Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-19
count WITTE THE
MOST REMARKABLE
Of ALL RUSSIANS
Former Ambassador to Car S
Government Gives interest
ing Insight Into an Extraor-
binary Character,
ESPECIAL eossssrorOsnes 70 MORNING ,oua..n

go "'i'N' iPhld' IA, March H.
Nharlenasne Tower, former ambas
sadof from the United states ta Rus
sla, and later TO GERMANY has CON
tributcd To the Philadelphia Public
Ledger the following interestfn.
sketch of the late Count serglu.
lWitte.
It will probably be a generation
Il may be half century, before the
lie of Count White, which has JUS
come To end i'm Russia, viii he fulb
estimated and adjudged: but tn,
world knows enough about him now
70 recognize that one of its most Of.
fective and important figures ha,
disappeared from the active polite,
of Europe and from the stage of hu.
man affairs on the continent-fo
whilst his declining strength had
somewhat relaxed his grasp during
these latter years, yet he could not
ran as long as he was alive to exert
his Influence upon those about him:
land even from his retirement his
iopinion and advice had weight with
the men who succeeded him and
had to take up his active duties in
the state.
His singularly diversified career,
however was made up of services to
the Russian government and people,
the results Of which are so far
Preaching and complex that it is diff
ticult to trace them sing1y at the
present time, though it has left its
j stamp indelibly impressed upon the
/ progress ana development of the en-
ipire, and viii undoubtedly distinguish
him as one of the foremost construc-
| tive statesmen whom Russia has pro-
'duced.
Not OF Peasant stock.
Sergms Yulicvitch WHITE was born
/ in Tfis. on the l1th of July, 1919.
land spent his early youth in the eau
casus, SO remote from the capital or
/ the influence of It's surroundings that
/ il is part OF his remarkable fortune
/ that he ever emerged from there at
! all to gain prominence of any kind in
the empire. From his rugged appear
iance and his disregard of form i'm the
midst of a court of great brilliancy,
with his large frame not pvercare-
| fully clad, and his total lack of pol
ished manner even at the height of
his political power, arose the belief
which was general i'm st. Petersburg
that he was a peasant, or at least
la man sprung from the people. He
was in fact, however the son of Yull
rector of the department of agricul-
ture in the Caucasus, his mother be-
ing a daughter of the house Of Fade
yeff, related to that of Dolgourouki,
las well as 20 other people of dis
tinction. his connection being that of
an old and Well-cstablished Russian
prominence.
lie was sent to school at Tiflis,
though whilst he was yet a boy his
father was transferred to a govern
ment post at Kishineff, where the
son entered the gymnasium and
thence went to the University of
Odessa, in 1856. There he showed
such ability as a mathematician that
he was graduated with honors four
years later having decided to fulfil I
his strong desire to become a profess /
sor of mathematics which, If he had +
succeeded in doing, would probably /
have led him into peaceful life at
Kieff or odessa. But his family OPP /
posed him successfully in this. with |
the result that when he left the I
university, i'm 1870. with a decree MS {
candidate OF the physico- mathemat- 7
zeal faculty. he was given Il place in .
the service of the Southwestern rail
way
From this point his career shows
many examples Of that unexpected .
arising out of the seiz-
ure of opportunities that present
themselves under new conditions or
unusual circumstances which fire.
quently arrests ones attention i'm
Russia by its striking similarity to
the characteristics Of American life
in Russia, perhaps, more frequently /
than in any other country of Europe,
because of the similarity of the ex-
igencies and opportunities which ac-
the development of enor-
nous stretches Of new territory and
the carrying forward of vast public
enterprises. 1t was in this broad field
that he found the natural expansion
Of the foresight and ability with
which he was endowed.
A Good Railroad Man.
Sergus Witte was a good railroad
man His love for mathematics and
engineering increased his interest i'm
-helr practical application, while his
sense of responsibility impelled him
to devote himself to q thorough com
prehension Of railroad management
In all of its departments. He learned
to drive an engine, also to lay rails.
and there are people still living in
Russia who remember him at work
with the laborers helping to repair
a breakdown on the line. In a coun-
Try built upon a rigid bureaucracy. he
was not bureaucrat He had the
mind of the leader who knows how
to apply his hand to any part that +
needs adjustment or support.
1t was his dominating spirit of
that enabled him after
ward to accomplish the great results
hat came to Russia through his
genius as minister of finance and in
he awakening of Siberia. 1t brought
him into control, it is true. with the
'orees of opposition and reaction
which beset him as in the case of
every man of progress; and there
we're moments, probably even in the |
midst of success, when these EN-
Uttered his life.
Promotion came rapidly in the
service of the railroad. He soon be- !
anne assistant traffic manager. and \
or another short interval. general
of the Southwestern
at which period he found
he first great opportunity of his life
When the Russo-Turkish war broke
nut the imperial government was
inder the necessity of Transporting !
arge numbers of troops In cireum- {
tances more eNacting than had ever !
ieen known before. and with a rapid Z
ty until then untried in Russia, Ser
,ius Witte. the superintendent. we'll
by this time through his A.,
experience in management accepted :
he undertaking, and furnished with .
UGH skin the facilities required by
he military commanders for their I
roops and other munitions of war 4
hat he attracted attention to him