kharitonoff,
Russia, which is the poorest country
In Europe, is the richest state. The
economist, Afanasieff, shows that the
average annual peasant income is
only $3.50; and peasants of this kind
make up four-ffths of the population.
Although Russia has 160,000,000 popu-
lation, her total wealth, including land
at present sale prices, is only 35,000,-
100000; while England with a fourth
of that population is worth $65,000,-
100000, and Germany with a third
population is worth $75,00O,000, 900.
The national income Of Russia is less
than half that of England or France
Yet of all European states Russia has
the biggest annual budget. Her pres
ent budget is over one billion five hun
dred million dollars; whereas the Brit
isn is $3.50, 100000, and the French and