New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-09-29
TIE .SIrH4TION IN JAPAN

and mare liberal ideas. The success Oh the
Mikado's party, its professions of good VIII 10
foroipners. the institution of a parliament, the
rronosed surnnder to the MikadO OF their he-
reditary estates by several of the great chiefs
or DamOs, have given reasonable Color 10 'hi7
presumption. We may still hope that there Is
AN Influential party of progress IN Japan whose
counsels will some day win supremacy al
though for The present the march OF events IS
NOT so steadily in that direction as we couiu
wish. The revolution which has just ended-1
indeed if be altogether ended-is restoring to
tho Mikado the executive functions as well as
the mere title of Representations which
have been exercised now for more than six
centuries by the TycOons as Emperors de Jdcto
was netler begun nor accomplished Ill the
interest If progress, or justice LII was
initiated ly a party of factiOus mobiles, VINO
from the outset have been opposed TO foreign
intercourse, and who were the resolute Oppo-
nents of the ministry which ratified the lrst
commercial treaties. 1t was prosecuted against
the only party in the State which had kept
any faith or thrown any friendship to foreign
ers and it has ended in bringing to the 'front.'
as the Mkado's principal supporters ana couh-
sellers, chiefs whose anIcccucnls "cio III oPP'
sition to foreign intercourse or trade.
The so-called Parliament is itself no more
than cmyocation of mobiles, or chiefs OF Clans
convened in the interests of the ruling class.
Tho first ouestion presented to it by some OF
the more ardent representatives OF the shaiier
clans. was the feasibility of an attempt 10 Drive
the hated foreigner from the sacred soil OF Nj
non. The discussion of such question was
discountenanced by other and more wary chels'
some of whom knew by experience what such
an attempt would involve, though all were
eager for the result sought. The proposition
TO surrender the Daimiotes came from lew
moneyless chiefs, heavily burdcned with deDts'
contracted IN the struggle already made against
the Tolueawa clans, and which the new empire
in which thew were to sit as chief councillors
was cypected to assume. 1t was also favored
by chiefs Who knew that unless they succeeded
in utterly overthrowing the Tokugawa dynasty
and placing the Mikado firmly upon the throne
they would never be safe from vengeance
But this plan met with decided opposition, not
only from those avowedly hostile to the South
crn or Mkado party, but from such as were
only slightly involved i'll the recent struggles,
and even from a portion of the Southern lac
tion itself IL remains to be seen whether TINS
aggressive faction has either the spirit or force
to attempt n compulsory surrender OF the Dai-
miotcs to "A common Emperor.
Although the overthrow of the late Tycoon
Stotsbashi was pleasing to many chiefs, partly
on political, but largely on personal or clan
considerations, the abolition Of the Tycoonate
has not been satisfactory to the majority OF
them. and certainly not 90 'h" naass of the
.pcoplc IL had the prestige of six centuries OF
success the last two and half of which, un-
der the dynasty of the Tokugawa chiefs, had
given TO Japan what she had never before
Lnown-ceniurics of peace and prosperity,
ripcning at last. through the aid OF foreign IN
tercourse into hcathful progress. This dual
sovereignty was not i'll adapted to the people
aud institutions over which it ruled The
farmers, artisans, aud traders who were on the
patIimorial estates of the Tokugawa chiefs,
were esteemed especially fortunate, and under
no other fcudal lord were the laws SO patri-
archal, the taxes SO few, the rentals so light.
Scarcely more than "A year ago, when the
Mikado party drove the Tycoon from Yeddo,
which for more than two centuries had been
the capital of the Tokugawa dynasty of Ty-
lection among the Tokugawa clans than by any
merit Of their cause, or skill OF then
arms, there were chiefs like Chosin the prime
instigaor of the Southern movement and
Tosa, lis neighbour, who openly withdrew their
forces from further active support of the
Mkado, on the ground that the movement WAS
undertaken, not TO overthrow the Tokugawa
clans and abolish the Tycoonate, but to dcpose
from power q Tycoon and party who lent
themselves too willingly to innovating foreign
infue,ces They declared that when this was
ACCOMPLISHED the tacit understanding was that
their iext attempt should be against the for
eigne: himself. There is sufficient proof that
such were the ideas and the hopes that ami
mated the leaders of the Mikado faction when
they revolted against the dominant power OF
the tycoon The princes of liigo, Satsuma,
and Blzen, while less outspoken were equally
hostile; and the Chief of Chikuzen is ready ut
this moment to begin an aggressive movement
if he can be sure of any following. A sense
of their inability to strike successfully alone
avets the blow. Two of these chiefs have
alreidy felt the weight of the foreiner's arm
Satama, in the bombardment and conhagra-
ton Of his capital city of Kagosima by the
English fleet in 1888. and Chosin, in the cap
ture and destruction of the ShimOnoseki bat
teries the year following by an allied fleet of
the treaty Powers, Russia and Prussia ex-
ceped. For these anronts their only revenge
as yet has been the overthrow of the party
and the dynasty favorable to foreigners.
YET strange as it may seem, the South
ern party have had from the outset the
sympathy and moral support of the English
Minister in Japan. whose influence for two
years past has been paramount. There were
polite reasons which probably led him to take
thR course i'm opnositon To the opinion of his