Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-17
THESHOSHI OF JAPAN
COLONEL COCKERlLL WRITES A LET
TER FROM YOKOHAMA.

| Il
ing-They Are "Agin" the Government.
Odd Mistake of Newspaper Correspond
neutrality-suspicious. of Prince Komatsu.
One of the very distressful features of
Japanese politics-and one can form no
idea OF the different colors and shades of
| that salne-is what is known as the "Sho-
hi" have been making a study of the
Ehoshi, and although have had doz-
en- profound explanations made to me L
have urt until now felt like undertaking
! to ,.> Ain its character and purposes.
Some ,cr|0ns have assured me that as an
organization it is little better than the Ma
fla of Sicily and southern Italy. 1t is real
! " in its nature sort of organized ban
ditti 1t is confined to the large cities,
the old fashioned rural people taking no
stock in it, and it can be said, more prop
erly than anything else, t,ylt it represents
o small amount of intelligence ard
great deal of discomfort.
In the first place, thousands of young
men in Japan who receive partial educa-
ton have an ambition to hold govern
mcnt office. They regard it as the duty Of
the government which eduCates them to
provide them with an office. In other
words, they look to the government for
support. Failing to secure it, they are nat
urally "agin" the administration.
Again, thousands of half educated young
men flock to the cities for higher educa
ton, being assisted in their desires by over
worked frugal peasant parents. Lacking
moral force, they become frequcnters of
teahouses. They live beyond their means
and fall into vicious ways. The inevitable
comes. They exhaust the patience of their
friends. They drop out of their universe
ties, and soon they are ION the town. in
every sense, penniless, disappointed, resent
full. Here we have the nucleus of the
| Shoshi.
These unfortunatcs have some knowl-
edge Of politics. Most of the parties here
are simply personal organizations, and so
these fellows form associations of guer-
rilla character and attach themselves to the
leaders who can promise most, seldom
studying their interests beyond seeking the
man who can pay them the most, secure
them support or find employment for them.
1t frequently happens that these associa-
tons in Tokyo and other cities are pitted
against each other On election days they
fight each other with great viciousncss and
are about as honorable in their dealings as
the old Dead Rabbits of New York city
and actuated by far less principle.
They have no great, declared purpose, so
far as | can discover, but we hear great
deal of them because they have some news
papers, and they are capable of making a
vast deal of noise. The man Koyama To
yotaro, who is now suffering life imprison-
ment in Sendai prison for his attempt
upon the life Of Ii Hung Chang, is very
fair specimen of the Shoshi gang.
OF late it has pleased these gentry to be
very vOciferous about the war. They have
allied themselves with the military party
and have been bowling for vigorous
prosecution of the war They have carried
papicr machc heads of Cinnamon on poles
in procession and have asserted for them
selves n vast amount of cheap patriotism.
They have had much to do with intensity
ing the dislike for foreigners generally and
the hatred of the English particularly.
For instance, when the editor Of the
English-Japan Gazette goes out riding or
a bicycle gets treated to II little gravel at
the hands of some jovial schoolboys, goes
back to his desk and writes terrible lead
er on the innate hostility of Japan toward
his alien countrymen, the Shoshi malig-
nant is on hand to help the ninnyhammer
and add to the chorus his distempered
squawk. He takes advantage of the Eng
lish utteranccs in the press here against his
country to help along the Japan for the
Japanese" movement
Any form of political disturbance helps
him. He will be found now bowling
against the peace settlement and will be
allied with the parties which may essay to
overthrow the Ito-Mutsu administration.
He does not scruplc to use bludgcon and
knife; but, despite all this, the govern
ment does not seem to care much for the
Shoshi us political force. 1t is ashamed of
it, and it suffers considerable annoyance,
but the feeling toward it is that which one
feels for a particularly malignant boil.
There is no way of enumerating the Shoshi
scum but it is safe to say that $4,000
would embrace all that the empire con-
tains. The gangs have no recognized lead
er, and it would be mistake, | think, to
recognize them as any higher than polit-
ical mercenaries. AT the same time there
arc many well meaning, patriotic but mis-
guided young men allied to these organi-
cations, and there is perhaps not one of
them who does not feel that he is ready
and willing to sacrifice himself for the
welfare of Japan.
l saw in Tokyo some time ago a regi-
ment Of the Imperial guard starting for
the front, each man carrying on the back
of his knapsack a dark colored tin case
shaped exactly like the case of fleldglass
Upon inquiry learned that in those recep-
tacles the soldiers carried their day S ration
of cold boiled rice.
observe that the correspondent of the
London Times has informed his journal
that the Japanese government equips its
soldiers with pair of binoculars. He has
seen the neat tin cases in which they are
carried. He is not to be blamed for his con-
clusion, but sometimes it is well to make
a little inquiry. The difference between
cold rice and binoculars is quite marked.
The story about the japanese soldier and
his fleldglasses will be travelling around, !
am quite sure, long after the big features
of the late CEina-Japanese war are forgot
ten.
One man who will suffer great disap-
pointment by the closing of the war is
Prince Komatsu, the generalissimo of the
Japanese army, who started for the front
last week. He is a cousin Of the emperor.
He is about so years of age and is II fine
specimen of japanese manhood. He is one
| of +ba favv IananaSn military men of rank