The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-03
A japanese Traveller ON Our Con-
stttutton.

|
MI. Sionara, Japanese traveller. gives in
the current number Of the North American
Rerie,o his Impressions of American politics.
| After spending year here he imagined
this country to be in advance of others
in political affairs. but q closer view
persuades him that it is '.most back
ward" Every other country in the world
changes. he remarks. China changes even
q little; Turkey changes also; only America
for q hundred years never changes;" and
this seems to him very lamentable In
Europe. he says, 1.-THE people make revolu-
tons; then comes more freedom;" but
here we stupidity stick to constitu-
ton made q hundred years ago; it is
evidently an inconceivable folly to this
Japanese traveller. 1T is the same with
that remarkable people the Chinese" he
adds and notices such . resemblance be-
tween the Chinese and US Americans as will
| infuriate the San Francisco hoodlums II
they should happen to hear Of it.
But our Japanese critic is not merely
critic; he not only points out our faults,
but suggests the simple remedies which, If
we should adopt them, would bring us pres
emily to the front rank Of free nations He
thinks the President has too much power
the Cabinet is not responsible to the House
Of Representatives the people cannot make
their will felt quickly enough; the Senate
is too obstructive the popular branch OF
Congress has too little power the constitu-
ton is too simple and does not provide for
,c,a gtI aI
nineteen difficulties during the last election.
for which no provision was made in the con-
stitution," he says. But oil these evils are
easily remedied. He would not change
the name of anything. 1.-THE only thing
to be done is abolish the constitu-
ton, then all is simple" he says. Then
by law make the Cabinet responsible to the
House of Representatives. and elect new
President whenever the House passes a vote
Of want Of confidence" We fear Mr.. Sio-
nara's plan will not be popular the man
who. so soon after last November, proposes
more frequent Presidential elections, will
get few adherents.
But we are more struck with another
suggestion of Mr.. Sionara. He thinks
the introduction of the custom OF seppuku
or se!f-despatch, what we here know
as hari-kari, would work an important
reform and when we read his account OF it
we entirely agree with him. "The prac-
tice in this country" he writes, "by which
political enemies kill each other with pistols
does not make them SO careful, but perhaps
it is necessary while the old constitu-
ton lasts and he proceeds to describe
what certainly seems a delightful state
Of things under the seppahu custom.
I'm Japan all editors of newspapers
writing like those in this country would
be obliged to perform this act"-ha'i-
kari namely-'and even Mr.. Tilden, after
he had got majority Of nearly three hum
dred thousand votes. could not survive his
| defeat with honor, but this not because he
has used bad language, but because he him.
| self has been so much abused" and he
goes on to relate that in Japan all who
| during the Presidential campaign had used
violent language, had slandered others, had
bribed or been bribed had made false cleo
| ton returns or frightened voters, would
long ago have ripped themselves open.
| If Mr.. Sionara will undertake to intro
duce in this country the custom Of sepputu,
and will guarantee that it will work as he
| describes it, we think he could easily get q
contract What delightful prospect it opens
what q multitude of interesting funerals
| Washington would have seen. When Mr..
Hayes was declared President, Mr.. Dudley
| Field, General Banning, Mr.. Springer, Mr..
Randolph Tucker, Mr.. Blackburn and other
eminent democratic statesmen would have
ripped themselves open OH the east front of
the Capitol, the Sergeant-at-Arms providing
swords for the occasion and preventing the
noisy applause Of the spectators. And
scarcely could the evidences of this tragedy
have been removed when. after listening to
Mr.. Hayes inaugural Message and reading
the list Of his Cabinet, Mr.. Chandler-the
two Messrs. Chandler, indeed-Mr. Blaine
MI. Frye, General Logan, Senator Cameron,
Senator Patterson, Mr.. Kellogg, General
Hurlbut and m latitude Of other repub-
lican statesmen would have proceeded to rip
themselves up, to the great and lasting
benefit Of popular government All
through the months of March and April the
American people would have had occasion
to praise the custom OF seppoku- Mr.. Wen
dell Phillips would have bought or borrowed
a sword and disembowelled himself about
the goth Of March; Mr. Ben Wade would
have followed him in happy despatch
within week. Mr. Packard would never
have left the Louisiana State House except
as an honorable corpse Mr. Wells, Of the
Louisiana Returning Board, would have be-
come glorifed peer. But the prospect is
too enticing; We cease.
| IT Is RuMoRED that Assemblyman HIVES