The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-05

ter to Count, Marquis and Prince H
has encountered much bitter and dete,
mined opposition at home. and his for
elgn policy has been often criticize
| by other nations. But with, all hi
faults, he has proved his great ability
and in history he will be reckoned wit
the list of the great constructive states
men of the latter half of the nine
teenth century, where shine such name
as Bismarck, Gladstone and Diaz.
Supporting him at times. and a
other times in opposition. are tn.
| three other political members of tn,
/ Genro-Matsukata, Inouye and Yama
! gaia. Marquis Matsukata is a yeal
! Older than Prince Ito, and has beer
| connected with financial affairs Of
! government ever since the foundation
| OF the present era. His first great
work was the restoration TO value OF
the deprecated paper currency which
Hooded the country after the civil wal
of 1877, and the crowning glory of his
career was the establishment of the
gold standard during his premiership
In 1S96-1S91. 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 ciansmen 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-puliing, 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 a king among wire-puIlers 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
ernbodies tbs conservative ideas of the
most old-fashioned class of modern
japanese. He hates political parties,
has buS 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 scivil 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
embroiled with members of
his cabinet when at the head of the
government, and he despises poiiu-
clans as only a soldier can. Yet 1t
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 |
v military man in the Genro. The
world came to know his name when |
lie was commander of the victorious |
Japanese armies in the Manchurian |
against Russia, but in ia
oan his progress as a soldier has been
| proverb for forty years. He is a |
nephew of the great Saigo, the mill
airy leader of the Restoration, and
ook distinguishing part in the
ivil wars which led to the downfall |
f the Shogunate. His life story Is
hat Of a soldier He has now retired
0 private life, full OF honors and OF
ears. His wife, the Princess Oyafna'
vas one of the first japanese women /
o go abroad, being one of the students
ent to America in 1871. She was
raduated from Vassar, and through
er Marshal Oyama has always kept
p an intimate acquaintance with
american affairs.
These are the five men who are call
d the Elder Statesmen. When great
risis in affairs in Japan comes ABOUT
he whole nation turns to them ana
SKIS them what to do. They are all
tactical politicians and know how 10
uII wires, but the people rightly
hink that as they have been connect
d with New Japan since its birth,
nd as their interest in its welfare is
s great as their knowledge Is deep,
% other set of men could be trusted
S far.
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