NE WS OF THE WEEK O N Wednesday morning at 10
o'clock the resignation of Count Witte was officially announced. The obscurity which hangs round one who is perhaps the greatest figure in Russian political life is illustrated by the different morale drawn from his retirement. In Paris it is considered a victory for the forces of reaction. The Times correspondent at St. Petersburg, however, sends a very different account. According to him, Count Witte insisted upon the promulga- tion of new organic laws, which would have made the Duma a farce. The scheme was revealed by the Retch, and caused an outburst of indignation which was shared by the Emperor, who declared that the proposals were dangerous and unwise, and a violation of the Manifesto of October 30th. The Duma, he said, must meet before it could be seen what changes were necessary. On this Count Witte resigned, and proposes now to leave political life and.take the complete rest of which he stands in need. Yet another account is given by the corre- spondent of the Daily Telegraph, who has most intimate relations with Count Witte. According to him, Count Witte fell owing to a reactionary Palace plot, and General Trepoff is to be the real Premier, with M. Goremykin—the nominal Premier—as a mere figurehead. Faced with such a conflict of evidence, we shall make no attempt at present to decide which view is to be believed.
