Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-11-25
POLITICS IN JAPAN:
Constitution Is Framed on the
Lines of Germany's.
CABINET DEPENDS ON THE LORDS
without Support Of the House OF
Yamagata the One Man Able to
Control the Peers-HOuse Of Repre-
sentatives Gaining In Power.

Yamagata the One Man Able to
Control the Peers-House Of Repre-
sentattves Gaining In Power.
The history Of the slow formation of
parties in Japanese politics, coupled as
It is with the outbreak of the present
war and the fall of Marquis Ito from
political power, forms one Of the most
interesting stories of modern Japan,
says John F.. Bass, the Tokyo CORE
spondent of the Chicago News.
Japan's constitution is framed after
the German constitution because the
German constitution preserves to a
great degree the influence Of the SOY.
ereign in political life. The cabinet
under the Japanese constitution looks
to the mikado and not to the house of
representatives for it's support. 1t
does not seek the favor of the people,
but the good will Of the sovereign.
The inf1uence-indeed, the very exist.
ence-of party, therefore, in the Japa-
uese parliament is due to the tendency
Ut the individual to develop along mod.
ern fines of government rather than
any place occupied by party by virtue
either of the institutions of the country
or the new form Of governemnt
adopted.
Take the present Japanese govern
Ment. 1t represents not the electora!
vote of the people. but the victory Of
the two great clans of Japan. the Sar-
sulna and Chosiu, those clans which
we're prominent in the restoration Of
tls cower of the emperor. They rule
by virtue Of their aristocracy
The SatsGma and Chosiu clans origi
mated in the south of Japan at the
strait of Simoncseki. The Satsuula
clan was south Of the strait, the Cho-
stu north. The Satsuma clan produced
the great soldiers of Japan, and the
head Of the clan is now Admiral Yam
amoto, minister of the navy. The
Chosiu clan produced such statesmen
as Ito an9 Kodama.
The house Of representatives cannot
force 4 minister to resign - that is
to say, theoretically it cannOt-because
the ministry can theoretically dissolve
times as the house fails to support it,
The cabinet seeks the favor of the SOW
ereign. AS long as it has his support
It can according to the constitution CON
tinue to rule. Curiously enough. the
discretion OF the sovereign prevents
serious or permanent breach between
the representatives of the people and
!Ae government.
However independent of the house
of representatives the cabinet may
seem in theory, in practice the hous;'
Is gaining more power. The cabine:
may dissolve the house a number o.
times, but if on. reelection the peopis
support the action of the house TIE
emperor is sure to dismiss his cabinet,
saying that a cabinet that does not re.
tain the support Of the people cannot
have his confidence.
With the house of peers it is differ.
ent. Without the support Of the uppe;
house the cabinet can pass no bills.
Moreover, the cabinet cannot dissolve
the house Of peers. 1t is of the high
est Importance that some one in the
government should lie able to carry
the house of peers, and. in the present
government, Count Yamagata is the
one man in Japan who is able to con.
troll the house of peers. Therefore the
government has need of him.
In the house of peers there are no
parties. only spheres of influence or
cliques depending entirely on the per-
sonality of leaders. but in no way on
political principles. The theoretic has
&c little hold on the Japanese people
that parties founded on political doc
trines are exotic plants.
Marquis Ito some years ago conceiv-
ed the idea that strong party or
SANITATION in the house Of representa-
tives was the one thing that would
benefit Japan and put the government
on a more democratic basis. He or
ganized, therefore, that great hetero-
geneous party, the Senkai. But after
having organized it he found it very
difficult to manage. Still, with his
great acumen as politician he might
in time have been able to control this
big party if unforeseen opposition had
not arisen