The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-22

call that the city was perfectly quiet by day; that the wrecking of the semi-oin- cial kokumin's office was eireumstantlai- " described in the yellow Nikoru ELK hours before 1t occurred ana that when the troops appeared to replace the hateo police they were received with lusty pan zais In short, the rioting followed dis- tinct plan of protest and at the end even partook more of the nature or horse- play than of brutal mob wrath.
 It Is hard for the Japanese, understano- Ing these things, and holding, as they oo, that all rioting would have been aVoioeo had the people been allowed to noid their meeting without interference rom the police, to be reminded by their mentor. the London Times, that nation desir- ous of maintaining it's position on the international surface, which Is essentially treacherous. ought to be most cautious.
 Police Lose Prestige.
 It seems, however that the nation has been severely shaken if not permanently damaged, in the discrediting of It's police system. For quite one generation the grave and gentle hammered police nave worn their two-handed swords as direct successors to the samurai. When for- eigners began to come to Japan under the treaties of the new era, the two- sworded samurai were a constant danger
  All outward mark of their gentle almost noble, standing was gone and when one tries to realize their worship or thelr swords, it ceases to seem strange that thousands of these gentlemen joined the sworded police. What their influence was in those early days Is shown by the fact that when the great Saigo rebelled and drew about him the strong men of Satsuma. the army drafted from the common people was powerless against him until the Samurai police were called in to support them.
 Now the situation is absolutely re- versed. Throughout the capital, in Yoko- hama, Osaka and Kobe the soldier stands calm and confident behind his bayoneted Murata, while beside him, subdued and sheepish, Is the poor police. The effect upon the lawless classes and indeed, up- on the nation at large, of this collapse of the system which not only guarded the public, but in many ways educated and refined the lower classes, can hardly be overestimated. Until now Tokio has been the quietest and safest city of It's size in the world. It will be marvel If it con- tinues to be such.
 Now. ten days after the outbreak, all violence has apparently subsided, but the peoples indignation at the peace terms Is far from weakening. Every day meet ings of protest against the disgraceful peace treaty occur here and there throughout the provinces, and the leading metropolitan journals insist that the only way to retrieve the situation Is for the ministry to resign. The political parties are actively endeavoring to utilize the situation for their own advantage.
 MsIed by the Ministry.
 The most thoughtful opinion seems to be that the ministry is largely responsi- ble for at least tacitly permitting the peo- pie to expect too much, treating as prob- able and natural terms of peace which have since proved to be impossible. As result of this policy of not taking the people into their confidence the national expectations had arisen during the last few months to an extravagant pitch. One journal published a map on which the whole east of Asia from Korea to Kam- chatka was colored with vermilion indi- eating It's idea of the appropriate terms of peace and with a decided tinge of pink over Manchuria also, denoting Ja. pans preponderating interests there. Practically every one confidently expect ed large indemnity and the whole of Sakhalin. In addition to a free hand in Korea and the Liaotung peninsula and the open door in Manchuria. In fact, the Judgment of the people was that with out peace on such terms 1t was better to continue the war.
 The sudden drop from the imaginary to the real, with the news of concession after concession on Japan's part at the critical point of the negotiations upset the mental balance of the nation tempo faril2, and nothing less than the over throw Of the present ministry will bring real peace to the sadly disappointed Jap anesc. W