Morning journal and courier., 1880-05-10
A REAsONABLE DEMAND.

Japan has long wanted her treaties with for eign powers revised, and no wonder, for they are much to her disadvantage. These treaties were made in 1858, when the Japanese were not much acquainted with the ways of the rest of the world, and were unable to cope with the powerful and experienced foreigners who conducted the negotiations. The treaty with the United States, which is substantially like the rest, provides that Americans in Japan committing offences against Japanese shall be tried in American consular courts, and punished when guilty according to Amsri- can law and that Japanese offending against Americans shall be tried in Japanese courts, and when convicted punished according to Japanese law. The treaty also contains tariff upon goods imported into Japan, which has accordingly parted with the right to modi- fy it's fiscal system so far as the levy of GUS. toms duties is concerned. The first named of these provisions is what is known as extra territorial jurisdiction. No civilized nation would voluntarily adopt it, and it is humilia- ting to the national pride of Japan. h order to understand it's bearing we have only to imagine the English government demanding
 
 breaking any of our laws be tried before 8 British consular court. But the other provis- ion of the treaty-that which takes the levy of customs duties out of the hands of the Japanese government-is so much more ob jeetionable that there is a disposition in Japan to postpone effort against the extra-territori- ality clause, at least until the tariff wrong is riehted.
 A circular letter setting forth the evils of doshu to the peoples of Europe and America with whom Japan has treaty re- lations is published. The Kiyosondoshu is a political society, or club, consisting largely of Japanese who have been educated, or who in Europe.or America. Itis friend ly to foreigners and favorable to the full intro duction of modern civilization of the Western nations. In this letter it is stated that even if the conditions of trade had not changed since 1858 the position of the country has changed. It has followed the example of the improvements and in enlhrging the scope of the government. New things are done, and old things are done moro thoroughly and at higher cost. Only three and a half per cent of the public revenues is or can be derived from customs under the trsaties-tarif. The whole amount obtained does not pay one eighth of the interest on the domestic and foreign debt. All the rest is raised at homo. It need not be said that very heavy burden is imposed upon the people by this restric- tion The expenditures of the government | have increased tenfold in the last twenty | years, but Japan is still bound by this cast iron tariff. Under the operation of l the treaty large part of the ar ticIes now imported into Japan go in l free. They were not in demand in the coun- | try when the treaty was made, but were i'm l ported for the use of the foreigners residing | there. Now that these articles, clothing for | example, are largely used by natives they | still obtain entry duty free. Here is certainly | good ground for the demand for a modihca- | tiou of the treaties.
 The government of this country cannot | help Japan out of her difficulty without the l agreement of the other nations who have | treaties with her similar to ours. But it can | and should express willingness to give her | her rights and use it's influence with other | governments to persuade them to do the l saYns