New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-22
REAL RULERS OF JAPAN.
Fire Men, Without Official Position
Their Remarkable Careers.


Their Remarkable Careers.
Japan plays at being a modern constitutional
state. but her cabinets her pariiaments her politi
cal dfscords all the surface writes Bassett
Staines. in The Washington Star" In times Of
crisis. such the present. all real power rePOses
in the Emperor, supported by his "GenrO''-vhch is
freely translated as Elder Statesmen but really
means the wisest and most thoroughly tested
statesmen. These men have NJ recognized official
position. but they simply push the official ministry
aside and take charge of matters whenever the
situation becomes really serious
Imagine that the American commonwealth had
its national existence staked upon war. and that
it was ruled by unofficial committee composed
of Abraham Lincoln, General Grant. Admiral Far
ragut. Grover Cleveland and General Mcclellan
This would give faint idea of the manner i'm
which Japan is ruled to-day The Elder States
men, of different political parties who
have engaged in bitter rivalries in Parliament and
turned one another out of power not twice.
but many times. Most of them have held the posi-
ton of Prime Minister and attained the highest
dgnities which the Mikado can bestOw. Now. their
rivaries over. their partisan labOrs ended they
fer together in perfect harmony and direct the
policy of the nation without regard to the Cabinet
and Parliament they swayed. IL is n unique
kind Of government. which has not its like any
where else in the world.
The Elder Statesmen vary in number according
to the Will of the MikaGO. who calls into council
whom he chooses AT present there are only five
men who really claim the title-Marquis Ito.
Count Matsukata. Field Marshal Marquis Yama-
gata, Count Inouye and Field Marshal Oyama.
Other men sometimes called into conference
with them. such Baron Komura. the Foreign
Minister; Field Marshal Katsura. the Premier. and
prominent officers OF the army and navy. like Adj
miral Togo. Admiral Kabayama and General Ko-
drama But these great perscnages are simply
called in to make their reports upon which the
Elder Statesmen confer and decide. Imagine the
Premier seated In the highest position subject
can All under the constitution, weekly making his
report to unofficial body and taking his in
structions Yet that is what happens
ALL OF SAMURAI DESCENT.
The Elder Statesmen are all Of samurai descent.
It has been well said that 1T is still the samurai
who rules in Japan. from the Premier down TO
the little policeman who stands on the street cor
ner. The Mikado is careful to give representation
to all the four great clans. Marquis Ito and Count
Inouye belong to the Choshiu Clan, Count Matsu-
kata 10 the Satsuma, and Marquis Yamagata and
Field Marshal Oyama 10 the Tosa and Hizen, re-
spectiveiy They all played leading part in break
ing down the old feudaI system Of Japan. The En-
peror Mutsuhto ought to be grateful to them.
for they helped 10 make MN a great nonaEch IN
The I'VE Genro have all had remarkable careers.
but the strangest those Of Marquis Ito and
Count inouye-the David and Jonathan OF Japan
They were boys together. and when they were
old enough they entered the service OF the Prince
Soon afterward Japan was cOnvulsed by the entry
expedition Ito and InoJye hot-headet youngsters
that they were, joined in the cry OF Japan TOT
the foreigners than they were Inouye admits that
the house set apart for the first British Minister
the night before the latter was to occupy it He
h ed w nG to emSr6 his government With TIE
foreigners and prevent them from settling IN the
But even at that early age Ito and Inouye had
that nothing worth while could be accomplished
along those lines. Let learn what the foreigner
IS the only way TO beat him at his own game and
AT that time the edict forbidding japanese to
leave their country was in full force. but the
geher an the money they EoSsessed or could SoT
Engiishmen TO sgse them ao s,Dl one 56 Of
proper price for their passage. but the people who
got the money cheated them They had nothing to
japanese aboard as stowawsys-
HARDsHIPs OF TRIP.
When they were dragged 70 light. two days after
leaving port the captain naturally regarded them
gentlemen OF Japan who had paid for their passage
They were set work scrubbing dishes and swab-
bling the decks. and in the dog watches the sailors
taught them 10 play cards by winning all the
money they had left except 81. with which they
Count Inouye-a genial good hunored man who
enjoys nothing better than joke at his own eX-
pense-s fond of talking about those early expert
ences. Not so the sober. stately Marquis Ito
hungry knowing nobody in the metropolis
utterly ignorant Of Western ways and with only
about a dozen English words in their vocabulary.
They a bakers shop. with beautiful crisp.
brown loaves. IuOuye rushed IN. picked up Of
the Ioaves and gave the baker dollar. The
pocketed the dollar and gave him no change. al
though the proper price only cents. Thus
their first meal in England cost them half their
fhey stayed in London FOR year and probably
they could not themselves tell how they managed
rived from home. and they eSed out bare subsis-
teuCe by performing all kinds Of mental tasks
when they were lucky enough to get work II must
have been terrible life for the young Sanurai.
who had always been used to having the best o.
everything and had been taught from infancy 20
look upon work except that Of the soldier
a unspeaEla bic degradation.
But they stuck II out and accomplished their
purpose Of learning the WAYS OF the Western
world. and then returned To Japan TO find public
affairs i'm "A terrible state. The prince Of Choshu
ers at ShimonOscki and could not be induced u
mai Ike reparaton. Grave trouble brewing.
Ito and InOuye hurried 10 the prince to tell him
the might Of the OCcideut and counsel him 10
avoid Their mission vain; they were re-
hufed by the self opinionated old feudal lord, who
could not imagine that anybody was greater than
of two of her greatest men. for Ito and Inouye
have since admitted that they seriously debated the
question whether in honor they ought not To COM
nit .'harf kir since they had failed in their task
They refrained from doing because they felt
their country might stiIl have need of them
Their zeal for peace with the foreigners and for
the introduction of foreign methods into Japan
speedily enCOmpasSed them with crowd OF on
enieS. one dark night. while ne was walking
To his home In the midst Of heavy snowfall.
InOIye attacked by 4 gang OF aSS3ssinS, almost
cut to pieces by their knives and left for dead upon
tbs snow. He Craw!ed home. faintrS several
ti1e. on the way, and concealed by his
mothe~ until he recovered 1t is said that. beltcv-