The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-05-08

and in rank has risen from plain Mis-
ter to Count, Marquis and Prince. He
has encountered much bitter and deter
mined opposition at home, and his for
eign policy has been often criticized
by other nations. But with all his
faults, he has proved his great ability,
and in history he will be reckoned with
the list of the great constructive states
men of the latter half of the nine
teenth century, where shine such names
as Bismarck, Gladstone and Diaz.
Supporting him at times, and at
other times in opposition, are the
three other political members of the
Genro-Matsukata, Inouye and Yama-
gaia. Marquis Matsukata is a year
older than Prince Ito, and has been
connected with financial affairs Of
government ever since the foundation
of the present era. His first great
work was the restoration to value of
SAAO 0SPA ONAoeC0 paper Sdi lClOy
flooded the country after the civil war
of 1877, and the crowning glory of his
career was the establishment of the
gold standard during his premiership
in 1S96-1897. He does not take active
interest in the politics of the day, but
he is influential in the Genro and is
looked upon as the highest financial
authority in Japan.
Marquis Inouye is of Prince Ito's
age, and they have been closely as
ISOLATED ever since their runaway trip
to England in 1863. When they re-
turned Inouye advocated opening the
country to foreigners, whereupon his
fellow clansmen who hated the red
haired barbarians' waylaid him, beat
him and left him for dead When the
Restoration was accomplished, Inouye
was soon taken into the official fam
lily in a high position. He has been a
great executive, but a certain mar
rowness and Intolerance has prevent
ed him from rising to the full meas
ure of his opportunity. The business
of the Elder Statesmen in politics Is
wire-pulling, because it Is only
through this method that they make
their influence felt upon Emperor,
Cabinet or Parliament; and there are
none to deny that Inouye's reputation
as king among wire-pullers is de-
served.
Prince Yamagata, fourth but not
least of the politically active Elder
Statesmen, is seventy years old. He
represents an active opposition to
Prince Ito which extends even into
the councils of the Genro, and he also
embodies the conservative ideas of the
most old-fashicned class of modern
Japanese. He hates political parties,
has but little patience with even the
Japanese make-believe popular gov
eminent, and is largely responsible
for the continued control of the mill
tary spirit in Japanese national af-
fairs. Yamagata is a soldier, and was
himself one of the ablest leaders of
the armies of the clan of Choshu
which resisted the military power Of
the Shotgun a year before the Res
toration of Imperial power. He was
practically the head of the. Imperial
armies in the civil war of 1877 and
has always been identified with the
army. Twice, however, he has been
prime minister, and now is the Pres
ident of the Privy Council. His mil
itary notions of discipline kept him
constantly embroiled with members of
his cabinet when at the head of the
government, and he despises politi-
clans as only a soldier can. Yet it
was he who was at the helm in the
stormy days just before the adoption
of parliamentary government, and his
influence prevented the
radicals from going too far with their
plans and thus wrecking the whole
scheme Of popular representation.
Marshal Prince Oyama is the pure
ly military man in the Genro. The
world came to know his name when
he was commander of the victorious
Japanese armies lin the Manchurian
campaigns against Russia, but in ia
pan his progress as a soldier has been
a proverb for forty years. He is a
nephew of the great Saigo, the mill
tary leader of the Restoration, and
took a distinguishing part in the
civil wars which led to the downfall
of the Shogunate. His life story is
that of soldier He has now retired
to private life, full of honors and of
years. His wife, the Princess Oyama,
was one of the first Japanese women
to go abroad. being one of the students
sent to America in 1871. She was
graduated from Vassar, and through
her Marshal Oyama has always kept
up an intimate acquaintance with
American affairs.
These are the five men who are call
ed the Elder Statesmen. When a great
crisis in affairs in japan comes about
the whole nation turns to them and
asks them what to do. They are all
practical politicians and know how to
pull wires, but the people rightly
think that as they have been connect
ed with New Japan since its birth,
and as their interest in its welfare is
as great as their knowledge is deep,
no other set of men could be trusted
as far.