Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-28

L
JAPAN HAS BEEN PRODUCED BY AMERICAN In
TT TAKES A MONTH FOR NEWS FROM
Il Japan to reach Washington by mail. 1t is
therefore, only to be expected that the account.
that have thus far reached us Of the sittings Of
the new diet sho uld be meager, for the diet did
not begin its session until the latter part Of
November, and has not yet got thoroughly to
work. The whole world watches anxiously to
see the result Of this experiment of western
form Of government applied to an eastern PEG.
pie, and especially is the United States in
terested, for it started new Japan.
1t is almost impossible to conceive that
Japan, up to the time when Perry visited At in
1858, was a land little better known than Man
chooria or Mongolia are at the present day. II
is difficult for the mind to jump from consid-
GRAFTON Of double despotism, with a shotgun
who ran the government and mikado who was
too sacred even to do this, to the study Of free
| people with a constitution similar to ours and
| an emperor who il hardly more sacred than the
Queen of England. What changes will be
wrought remains to be seen. The conservative
party Of Japan that dislikes foreigners and
foreign institutions, is powerful one, and now
| that free suffrage has been inaugurated it may
| turn out to be the very instrument for accom-
| plishing return to old-fashioned methods OF
government. This is not probable, however, il
we are to believe the Japanese writer's them
| selves.
FROM AMERICA.
The United States not only opened Japan for
the trade with Europe, it introduced modern
civilization there westernized Japan is our
work. Eight years before Perry dropped
anchor in the Bay Of Yedo Ronald Mcdonald, a
young adventurer from Astoria. Ore, shipped
In whale boat-the Plymouth-making an ar
| rangement with the captain that when he
came off the coast of Japan he should be set
adrift In small boat. The contract was car
ried out and Mcdonald reached Japan, where he
underwent various vicissitudes and imprison-
ments, until he was released after Perry's ar
| rival But while he was imprisoned he taught
| people the American language" and laid the
| foundation OF our future educational influences
| In Japan. DR.. InaZo Nitobe, a Japanese, who
was educated in America, has recently pub
| ilshed book on the United States and Japan,
| In which he declares that 1.-THE early educa-
| t!onal influences OF new Japan were almost ex-
clusively American"
Less than half century of these influences
has resulted in the adoption of constitutional
| form of government the first parliamentary as
| semblage Of which has recently met. brief
sketch of this assemblage will be interesting to
the readers Of The STAR.
THE JAPANESE PARLIAMENT.
The imperial diet consists of two houses-the
house of peers and the house of representatives.
As in the case of the house of lords of Grea,
Britain only those of the higher hereditary rank
| are admitted to the house Of peers, and JAP
anese commentator upon the constitution has
pointed out the reason for the existence of this
assemblage ia to check hasty, ill-considered
legislation on the part of the lower house
This assemblage is not like our Senate, as its
members privileged class being composed
of the members of the imperial family, of the
| orders of nobility and of those persons who
have been nominated thereto by the emperor ~
to use the language of the constitution. 1t il
the intention to gather here the richest and the
highest-boru Japanese subjects. and by judi
clous raising OF commoners to the peerage for
distinguished services to build up a chamber
precisely similar to the British house of lords.
The members of the house of representa-
tives. however. are elected by the people for a
fixed term. The law of elections requires that
person to be qualified an elector shall be a
male japanese subject not less than twenty-five
years old, must have fixed his permanent resi-
dence in the election district where he votes
| and must be taxpayer. To be qualified for
election as representative the subject must be
over thirty years of age and must also be a tax
payer. Officials. with few exceptions, judges
and priests, are not eligible.
ELECTION DAY.
The voting begins at Z o'clock m and stops
at pm, and voters are required to identify
themselves with their names on the electoral
lists before they are allowed to cast their bal
lots. The voters name must be put on each
ballot The laws of election are numerous and
carefully compiled, and unless tho ingenious
Japanese devise some method Of cheating which
mas hitherto been unknown TO them elections
Will be as FAIR with them as they are with us.
AS In tho case OF England the governme mt
may submit projects of laws to the two houses
of the diet, but either house may initiate BILL
and no bill shall become law until it has re-
ceiyed the assent OF both houses and Of the en-
peror. session OF the dlet unless for extra
ordinary reasons, lasts only for three months
and is c0nvoked every year. The express time
has not been fixed, but 1t will, it is presumed
be during the winter months in order to allow
time to conslde. the necessary appropriation
acts.
The privileges Of the members of the diet.
their immunity from arres.. their irresponsi-
bility outside of the house for utterances made
in it, and all similar provisions are like our own.
The ministers of state and government dele
gates may take seats and speak in either house.
A DouB1.E c.RNEr
rho o,,,,,ouo- r. -.
.hpeioi n"' VIVA. appears 70 Do TWO CAD
lnets-the ministers OF state and the prlvy coun-
Gil. The former give advice and are held re-
nances ard imperial rescripts of whatever kind
that relate to the affairs Of the state require the
countersignature of minister of state" saws
the constitution. The privy council. on the
other hand, deliberate upon state affairs when
they have been consulted by the emperor To
speak more accurately. the ministers of state
are the cabinet and the priyy council DELHI
crate only when called upon to do So They are
intended as a thorough and impartial BODY.