The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-07-15
Make Up of Japan's Diet.
HOUSE OF PEERS.

Japanese cabinet is on very shaky ground
everybody in close touch with political af-
fairs seems to believe
It had n pretty hard time pulling
through the last session of the Diet with
out meeting signal defeat The govern
ment managed 20 get most OF its impor
tant measures through the lower House,
but its victory in the matter Of the gun
abolition bill was tainted by open charges
of corruption of members by direct pay
ment of money. Since those disclosures
Il has been generally felt that the min
istry's life must necessarily be short, and
to this feeling may be attributed the re-
cent play for advantage made by Count
Okuma and his party.
Nobody believes that Count Okuma,
even in the event of "a change precip-
itated by his agitation. would be called
upon to form a cabinet.
Admiral Baron yamamoto and Gen.
Terauchi. the men most prominently
mentioned in connection with the pre-
miership in case there is an early change,
belong to the Yamagata-Katsura fac
ton. Both are good men. Back of them,
however. looms the figure of Count Kat
sura himself. He is bidng his time. If
the conditions should seem suspicious
at the time of the expected change, he
viii manage to have the lightning strike
him instead of either of his lieutenants
Yamagntn Close to Court.
With Marquis Ito kept busy in Korea,
the Yamagata crowd is at present closest
10 the court It may be that conditions
L.
Count Katsura to come to the front at
once, but every political portent points to
the inevitability that in the not distant
future he viii again reach the goal Of his
ambition.
japanese politics presents many divi-
sions and many contradictions. Way down
beneath the surface there is what may
be termed the fundamental division that
has existed from the beginning of the Meiji
era-that is. from the birth of new
Japan-between the Ito and Yamagata
schools Of thought, the former standing
for the expansion Of liberal ideas and for
party government the latter for the DOM
nation Of the executive power. But on top
of this. in another stratum, as it were,
are found the several political parties and
struggle for parliamentary control.
The more prominent of these parties are
the Seiyu-kai and the ShimpO-tO In
common parlance these become by t-ans-
latiOn the liberals. or cOnstitutionalists
and the prOgressists But, so far as name
goes. there is by no means as great a
difference as this English translation
might indicate. "Constitutionalists and
true cOnstitutiOnalists' may be a more
literal translation, and, as for principles
there is about the same degree Of differ
ence as between our Democrats and JEFF
fersOnian Democrats, each claiming the
truer faith
Seiyu-kai Leads All.
In the present Parliament the Seiyu-kai
Is credited with 149 seats and the Shimpo-
to with So. This is in the lower house,
where the divisions are upon political
lines, which is not the case in the House
Of Peers. The House of Representatives
has a membership of 379 Next after the
Seiyu-kai and the Shimpo-to comes the
Daido OTnion) Club, with rs members and
then the Seiko Club, with s. Twenty in
dependents, who do not affiliate with any
Of these groups, complete the roll of mem
bership
These divisions are, however, not alto
gether fixed. Contests over different gov
eminent measures at the last session re-
suited in a series Of secessions or CONVEX
sions, quite a number Of men elected as
candidates Of one party or group trans
ferring their allegiance to some other
However, these changes made no material
difference in the relative strength of the
parties, a conversion to one being as
rule pretty promptly followed by a deser-
ton that acted as an Offset.
The Daido Club is not party, strictly
speaking. 1t is a group Of independents
men either elected as such or deserters
from the cOnstitUtiOnaIlsts and progress
ists-all Of them pretty closely allied with
Count Katsura, former premier. whose
brilliant career as prime minister was
brought to an end by the popular resent
ment at the no idemnity' result of the
Portsmouth peace conference.
Count Katsura is the trusted lieutenant
of Marshal Marquis Yamagata the head
of the military faction This faction is,
as the figures show not very strong in
the House of Representatives, but it has
the active sympathy of the great ma
JOTity Of the House OF Peers, "and even
OF higher quarters" so japanese political
chroniclers relate.
The House of Peers.
In the contests between the various par
ties for control of the lower House. the
peers are assumed to take no active part.
The House of Peers is composed OF sew
eral distinct grOups-hrst, princes of the
blood; second, peers-princes and mar
quises sitting by virtue of their rank;
counts. viseounts, and barons electing a
certain number from among their own re-
speotive classes; third, men Of erudition
or distinguished service named by the
Emperor; fourth, representatives Of the
highest taxpayers elected from among
themselves, one for each prefecture.
For an understanding of the character
of the contending political forces and of
the relationship Of certain leaders to DO
ntical affairs a brief review of party his |
tory may be valuable. The present Seiyu- |
kai founded by Marquis Ito, is in a sense
the successor Of the old Liberal party, to |
whose agitation and efforts the institution I
of constitutional government was IN large
measure due or the progenitors Of that /
party Count Itagaki is the only prominent /
survivor 1t Is q popular fiction amOny