Evening star., 1908-01-15
Furore Over Cabinet Crisis Ap-
proaches Panic.
CIRCLES ASTIR
Tenure of Marquis Saionji Ministry
Is Problematical.
ONE RESIGNATION !
TODAY
Constitutionalists May Garry the
Budget Issue to the Country.
immigration Not a Feature.

TOXIC. January 15.-Nakashoko. vice
minister of communications resigned to-
day He will be succeeded by Muzuka
of the railroad bureau.
An accurate prediction concerning the
probable life of the Marquis Saionji's cab
met is improbable. The inability of the
designations of the ministers of finance
and communication has created
situation approaching a political panic.
Even those best informed are unable to
forecast tomorrow's developments with
any degree of certainty.
The concensus of opinion IS to the effect
that the present cabinet, either with dou-
BILE portfolios or possible additions, will
face the new diet. which, after the gen
eral elections of the spring, will open
July o. The posts of minister of finance
and minister of communications were
made vacant yesterday. They were at
once filled temporarily by the minister
of justice taking up also the duties of
the former and the minister of the in
terror taking up also the duties of the
latter.
An effort is being made today to fill
these vacancies, but there is a difficulty
encountered in securing the consent of
statesmen to accept the responsibility
under existing circumstances.
To Force Government to Appeal.
The opposition, and even the friends of
the government. are apparently deter
mined to force the government to appeal
to the country. With an unpopular bud
get, the consttutionalists lack nine votes
OF an actual majority In the lower house
Reliable authorities think the constitu-
tionalists will refuse to accept the govern
ment's financial policy when the budget
is presented.
In that event the cabinet will resign.
he diet will be dissolved and the former
budget will be continued until another
cabinet Is formed and new budget
passed.
BY such method the constitutionaljsts
may be in a position TO appeal to the
country and say they are not responsible
for Premier Saionjis mistakes They can
also point to the fact that they repudiated
budget involving increasing taxation
the suspension of public works and the
unnecessary heavy expenditures for the
army.
New Cabinet Talk.
1t is believed that with such a position
the constitutionalists will secure ma
jority at the general elections, and that
the cabinet will be formed by MARQUIS
AAtAeodio "a, tiiC GA ~ CIiiieI, VI pOSSlDly Dy
Admiral Baron Gombei YamamoSo. The
latter. however. is improbable
There is no reason TO doubt that the
present situation is due entirely to the
financial problem. The immigration uues-
tion Is absolutely unaffected and had
nothing to do with Fastening the climax.
1t Is believed on all sides that the i'm
migration questions which exist with
America and Canada will be settled ami
cably. In fact. since the present critical
situation developed the immigration ques-
tion has been hardly mentioned.
An interesting feature of the situation
is the increasing influence of the com
mercial classes in the politics of Japan
Yoshiro Sakatani. ex-minister of finance
is the SON. Jaw of Viscount ShibusaWa,
who bitterly opposed the proposition TO
increase the taxation In common with
other prominent business men who were
antagonistic to the continued heavy ex-
penditures on the army