Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-21

l.I<(lR#t IHa Is Ile great VI
W HAz]l Japan and in many respects
MI has the most interesting per-
ia Vii sonality In the land of the
szN4l rising sun. He is peculiarly
interesting to Americans be-
cause of the fact that 1t was he who
led the Japanese protest against the
United States when the San Francisco
school question and the immigration
agitation first came up. AS the leader
of the opposition, Count Okuma un~
doubtedly seized upon these questions
as a club with which to belabor the
government, but at the same time he
did not compromise with his conscience
to do so. He holds that the Japanese
people are racially the equal of other
peoples, or rather that there is no diff
ference of degree inherent in difference
of race.
Historically, Count Okuma is ac-
counted one of the elder statemen, but
as the leader of the opposition and as
an essential democrat he has not been
limited to that privileged circle of the
Genro which directs Japanese national
and international policy. His influence
upon affairs of state is not to be under
estimated, however for his attitude In
opposition has been such that many of
his ideas have been forced upon the
government and the Japanese public
still hears him gladly. OF the six sur
vivors of the group of men who
brought about the restoration and made
new Japan possible, Count Okuma Is
the most democratic and Prince Yama-
gaia the most aristocratic. Between
these two Prince Ito has steered q
n iddle course and has become the
greatest constructive statesman of the
orient. The student of comparative
history cannot fail to compare his
course with that taken by Washington.
midway between the policies of Hamil-
ton and the ideals of Jefferson. And
TO, like Washington, leans more to the
conservative than to the democratic.
While Japan has adopted the forms
of popular government the voice of
the people in affairs of state is heard
but as from afar. Count Okuma is
both admired and suspected because of
his democracy, and If that quality has
won him many warm admirers among
the people 1t has also lost him the in
fiuence with the governing class which
he might otherwise WELD. The explain
alton of his status goes farther back
than the modern political career of the
elder statemen. In old feudal Japan
the two strongest clans were those Of
the Choshu and the Satsuma. These
two clans still rule in Japan, despite
the changes in form of government.
Centuries of clan feeling cannot be
ONClL III a low oNNooO0s
Both Ito and Yamagata are of the clan
of Choshu. Count Okuma can claim
alliance with neither of these ruling
families. EIe is without the pale of the
oligarchy, and has maintained his in
fluence by sheer force of character.
broadness of mind and knowledge OF
practical politics. Yet his power has
been great In the days when it was
etf xvhAfnnr the restored
emperor would resign the greater part
of his power to the people, Okuma
stood as the champion of popular
rights. His program was always modi-
fled by the powers that were. but never
theless he always gained part of what
he fought for. He was the founder OF
the Progressive party in Japan, has
been prime minister and now, although
Tired from active politics. Is still to
be reckoned with as "a power. He, like
the other elder statesmen, has been
connected with governmental affairs
from the time of the downfall of the
Shogunate. He was the intimate friend
of Olkubo. one of the great triumvirate
which brought about the restoration,
and is today regarded as the highest
authority upon questions of Japanese
history of the past half century.
Fifty years ago Count Okuma was
boy of twenty living in a small Japan
ese town, trained in the virtues of the
ancient Japanese learning and sharing
with his fellows all the beliefs and
pre1udices of their exclusive race. But
to these ideas he added curiosity, and
curiosity was his making. The visit of
Commodore Perry and the granting of
treaty rights to foreigners by the Sho-
gun had set all Japan to talking about
the "red- haired barbarians." The law
set it's face sternly against the Chris
tian religion and missionaries, and
while Okuma approved of the law, his
curl osity impelled him to inquire about
these strange people.
So 1t happened that Okuma heard OF
an American missionary who was Sc
cretly spreading the forbidden doctrine
in the country He went to DR. Veer-
heck as Nicodemus went to Jesus, by
night. From that renowned missionary
the young Okuma learned OF the great
world outside of Dai Nippon, of the ma
tions where men ruled themselves anu
of the precious doctrines OF the rights
Of man First of all he learned to read
the RibIe Then came the one political
document which the devoted missionary
nossessed, the declaration of independ-
ence.
Young Okuma read the immortal
charter of American protest ana lnde-
nendence and his soul was set on hre:
Inst the other day, seventy years old
and blessed with every comfort when
man can claim, he sat in the magnin-
cenr library of his handsomely appoint