The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-27

NON wv 4faDts' VI tStstttLHS III
Pressing QucstiOns-City Water
works Always Owned ana Operated
a.. Municipalities - Government
Owns and Operates Telegraph, Tel
cnEIOnC and Part Of Railroad Sys-
Irru-Tciephonc service Cnsatisfac-
t.rN-I&ailroad Rates-Japan's Ed
rcationaI ProbIems-Nationai Prob
lens in FOr1nosa and Aorea-'Wiil
.Ianan BE Able to Exercise Colonial
Power Without Abusing 1t and
Without Impovcrislling HERSELF"
downright. 1906, by Joseph b. BowIes
=Copyright in Great Britain =
All Rights ReserVed.)
The government of Japan is a con-
-ruutlouaI monarchy in which the
emperor not only claims to rule by
divine right, but by right of divine
hrth. He is described as Heaven
BORN. ANA according to the accepted
history there has been no break in
thu family line for $500 years. Among
no people on earth q there ever
been more universal respect shown,
ur implicit obedience yielded, to the
lei-aing family. There never has
been a. Tt|tII OIL any
gains the emperor. although there
have been numerous conflicts between
the shoguns. For about 1900 years,
from 67v to 1868, the shOguns were,
:uEeEer. the actual rulers, and while
they never questioned the sovereignty
Of the emperor, they did not allow
him to retain much more than the
empty title.
The shoguns were military rulers
and a humble of them were men of
great force and executive ability.
First, the Fujiwara family controlled
the country through the ~ShOgunate for
nearly 400 years: then for a century
the Taira and MinamotO families al
tcrIated in the exercise of power; then
came the HOBO family and others of
loss Importance until finally the IOl1u-
SaWa family became supreme in the
shoGunate and continued in power for
something like 300 years. The en-
pclor lived at Nara until about 1900,
when the capital was moved to Kyoto
where il remained until less than 40
Years ago. Tokyo, on the other hand,
was the seat of the Shotgun power. and
There il a very noticeable difference
between the two cities. The shoguns
fortified their castles and required the
frudaI lords to keep headquarters in
Tokyo. one cannot go through the
palace in which the emperor lived
permanently without noticing how
N.aiu it is as compared with the castle
4 both at kyOtO) in which the Shotgun
resided for q few days during his
annual call pom the emperor. While
ii may seem trans that the real
lu!nrS noVer attempted to become en-
]"roTS in name, it. only shows their
intelligence, for by insisting upon the
~i"r"gnitiOn of the royal family, they
were probably more successful in
maintaining the real authority than
they would have been had they queS-
TONED the divine right of the immCm
oljal rulers.
During the early part of the last
century there began to be a reaction
.2ai1st the Shotgun, and when he
a-rtcI to the treaties opening the
country to foreign intercourse, his ac-
I'"N was aiken advantage of by the
friends of the emperor. When the
f"udal lords of Choshu attacked the
foreign ships at ShilnOnOScki strait
il' shotgun was compelled to pay al
Indemnity of SO ,000,0 900 and attempted
io chaStiSe the hOShu leaders. His
forces We're defeated and ne died o o
u~ItcrWard. The emperor seized upOr
This event and the influential lords OF
'hoshu and Satsuma encouraged hin
jo abolish The ~shOgunate, which he
did in 1868. The new Shotgun &C
copied the situation without a struggle
aud those of his followers who at,
temDtcd a resistance were soo1
routed.
Everything in modern Japan date:
from 1868, which is called the ReStOr.
alton. While in the Restoration the
emperor was acknowledged as The
sole and absolute ruler in whom al
authority was vested, still it was real
~ the beginning of constitutional gov,
eminent, for the emperor ~Voiuntaril,
promised his people a constitution. {
promise which was not finally fulfilled
until 1889.
The ferVor Of patriotism that re
stored to the emperor his origina
authority wrought wonders in Japan
The feuda! lords came forward ant
voluntarily turned their vast estate.
over to the emperor and relinquishec
the authority which they had exer
cised oVer their tenants; then the,
Joined with the samurai (their for
MGR r~etainerS) in supporting the EN-
p"rOr in abolishing all social distinc
ions. From that day to this tn
country has grown more and NOR,
democratic, the reforms working from
me upDer classes down.
In 1889 the constitution promised b
the emperor was promulgated. 1t wa
prepared largely by Marquis Ito VIII
VISITED Germany and modelled tn
document after the PruSsian consti
tuition. The legislative power is vest
ed IN a diet consisting of two houses
-'1" resembling the English House O
t-pfdS and the other resembling on
House OF Representatives. The uDpc
rouse is composed Of the princes O
ne royal blood, ~marquises, Cthese 81
"E virtue Of their rank) counts, Wis
Counts and barons, selected fror