The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-05
THE WAY THEY LIVE IN JAPAN.

THE WAY THEY LIVE IN JAPAN.
From ne Journal Of Commerce
The Japanese are copying our railroads and
electric telegraphs. May we not proatabIy take
from them some Of their simple and primitive
inventions in the art Of honest government, lust
by way Of a "swop," as President Lincoln weuld
say.
. II only one traveller in Japan had brought hack
reports Of the marvellous integrity and ecopon y
ofthe Japanese system Of home government
we should have doubted the story-puttipe II an
par with the authropophagi and men whose
heads do grow beneath their shoulders.
The King of Siam, when piece of ice. I'm.
ported from some northern region, WAS shown
10 him, could not be made to believe that such A
He1 OF nature was possible, and stoutly main
tained that II must be jugglo and hoax. be-
osoSo ne bad never seen any in his own country.
Ibis skepttclsm was natural under the circum
h'ahees' SO we, who have so little honesty and
economy In the administration Of our Govern.
meht' that The words, like the things, have be
come quite obsolete, might seriously doubt these
WONDERFUL stories from Japan, if they were not
cOnhrmed by number Of respectable travellers
Mmay prove instructive to run parallel between
InS Jepunt sc administration of affairs and ours
IN Japan, whCn public officer steals from tho
/
found guilty, is beheadcd Or If his rank deservcs "a
,hat distinguishing mark of imperial clemency
ne IS graciUusly permitted to commit bayTi Earyy;
;hl. TI ni9se DIN 81 overwhelmed with gratitude for
tus ACT OF mercy, he bids farewell to his family
neatly cuts himself open with two 1uick strolrcs'
and Is gathered to his fathers ''
1elaulter IS one of the rarest curiosiHes 10 be
I9u I9unu IN Japan. How Is it in this country
nere, II the statements of investigating commit
tees and disaHected radicals are 10 be believed
ne government bureaus swarm with the plum
derers who either ilch directly from the MONEY!
In, or dNlde with dishonest contractors, or levy
bAek mail on the business public. How many
OK these arc brought to justice Not one out of
hundred probably.
Government frauds are so common and yenial
nnaer ms Administration, that the arrest OF any
particular individual Is looked upon by his
friends as an instance of personal or political
animosity or malice. Any newspaper that hap
pens 70 De OK his way of thinking will he sure to
give this Interpretation of his arrest Instead of
being straiehtwsy tried by a court he Is released
on bail, and may sail for Europe If he likes.
III he stands trial his chance of acuuittal is
good, and II lie is convicted, the worst punish
meut that be can suffer is fine or q few Years in
the State prison. This Is better than decapita-
sion, or even than the exalted privilege of hIrri
kaTTl. The American defaulter instead OF rip-
ping up his Stomach, lives to put turtle soup into
Il Tor many years. We would not have the
Japanese plan literally adopted all at once.
Tho steam guillotine, (which the Yankee in-
pentor offered TO Louis Napoleon after the eoup
q et0tJ NOulu De necessary 70 do the Deho aiding:
and It would be rather unpleasant for our occa-
sional nerves to see the "happy Dispatch
adopted as family institution. still, Is there not
something new that we might well copy from
Japanp
In Japan, ofilce-holding is SO improbable and
undesirable that even tho yassal princes, who
might be supposed 10 be independent in their
notions, resign in favor OF their sons at the ear
liest opportunity. 1t is one of the laws Of the
empire that when an oflce-holder accumulates
more money than is thought good for him, 1t is
conhscated for the imperial treasury, ON the
theory that he must have obtained Il by some
dishonest courses which cannot be proved on him.
In this country, office-holdng is so profitable
and desirable that everybody mau9uvres and
intrtgues for 1t. This Administration and all its
attaches and dependents are now moving heaven
and earth to re-elect themselves. As for the
"perquisites," which are all confscated In Japan,
a Federal Office holder must be a clumsy fellow
who cannot contrive to lay up brown stone
front, an eligible corner lot, carriage and pair
of horses, and q fat bank account Ia four years.
In Japan, the laws are issued by the order of
the Tycoon, and are simple and Ineligible. All
travellers agree in this. In the United States the
laws are issued by some Order-just nov it is
difficult TO Say precisely what-and though we
have what is called Congress, it is little more
than recording bureau, while the laws are
neither simple nor Ineligible. They are such
riddles as might have been propounded by the
SpbynX.
Tie tax law has been before the public two or
three years, and how many fully understand it (?
1t was not until the collectors and assessors had
received large amount Of official instructions
aud Judicial interpretations, that they could make
head or tail of IL. The enro ment bill has been
an enigma from the day of It's birth; aud Soil
citor Whiting has not yet delivered his las
opinion ON il.
Look at the gold bill, and the multitude Of
diverse constructions that are placed upon that.
And so with dozens of other laws Nobody can
be said to understand them fully in all their
BEARINGS and the last place of all TO go for inor-
nation above them is to Congress hhould we
not gain by a ''swop" with the JapaneR
The parallel might be carried ON sonl5 5dstance
further but this will do for to-day.