38 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-IX 



the journey ought to have taken only three or four days, 

 it actually took several weeks; and, of course, all the 

 fruit was spoiled. As I told him of the fruit-trains which 

 bring the products of California across our continent and 

 distribute them to the Atlantic ports, even enabling them 

 to be found fresh in the markets of London, he almost 

 shed tears. This was another result of state control of 

 railways. As a matter of fact, there is far more and better 

 fruit to be seen on the tables of artisans in most American 

 towns, however small, than in the lordliest houses of Mos 

 cow and St. Petersburg; and this solely because in our 

 country energetic men conduct transportation with some 

 little ambition to win public approval and patronage, 

 while in Kussia a horde of state officials shirk labor and 

 care as much as possible. 



Still another sufferer was a very energetic man who had 

 held sundry high positions, but was evidently much dis 

 couraged. He showed me specimens of various rich ores 

 from different parts of the empire, but lamented that there 

 was no one to take hold of the work of bringing out these 

 riches. It was perfectly clear that with the minister of the 

 interior at that time, as in sundry other departments, the 

 great question was &quot;how not to do it.&quot; Evidently this 

 minister and functionaries like him felt that if great enter 

 prises and industries were encouraged, they would become 

 so large as to be difficult to manage ; hence, that it would 

 be more comfortable to keep things within as moderate 

 compass as possible. 



To this easy-going view of public duty there were a few 

 notable exceptions. While De Witte was the most eminent 

 of these, there was one who has since become sadly re 

 nowned, and who, as I revise these lines, has just perished 

 by the hand of an assassin. This official was De Plehve, 

 who, during my acquaintance with him, was only an under 

 secretary in the interior department, but was taking, ap 

 parently, all the important duties from his superior, M. 

 Dournovo. At various times I met him to discuss the 

 status of sundry American insurance companies in Russia, 



