The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-24
/ Would |NJURE HAWAII.
OVERTHROW or THE JAPANESE
MINISTRY.
Marquis Ito's Early Return to Japan
Worrying the iplomats-F Foreign
Politics of an Embarrassing Nature.

Marquis Ito has returned to Japan
and of the motives for his early re-
turn a discreet silence is maintained.
The Japan Gazette published in Iolo-
hama says in late issue, which ar
rived by the Doric yesterday:
Foreign politics, it is alleged, are
of an embarrassing nature, alike in
Corea and Hawaii the outlook is gloo-
my, and the financial situation is pc
culiarly pulling. For some or for all
of these reasons a strong impression
is abroad that the arrival of the Mar
quis will be the signal for the over
throw of the present ministry. One
paper has even gone so far as to mem
ton the composition of the new Cab
met and to apportion the portfolios.
Even if the representation proves
correct we think the positions are
wrongly assigned. because Baron Ito,
who will certainly have an important
post in the next Ito Cabinet. has no
place allotted to him by the enterpris-
ing newspaper. And if such Il Cabi-
net were formed it would argue i'll for
the speedy settlement of the question
of Hawaiian annexation.
! "Mr. Hoshi has been treated with a
scant courtesy by Mr.. Sherman. it rs
even reported that he was not accord
I ed that treatment which a gentleman
in the position of representative of a
nation is entitled to expect from the
representative of another power Mr..
Hoshi is not a man to forget slight.
he is one of the haughtiest of the
Younger statesmen, and though we do
not imagine that he would permit pri-
vate irritation to imperil national SAT
ETY., the ranking of IA sense of offend
ed dignity, might easily make him as
Foreign Minister less amenable to
conviction on questions he had for
merly to discuss as the mouthpiece of
another Government. The appoint
ment of Mr.. Hoshi would not then tend
to smooth relations between America
and Japan. but as Mr.. Hosh is not yet
Minister and the Matsukata Cabinet
is still in power. perhaps the consider
alton of what might happen is mere
waste of time. 1t is however interest
ing as illustrating the belief that pre-
walls in certain quarters. But when
we come to inquire why the existing
government should be overthrown nc
sufficient reasons are apparent to the
mere foreign observer. The Hawaiian
difficulty has been referred to arbi-
traton, a satisfactory method of so
luton at which even the most rabid
cannot cavil and for a time at least
annexation is deferred
"As to Corea the decided statement
of Mr.. Curzon, which was in all like
lihoOd due to an understanding be
tween the Japanese and English gov
ernments, ought to be gratifying tC
the greatest opponent of Russia's at
tempts at the absorption of the Corear
Peninsula, though some of the more
ardent are angry that Russia has beer
permitted to gain the footing she has
already obtained. At home the stand
ard is to be changed to gold. Many
gloomy forbodings as to the result o.
this legislation have appeared in the
Japanese papers, but we believe its
Inauguration will be attended with lit
tie loss and that the results will jus
tify the experiment. At any rate
some time must elapse before a trust
worthy opinion can be formed, and il
would be as unfair to saddle a new
Cabinet with the duties of the trans
: formation as it would be to condemn
in advance the present Cabinet.
THE only real danger lies. as fan
as we can see, in raising the money
for the $60,0O0,0O0 loan to supply the
! deficiencies of the last budget. Tha
was legacy of the Ito Cabinet. II
all other respects there is nothing tC
call for harsh criticism. Until tn,
Diet meets and the new legislation i.
introduced we can discover nothing
that can legitimately be made the ba
sis of an attack. 1t cannot be sale
that Count Okuma has failed it is pre-
mature to allege that Count Matsu
kata's financial schemes will prov,
abortive."