The Washington herald., 1908-04-20
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Special Correspondence Of The Washington Herald.
Tokyo, March 6.-Occupying a position
absolutely unique in modern statecraft'
the elder statesmen Of Japan exercise an
influence that Is all but supreme in the
affairs of their country. This remarkable
group OF old men has no legal status ana
their existence is not recognized oy the
constitutional form OF government. They
are the survivors OF the young Nipponese
patriots who ffty years ago undertook to
bring their country into the family Of na-
tions and induce their people TO adopt
Western civilization. The japanese ma
ton recognizes their success and defers
to them in all questions of great mo-
ment, much in the same fashion that the
American nation might defer to-day to
the opinions of George Washington. Ben
jamin Franklin, Thomes jefferson. and
Alexander Hamilton if those men were
still in the land OF the living.
The Genro. as the elder statesmen group
IS called in japanese, is not sharply de-
fined. Historically considered. the Japa-
nese recognize six living men as Elder
Statesmen. but in recent politics the ac-
tice group is limited TO four. Prince Ito.
Prince Yamagata, Marquis Matsukata,
ana Marquis Inouye are the controlling
spirits to-day Marshal Prince Oyama is
a military man and he declined 20 sit in
the political conclaves OF the Genro.
Count Okuma Is one of the Elder States
men historically but he has been for
many years the leader of the opposition
in To-, HaIa ..F
participated in the work OF the Elder
Statesmen as group.
The domestic revolution which pro-
duced modern Japan was not the work
of any one great leader. but the stimuli
taneous action of great many young
men who responded tc the force OF long
accommodating dissatisfaction at home and
TO the newly felt pressure from abroad.
The Leaders Of the revolution which de-
posed the Shogunate and restored the
Emperor 10 actual as we'll as nominal
power were Okubo. KIDD. and Saigo
They have all passed away. but the six
living Elder Statesmen were closely as
sOciated with them in the early days and
afterward bore the brunt OF the political
battle which resulted In a constitutional
form Of government.
The most interesting Of the living FL
der Statesmen are Prince Ito and Count
Okuma. the one supreme in power and
the other insistent In opposition. Prince
Ito is better known 10 foreigners than
any other japanese statesman. He is
now nearing the stXty-eighth mile post
Of life. aud is the power behind the
throne, the director of cabinets. and
closest personal adviser 10 the Emperor.
In 1853, when he was twenty-five years
old, he evaded the authorities and es-
capped from Japan TO England IN COM
pany with Count Inouye, another of the
living Elder Statesmen. Both were dis
guised as sailors. They were provided
with plenty of money when they left
home but they gambed with the sailors
on the way. and when they arrived in
London they had but one silver dollar.
Ito, always master OF the art OF shifting
responsibility for a dangerous undertake
ing, sent lnbuye out with the dollar to
buy s0methiI~ 20 eat. He went into a
bakers shop and not knowing a word
OF English, pointed to a loaf of bread
and held up his dollar. The shop-WOman
gave him the loaf, took the dollar, and
ended negotiations. The two boys lived
on this loaf Of bread until the next day,
when some friends who knew of their
mission, found them wandering about
London
o, hen Ito came home he found himself
in a precarious position. his foreign-hat-
ing eIansmen despising him for his Eng
lish learning and the foreigners at the
ports distrusing his intentions. But the
great KIDD trusted him and invited him
into the councils Of those men who were
about 10 bring on the revolution. When
the Shotgun was overthrown and the Mi
kado came into his own Ito acted as in
terpreteF for the boy Emperor when he
first saw the representatives OF the for
eign powers IN 1858. the first occasion in
an unbroken history Of $500 years thai
the Emperor Of Japan had recognized the
right Of embassy. II was 10 Ito, who had
much TO do with the preparation Of the
imperial ediet which granted to the
japanese people a voice in government
and to which was appended the signature
of the Mikado. the first time in all his
tory that the name of an Emperor OF
Japan had been written during his life.
time
II was Ito who wrote the constitution
by which Japan is governed to-day, and
il was Ito who guided the ship Of state
through the storms of the wars witt
China and Russia. He retired once, bu
the late war again brought him into &C
tivity, and he is now conducting the af-
fairs Of Japan IN Korea, acting as resi-
dent general and practically autoerat oi
the effete Korean Empire. In this Ions
career Ito has filed every office Of i'm
portance which fitted him; has beer
prime minister several times. and in rank
has risen from plain mister TO count
MARQUIS, and prince, He has encoun-
tered much bitter and determined oppo
sition at home, and his foreign policy
has been often criticised by other ma
tions But with all his faults he hat
proved his great abality, and in history
he will be reckoned with the list OF th'
great constructive statesmen of the lattel
half Of the nineteenth century where
shine such names as Bismarck, Glad
stone. and Diaz.
Supporting him at times, and at othel
times in opposition. Gre the three othel
= political members OF the Genro- Matsu
kata. Inouye and Yamagata Marquis
Matsukata Is a year older than Primes
Ito and has been connected with fnan.
cial affairs OF government ever since th'
foundation Of the present era, His frs
great work was the restoration to value
of the deprecated paper currency whicl
flooded the country after the civil war o
1877, and the crowning glory Of his caree
was the establishment of the gold stand
.ard during his premiership in 1SS6-lS97
He does not take active interest IN TN
politics of the day, but he is Influential
IN the Genro and Is looked upon as th
highest financial authority in Japan.
Marquis Inouye is OF Prince It0s age
and they have been closely associated