Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-19

----------
OF finance, and remained ai,r.
sky retired through illness 'iuestad.
Wltte was appointed by the Emnoos-
| Alexander III. to sueceed iL'tlperor
minister "'lh as
AZ the Zenith of Ills power
From the time Of his month";,
! be minister of finance unul aI,.,u'n 70
period of the outbreak of tb1' me
! with Japan, NJ. Witte was 9t a. war
/ nun Oh ms power this was the M,
ment of his most effective fnfI,, ulo-
lie found the finances of Russi, Inv
condition of protracted deficit w. ~
/ liated currency and unstable crsd..
which he changed completely .,,.i,t.u'1
/ lew years by restoring the curreno,,
a gold basis. He established
tenn of tariffs which, while II
volved him in a tariff war win 49,.
many protected the idusrics grown,
up at home and supplied The oor,r.s
ment with FUNDS for Internal public
developments.
Indeed, he SO dominated the policv
Ct the empire that he may be s9ld ~
D..
matters which related to his interest,".
in public affairs if not i'm the poE
eminent itself. lie supplied The funds
and took the leading part in the build.
ing of the siberian railroad, which
he considered TO be one of the great
material developments, as time has
proved it TO be, of Russian enterprise
leading to Russian material wealth
It may fairly he said that hts genns
so dominated the policies of that dav
that although he lived in comparative
retirement, quite apart from The so.
cial life OF the capital, and never wont
60 court except when the duties of NM
official position required him 10 do
so, no step was taken in either for
eigu or domestic affairs without the
inevitable questions. in every discus.
sion in St. Petersburg: "What does
wife think of it?' What will Wue
do?'
Personality and Appearance.
A visitor TO Russia who saw him AT
that time describes him as being over
six feet in height ANA a big, bulky
man, with a pair of shoulders as thick
through as those of blacksmith; his
gray head massive and hooding: me
is figure of the rudcst full-blooded
force, slow in motion, incredibly un-
calmly In every action. with vast worn
hands that swing athwGrtship as he
walks. lie is almost eoutempiuously
careless in an matters that concern
his attire or outward appearance.
Hairy and hard. with beard ill-kew.
his face Is stolid and deeply lined.
there is nothing of c0mpromise, mo-
art OF grace, no study in the cast of 10
The eyes alone betYay the fact that in
this man there dwells a spirit not
in the grossness and crude.
ness Of his aspect Shr.ned under
heavy brows, they are pale ana i'm
Discriminate in color They are lame
bent and inscrutable, the eyes Of an
wise with an infinite subt-
lery discriminating pitilessly, discern
ing infallibly, probing without scruple
to the core OF each matter that in-
Vites him"
The portrait is true Of this inscru-
table man. No one was intimate with
him; he lived aloof. But he had sym
pathies for the people, whose condi-
lion he sought to improve and whose
burdens he lightened by better meth
DDS of agriculture and a more pro-
luctive system of commerce and
rade. lie took their part, though not
when they broke out into strikes and
open revolt called upon to decide
between radical demands and the con-
sentative enfoI cement of law, he chose
he side of the emperor and the con-
'tituted authority; losing thereby, no
loubt, much popularity among those
who looked upon him as an advanced
hnker. The truth is that Witte aimed
1t national progress, but he was not
/ revolutionist. lie understood his
people, and was first of all Russian,
whose loyalty convinced him that the
great benefits of the future must come
,ut of the stable and natural expan-
ion of the Russian character itself
Opposed 10 Japanese War
He had always opposed the war
With Japan, and yet it fell to his lot
0 make the peace at Portsmouth
which brought it to a close. lie hoped
O make a road to China and Japan
which should open the gate to inter
curse between Russia and the Far
East, and through Russia from the
rient into the heart Of the European
ointment. -
Among modern Russian statesmen
one, it may be said, has had so thor
ugh comprehension or so broad
lew of national questions, regarded
specially from the point of view of
enefit to the whole Russian people
nd their general welfare; and IL
GEMS safe to predict that it is in this
when time shall have
'eighed and balanced the acts and
fforts of his life, that the memory
Sergius White will find some day IFS
'ue place in the national thought of
ussia.