The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-01-16
0KUMA, THE SAGE OF WASEDA.
ON BIG FORTUNES IN JAPAN

900. That is to say, both fortunes
have increased SO times within 80
years. The greatest part of the in.
crease, the count said, had come
within the last 10 years. y,
When L ventured to ask Count
Okuma if he had thought about the
cause or causes of this concentrar
, ton of wealth he promptly answered
| that he had, and that he believed
| there were four factors. Ia
First of these was, he said, gov
ornamental favor, although he did
not treat it as very important. The
favor consisted of bounties, subsi-
dies and guarantees; but altogether
these did not amount to much. He
| included the tariff also.
"A second factor he considered to
be good luck Chance had certainly
| favored the Mitsui, Iwasaki and
other rich people.
a third factor was ability. That
these people had shown this he con-
sidered to be beyond dispute.
A fourth factor was foresight"
When the count came to explain
what he meant by foresight the real
secret of the concentration was
made clear. 1t consisted of acquir-
ing such governmental privileges as
railroad rights, or such publicly
sanctioned privileges as ownership in
natural agencies-land AS to land,
he said, that Mitsui, Iwasaki and
others had made a great deal Of
money by the rise in value. This
increase was Increment value" that
is, due to increasing population in
the cities and to social improvement
Attention passed from this to "A
question in which he took a more
immediate interest, and that was the
tariff.
The Japanese tariff at first had
been a mere revenue device and was
small. But with the great increase
in the cost of government, the tariff
had increased, and had brought with
it the idea of protection. This policy
of protection would be of advantage
to some individuals, the count i'm
piled. but it could not benefit the
people as a whole. 1t was false po-
litical economy.
But. he said, the industrial and
commercial prosperity of Germany
and the United States was cited as
proof of the wisdom of protection
Such argument he called childish
Germany owed her prosperity not to
protection, but to her development of
science. The United States owed its
prosperity not to protection. but to
| wonderful natural resources.
The count said that he had four
years ago discussed this question of
protection in the United States in
an article in the North American
Review, and he had attributed the
trine. The sentiments he had there
| expressed he had not since changed
He believed both Germany and the
United States were prosperous in
spite of their tariffs, and he deeply
| regretted to see the appearance Of
sentiment in Japan in favor of
| the evil principle.
With the laissez falre principle
| operating-that is to say, with trade
left unhampered-he had no fear for
] Japan's industries. Was she not
/
ic acid. soda ash, matches and cot
ton fabrics into China and other
parts of the cast. against the com
petition OF the world? These were
but the beginnings. with unhamper-
! cd trade. other exports soon would
follow.
But the tariff policy Is calculated
to Interfere with this natural devel-
| opment. Indeed. it is putting tax
on the importation of rice and flour
two of the life staples-which
shows To what II stage the protec-
tive idea has been carried In Japan.
The count announced himself q free
trader, lie wants all hlndrancc to
| commerce removed. He Is not at all
afraid that his country will not give
good account of himself where the
race Is open to all. This scorn OF a
tariff he expresses on all occasions.
public and private