New-York tribune., 1915-03-14
COUNT WITTE
DIES IN RUSSIA
Famous Statesman NegO-
tiated Portsmouth Peace
with Japan.
WAS FIRST PREMIER
OF DUMA REGIME
Built the Trans.Siberian Railway
Founder of Empires
Monetary System.

London, March 13.--Count Sergius
Julovich Witte, Russia's first Prime
Minister, died last night in Petrograd,
according 10 dispatch to Reuters
Telegram Company. He had been i'll a
week.
He won worldwide fame as Russian
plenipotentiary at the Portsmouth, n.
H., negotiations for peace with Japan
in the summer of 1905. For this service
he was made count and appointed Pres
ident Of the new ministry. He had held
no important post since he retired, in
1906.
Count Witte st ID head and shoul-
ders above other Russian statesmen Of
his time, and has been looked upon
as one of the most remarkable men
Russia has produced. His fame in his
own land rests upon his development
of manufacturing industries, the ex-
pansion Of railroads and the placing of
the monetary standarL on gold basis.
His fame abroad rests on his victory
over the Japanese ENJOYS at Ports
compact whereby Russia, though de-
feated in Manchuria, paid no indemnity
to the victorious Japanese.
Always firm supporter of Russian
autocracy, he had democratic tenden-
cies and manifested broad tolerance in
matters of religion.
lie was born on June %, 1S49, at
Tihis. On his fathers side his family
was of common origin, but his mother
was direct descendant of the Ruriks,
rulers Of Russia before the Romanof
dynasty came to power.
After he was graduated from the
University of Odessa, where he had
shown singular ability in mathematics,
Witte yielded to the wish of his fanfi-
ly, and entered the railroad service, in
the shipping department. He brought
his mathematical acumen TO bear on
tariff rates, and his advancement was
rapid. Following an accident on line
of which he was general superintend-
ent, he was summoned to st. Peters
burg for an official investigation, and
there made such an impression on the
Minister OF Finance that he received
promotion instead of censure. l.. the
mean time he had married sister OF
/ General Fadief.
During the Russo-Turkish War he at
tracted attention through his admins
trative capacity in moving troops ana
supplies over the railroads. Alexander
/ III made him Minister OF Railways and
Communication in 1892, and soon az
terward he became Minister Of Fin
ance. Then he planned his system of
home manufactures and the extension
of the Russian railways. His crowning
achievement was probably the estab-
lishment of tn gold standard for the
country, and it was as Minister OF Fin
ance that he attained the height OF his
power.
After 1899 he lived in Paris, but
returned to Russia. When the Japan
ese War was in progress, and when
peace was about TO be concluded. those
who had formerly demanded his re-
moval as minister urged that he be
sent to the Portsmouth conference.
Following his work in this country,
he was made count by the Emperor,
and in 1905 became the Premier in
Russia's first real Cabinet. A week
after this announcement he was made
President of the Council of Ministers.
He experienced difficulty in choosing a
Cabinet, and pledged himself TO the
calling of National Assembly. This
caused his enemies to increase, and in
December, 1905, he rendered his resig-
nation.
Il was not accepted, however, until
the following May, when he retired
completely from public life. In recent
wears many efforts were made to have
Count Witte appointed to public Of
fees, but he was not responsible for
any of them. His last important pub
lie appearance was when he presided
at A sitting Of the Finance Committee
at Petrograd.
With sagacious grasp of the trend
Of European politics and their reli-
ance upon ever increasing armaments,
Count Witte foresaw the present war,
and in an interview four months be-
fore the opening OF hostilities made
this statement:
when and how will it all end? I'm
less the great states which set this
hideous example agree to call halt,
so to say, and knit their subjects into
a pacific, united Europe, war Is the
only issue I can perceive. and when |
saw war mean a conflict which will
surpass in horror the most brutal
armed conflicts known in human his
tory and entail distress more wide
spread and more terrible than living
men can realize"
The total abolition of the sale of
vodka in Russia in the present war is
attributed TO the statesman's farreach-
ing influence. This is due to his plan
TO regulate the liquor traffic, by which
the empires liquor business was taken
over and the revenue of the govern
ment increased.
Through his entire career Count
Witte was regarded as strong sup
porter of the Jews, and on several oc-
casions he appeared in public to urge
that their persecution be stopped. His
second wife was a Jewess. and after
the wedding he exerted much OF his
influence in this direction. He expert
enced much difficulty in obtaining rec
ognition for her, but was finally vic
torious, when he was named Premier.
She was then invited to the palace. OF
Peterhof, and imperial recognition fol-
lowed.