Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-07
THE ELDERsTATESMEN
Group of Meh Who Have
Made Modern Japan.
0VERTHREW Shotgun
HAVE GUIDED THE NATION FOR
THIRTY-FIvE YEARS.
Posses the Confidence Of the Govern
ment and the People-Their
Characteristics.

| VI tnat remarhaoie battalion or young re-
| formers and revolutonists who overthrow
the Shotgun of Japan and restored the en-
peror to power; who have built up a nation
and guided 1t through thirty-five critical
years of social political and industrial and
commercial development, only six remain
alive. and five of them are now gathered
| around the throne advising the emperor and
| his ministers as to the conduct of the war
| with Russia. They are called 1.-THE genro'
and the elder statesmen" and the wisdom
| of their counsels commands the entire con-
| fidence Of the government and the people
They are: =
Marquis Ito, IL.
Marquis Yamagata, -. y
Count Matsukata,
Count Inouye,
Count Okuma and
Count Itagaki
All of them except Marquis Ito the ablest
and the most prominent Of the group came
from the samurai class, the knighthood of
Japan the professional soldiers of the old
regime. Ito was a haimen, or peasant
Matsukata born in Tokyo The re-
mainder came from the outside provinces
During the exciting events, the social tur-
MOL and political complications that at
tended the restoration these young men
came to the surface of affairs by reason of
their ability. their strength of character
and other qualities which make leadership.
AL Extraordinary Men.
All of them are extraordinary men: of
brilliant intelects. personal magnetism and
distinguished individuality They would
have been eminent in any country In Japan
they were favored by having an unoccupied
field of activity and unprecedented oppor-
tunfties to display their talents in the crea-
ton of great nation without the embar-
easements that handicapped Washington.
Jefferson Hamilton and the other fathers
of our republic. Their respect for and con-
fldence in each other made them friends
throughout many exciting conflicts AL
though all of them haye been leaders of
parties with distinct. policies. antagonistic
purpose and personal rivalries, they have
retained the affection for each other that
was born in the stormfOf la tile and will last
as long as their lives.o. Differences as to
national policy and parliamentary measures
have often brought them into collision in
the parliament and before the people and
they have been rivals for the favor of their
emperor.
Yamagata and Matsukata stood together
and were leaders of the, same political mar
ty. but after the constitution was proclaim
ed in 1889 they began to drift apart va
magata became the head of the conserva-
tive party. while Ito organized the seiyu-
kai. or liberal party which has divided the
responsibility of government. Yamagata,
Matsukata. Ito, Okuma and Itagaki have
alternated as prime ministers Yamagata
has held the office twice, Ito three times:
and among them theyehave monopolized the
control of the ministry.
Itagaki the Rousseau of Japan.
Itagak is a radical, occupying the skir-
mish line of liberalism and has even suf-
fered imprisonmenLfor his advanced views
He Is the father of free press and free
speech in Japan, and author of the clauses
in the constitution which guarantee those
r.rt,s
socialistic tendencies, but that does him an
injustice. He is however an idealist, and
many OF his theories are impracticable. He
is more OF a dreamer than a worker; a ha-
Dltual reformer and unreliable party
man. He can never be depended upon to
support any platform and is likely to turn
against his own political associates if their
plans and policies do not conform to his
ideas of justice and right
He has been called the Rousseau of ia
pan-an atheist. a sentimentalist and self
sacrificing friend of the poor. He talks of
liberty, equality and fraternity he de-
votes his time to the organization of work.
ingmen's clubs. and to the organization of
labor against capital, and has party or
following of Importance. He is a poor
man, as poor as he was thirty years
ago, and has never had money. He owns
little place at Tosa, on the Island of Shi-
koku, and Is now living there in retirement
while the rest of the group are occupying
honorable places near the throne.
S SoPh0CoC 44oAl1AIOA.
Count Okuma, who, may be ranked next
to 1tagak In liberalism, and who has been
associated with the latter more closely than
any other Of the group in political move
ments is as different from him as two men
can possibly be. While Itagaki is an ideal
fst and purely a theorist, Okuma Is in
tensely practical, and Is not only the author
or the existing financial system of Japan,
put from the beginning has been the most
6r,n, faI T.
empire. Nine years ago, when I was over
here, L interviewed him concerning the
plans OF the government for the adoption
OF gold standard, which has since occur
red, and called him THE John Sherman of
Japan" He might be called the Alexander
Hamilton OF Japan also, and has taken that
prflilant young statesman as his example
Okuma is very rich He is the only one
OF the genro" who has accumulated
money He spends the income of his enor-
-mous fortune in very wise way. He is
He has the finest library, the finest coiIec-
tlon OF orchids. chrysant hemums and pic
lures IN the empire. His garden, which
surpasses everything In the way of land
DAYS IN the week His house is a palace, |
but he Is very democratic in his habits and
associations, and has surrounded himself
with a group of young disciples whom he
fairs. |
He founded and supports from his private |
means the Waseda College, one of the most |
advanced institutions of learning in Japan, |
with between three and, four hundred stu |
oents, many or them being poor but ambi- |
uous young men assisted by him. He Is |
educating them to perpetuate his ideas and |
carry out the policy tofl administration he |
mas Deen advocating. He founded this col |
!ege because he did not approve of the |
prano OF political economy taught at the |
Imperial University. I N
Leader Of the Progressives.
While okuma's public services have been
chieny as minister OF finance and in con-
necuon with the financial management OF |
the government. for twenty-five years he
mas been the leader, Of the progressive
p prinSina, radical wing of the liberals The
prlncipai plank in his platform proposes to
susp .hs emperor of much Of his authority |
Gu iuahe the cabinet responsible to the
cHanper OF deputies as the representatives
u I'll 'ne people instead OF to the sovereign
TO- the reader of the liberal party. does
not 80 SO far Itagaki the leader OF the
r , goes farther While Okuma has
nevSr succeeded in securing majority of
par Ia anent' ne has frequently had as many
aS wv Votes or one-third of the total. and
seFslai times has held the balance OF power
-, IL that pody. Thus he has been able to
t .uiln coantions that have given him prac-
ti Lea cohtroi OF the government At one