The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-16


In an issue of the Japan Gazette
received yesterday by the America
Maru is the following:
The Jiyu Tsushin publishes an inter
esting sketch of Marquis Ito's plans
regarding Korea, as supplement to
its report of the Representatives ban
quet given in the Resident General s
honor. To quote:
Although the Western people have
called the Marquis ''the father of the
japanese constitution yet this very
veteran patriarch was often fearfully
attacked by his children, namely, the
members of the japanese parliament,
whenever he was in power. 1t was
just twelve years ago when the re-
PROCESSION of the Liaotung Peninsula
was mooted, during the life of his
Cabinet, he was impeached by his OPP
ponents and so on in short, the ablest
statesman of Japan as undoubtedly he
was,-yet whenever he formed
Cabinet, bitter opponents attacked
him; but now the political atmosphere
of Japan has entirely changed and the
reception of which we elsewhere have
written is the very first occasion since
Japan IS parliamentary life began that
delegates of different parties in the
lower house have unanimously agreed
to welcome him, so to speak, the guest
of honor at the parliamentary dinner
which took place last night. The Mar
quis seemed to be extremely delighted
with so great an honor and during his
speech he made, five or six times, the
same remark, saying 81 hardly know
now. to express my deep heartfelt
gratitude for this evenings invitation,
for you here represent our nation"
After the dinner the Marquis was
sitting at a table in the saloon and
many memt ers surrounded him. Oppo-
nents and followers eagerly listened to
his conversation, the main interesting
follows: After he had explained the
real circumstance of the voluntary alb
dication of the ex-Emperor of Korea
certain members asked His Excellency
about the character of the ex-King.
f'Oh yes,'' the Marquis smilingly an
swered, ct told him often and often
that / would devote sincere fidelity to
His Majesty as l was doing to my
August Master and each time he had
said that he would trust me, butt the
Marquis continued, "that trust was
in word and not in fact. Often and
often he told untruths and at last after
| the abdication when he asked me to
take care of the new King I answered
at last to the effect that I had not
| failed to devote all my sincerity to
His Majesty, but that, during his
reign, 1 had to say that he did not
trust me and that hereafter l should
not put any trust in his word. Never
theless, continued, if you promise me
solemnly that you win not interfere
in the politics of your successor L am
certain to devote my faithful diligence
to your service. Then the ex-King
nodded" During the conversation
another member put question lis 1t
not dangerous to allow such an un-
| serupulous intriguer as the ex-King to
| live with the new and so far innocent
one2 Is it not necessary to separate
them2" The Marquis laughingly an
swered "Oh, it is against nature to
| separate father and son, and hereafter
the father will not be so dangerous as
before AT this moment leader of
the opposite party asked the Markuis
how he expected to reform the judicial
| the opposite party asked the Marquis
turning to him answered, eyes that
is the difficult point; at any rate, first
of all, we must codify the civil and
criminal law in the broadcast way, and,
to execute them, japanese must be en-
| ployed but in order to do SO the bur-
| den will be increased on the shoulders
of the japanese nation, so l am to
ask you to vote appropriations for this
and similar purposes" Thereon the
Marquis entered further into like most
interesting topics.
"The domestic press talks as though
| there had been a scramble for official
positions in Korea, but I am struck
with the scarcity of such applicants.
The number of the japanese officials
needed for the Department of Justice,
| etc., is about 800; but to snatch away