Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-20

effective force of Sc, 600 men. 23a field guns
and 113 mountain guns. The reserve
i consists of 104. 600, not including the Land
wehr of "a. 600. Thus Japan commenced
the war with $50, 600 perfectly equipped
and thoroughly disciplined troops.
Moreover the officers of both army and
nav are carefully educated for their du
ties in the Japanese naval and military
academies, while many of them have been
sent by the government to complete their
professional studies in the United States
and Germany. And thus it has come to
pass that Japan entered this war under
such conditions as to render her success,
| bv sea and land, as assured as human fore
sight could prepare the way. :,
| Financially, Japan Is In excellent condl-
ton. Her regular revenue is $50, 600, 600
a year; her public expenditure averages
! 81, 900, 900 less than her revenue. Her
home debt s27O, 900. 600, her foreign debt
/ only So, coo, 600. Her currency unit Is the
| gold yen equal to our dollar, but she
maintains her silver yen at par with gold !;
most of her money circulation is govern
ment paper 1881 ZOO, OOO) which is at par
with gold. Hence, it is evident that finan.
cially Japan is as well prepared for this
war as in the perfect equipment of both
army and navy.
And to complete the elements of success
the people of .Tapan-according to the re-
ports of our naval officers-are in hearty
sympathy with the government. The
whole nation has acted like a single man,
bending all it's energies and resources to
attain a single object; with practically
unlimited supply Of troops, ships, arms
and money for carrying on the war and
an unbounded enthusiasm and confidence
Of victory, Japan well counted upon an
issue favorable to her flag.
| When Commodore Perry, forty years
ago, opened Japan to the world, Japan
was quite another country than it is TO-
day. The nominal Emperor OF Japan.
the Mikado, was secluded from mortal
eyes and all power was vested in the ty-
coon, who made treaties in his own name
and exercised supreme power. The coun-
| try was an Oriental feudal despotsm So
ciety was divided into castles as rigidly as
| in India. First came the Mikado's family !;
second, the hereditary shotgun (generaD
commonly called "the tycoon" third, the
high nobles-daimios-2 semi -indepen-
dent feudal mobiles, with immense reve-
nues and armies fourth, the samurai, or
feudal caste-the crossword men''-who
numbered 100000 fifth, the heimin, or
industrial castles; and lastly, the HMM
(which means mot menu who were the
serfs and paupers of Japan.
The feudal system was in full operation
when Commodore Perry entered Yeddo
harbor in 1854. The shotgun and the
daimios were the government; the Mikado
was an unseen figurehead Japan was as
completely feudal as was France in the
days when Pepin, the mayor of the pal
ace, land the princes and dukes of ancient
France kept up the solemn farce of call
ing the Carlovingian king their sover-
eign the country was divided into prin
cipalities among the daimios, whose
castles surpassed the medieval castles of
France, England or Germany in mag
nitued and most of armed retainers the
people were in the condition of the poo
pie of Europe in the time of the Crusades.
In 1867 only thirteen years later, the
present Mikado (whose correct title is
I<otei or Emperor) called upon the ruling
tycoon (or shogun) to resign his powers
into the Emperor s hands; this was accom-
| plishcd after short struggle and the
daimios or feudal dukes, were COM
PEELED to yield their feudal f1efs back to
the Emperor This overthrow of the
feudal system, commenced in 1871, was
| completed in 1877, after a sanguinary
| struggle.
The present constitution of Japan pro-
m ulgated in 1889, established constitu
tional monarchy. The Emperor is the
hereditary head of the empire, the source
of all power, who exercises his executive
powers through cabinet ministers APP
| pointed by him and responsible to him.
| The Emperor alone can declare war, make
peace and form foreign treaties; he exer-
cises his legislative powers through par
lament, consisting of House of Peers
and a House of Representatives each com
prising about three hundred members.
| The representatives are elected by the
people who can prove small property
qualification. No law can go into effect
until it has been passed by tho two houses
of parliament. The Emperor appoints the
judges, who cannot be removed except by
Impeachment. The Emperor swcars to
maintain the constitution and laws, and
we have, in this development of constitu
tional monarchy--in the establishment of
public schools, containing Z, 1876, 412 schol-
ars In 1890, of normal schools (49) and
universities (3). of public libraries (20)
and Of newspapers and magazines (716)-
the proof of Japan's right to claim that 1t
Is a civilized government, firmly estab
lished and constitutionally governed
What Japan has done within the last few
months proves her right and power to be
respected as strong government, to be
respected and treated as such by the great
powers of Europe and America.
| Marvellous has been Japan's advance
in these forty years since she first made
foreign treaty Boston Transcript
| You've No Idea
How nicely Hoods Sarsaparilla hits the
needs of the people who feel all tired out