Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-07-11

That the recent attacks on Japan
csc residents in San Francisco has
given rise to the so-called lingo agita-
ZION In Japan is well-known fact
among newspaper readers of this
country. Meanwhile it is, too, appa-
ent that Count Okuma is regarded as
a most Influential exponent of it.
but II any one consider that Count
Ohumas Jlngoism represents public
opinion ID our native country he is
making no small mistake. This fact
can be made clear by considering his
standing IN the internal politics and
LIS lelatlon the progressive party
which has been under his leadership
LOT over twenty years from the begin
nlng OF it. organization until five
months ago, when he was compelled
70 retire from his Iong-held position.
To deal with th.. national problem
from the standpoint Of self-interes+
and to take advantage of the political
situation for the mere purpose of
realizing personal ambitions without
regard to the national interest. are
the serious evils which have been
committed by the base minded and
short-sighted politicians everywhere
throughout the world. In japan of to-
day Count Okuma and the lingo poll
nclans under his leadership belong
TO this class. Their jingo opinion and
| agitation regarding the San Fran
cisco question comes from their per
! SonaI ambition to take the place of
the present party in power. but not
from a statesmanlike aim of solving
satisfactorily this question in behalf
OF the nation. They are looking upon
this question as affording them =
good opportunity to carry out Cheir
long-cherished policy of overthrowtng
the present ministry.
Since he has retired from his long
held position Of leader of the progress.
siVe party Count Okuma has been an.
nounclng that he has no relation with
any party and that he has given I'D
MS political ambitions in order to de-
vote all his time and energy to the
development of WaSheda university
which has been established and main
tanned by him. Regarding his retire
ment different views are held by diff
erent observers. 1t is needless to saw
mat his retirement was due to vari-
GUS motives. But it is also evident
that this retirement means an en-
tire separation between him and his
party is the view of the superficial
! observer. His real relation to the
party has been by no means affected
by this separation. The secret COM
munication between Count Okuma
and the leaders of the progressive
party is an open secret in the political
circle in Japan. Therefore, It is no
accident that his lingo Opinion has
been echoed by he anti-American
agltators of the progressive party
The above indicates that Okuma's
Jlngoism and the agitation for war
are due to internal politics.
Count Okuma is, as the Japanese
would say, man of mouth but not of
hand: man of words, but not of
deeds. He is merely a skillful critic
of politics, but not the man of actual
administration. His short career In
office filled with many plumbers
proves the truth of my words. His
course caused a dimunition of the
confidence Of the nation In him and
in the party under his leadership
For this reason, the progressive
party, which was under his leader
ship for more than twenty years
from its organization to his retire
ment two months ago, could not be
the party in power except In one
case when their cabinet continued
In power for less than two months.
At last, their ambition to be the
party in Office drove them to the So
called Opportunists, who have no fix
ed policy except to make use Of any
and every opportunity that viii fur
Their their ambitions. They changed
their policy as well as their opinions
Consequently the confidence of the
nation in them has diminished more
and more.
At the last session of the imperial
diet they with the Daidoha, a newly
organized political party, made a
joint assault upon the Saionji minis.
try. 1t is inevitable that the Daidoha
is to be political foe of the prog.
ressive, because the former advO-
Gates the establishment Of the minis
terial system of the German type,
and the latter of the English type:
| because the formers political idea
is against the party government, and
the latter's is in favor of it. But
the progressive thirsting for office
was too impatient to consider the
! nature of it at all. Unfortunately for
them and contrary to their expecta-
ton, their assault on the ministry
ended in entire failure. Since this
failure the opportunists had been for
about four. months without any op-
portunity to take advantage of. At
such a time, the sudden occurrence
of the trouble in San Francisco gave
them an unusually good opportunity.
taking advantage of this new chance
they began on the one hand to plan
| new attack on the present ministry
and On the other to regain the public
! confidence. Such plan was manifest
in the recent lingo agitation. It IS
| therefore, self-evident that such agi-