Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-20

:"
~ statecraft. the elder states
men of Japan exercise an IN
huence that is all but supreme
- In the affairs of their coun-
try. This remarkable group
of old men has no legal status and
their existence is not recognized by
the constitutional form OF government
They are the survivors OF the young
Nipponese patriots who fifty years ago
undertook to bring their country into
the family OF nations and induce their
people to adopt western civilization.
The Japanese nation recognizes their
success and defers to them IN all
Questions OF great moment, much In
the same fashion that the American
nation might defer today to the opin-
ions of George washington, Benjamin
Franklin Thomas Jefferson and Alex
ander Hamilton If hose men were still
in the land OF the living.
The Genro. as the lder statesmen
group is called In Japanese, is not
sharply defined. Historically eonsid-
cred, the Japanese recognize six liv-
ing men as elder statesmen, but in re-
cent politics the active Sgroup is Inn
tied to four. Prince Ito, Prince Iama-
Rata. Marquis Matsukata and Marquis
Inouye are the controlling spirits to-
day. Marshal Prince Oyama is a mill
tary man and he declined to sit In the
political conclaves OF the Genro. Count
okuma is one of the elder statesmen
historically but he has been for many
wears the leader of the opposition In
Iananese politics. and therefore has
moi participated in the work of the
elder statesmen as a group.
The domestic revolution which pro-
t1uced modern Japan was not the work
of anv one great leader but the SIM
infamous action of great many
Young men who responded to the force
of long accommodating dissatisfaction at
home and to the newly felt pressure
from abroad. The leaders OF the revo-
luton which deposed the Shogunate und
restored the emperor to actual as wen
as nominal power were Okubo, KIDD
and Saigo. They have all passed away,
hut the six living elder statesmen were
closely associated with them In the
early days and afterward bore the
brunt of the political battle which re-
suited in a constitutional form OF
government.
The most interesting of the living
elder statesmen are Prince Ito ana
Count Okuma, the one supreme III pow
er and the other insistent IN opposi-
tion. Prince Ito Is better known TO
foreigners than any other japanese
statesman. He is now nearing the SIX
tv-eighth mile-post of life and Is the
mower behind the throne. the. director
of cabinets and closest personal al
wiser to the emperor. In 1858, wneh
he was 20 years old, he evaded the
authorities and escaped from Japan 70
england in company with Count IN
ouye. another of the living elder states
men. Both were disguised as sailors.
They were provided with plenty oi
money when they left home, but they
gambled 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 RESPONSE
bility for a dangerous undertaking, sent
Inouye out with the dollar to buy
something to eat. He went into
bakers shop and not knowing Woro
of English pointed to loaf OF pread
and held up his dollar The shop wo-
man gave him the loaf, took the dol
lar and ended negotiations. Tne tWo
boys lived on this loaf OF bread untll
the next day, when some friends, VINO
knew of their mission, found them
wandering about London.
When Ito came home he found him.
self In a precarious position, his for-
eign hating clansmen despising him for
his English learning and the foreign
era at the ports distrusting his inten.
tions. But the great KIDD trusted
him and invited him into the councils
of those men who were about to brne
on the revolution. When the shogun
was overthrown and the mikado came
mot his own, Ito acted as interpreter
for the boy emperor when he nrst sa"
the representatives of the foreign pow
ers in 1868; the first occasion In ar
unbroken history of $500 years thai
the emperor of Japan had recognized
the right of embassy. 1t was Ito VINO
had much to do with the preparation
of the imperial edict which granted tt
the Japanese people voice in govern
ment and to which was appended the
signature Of the mikado, the first time
in all history that the name Of an en-
peror of Japan had been written dur
ing his lifetime.
It was Ito who wrote the constitu-
ton by which Japan is governed TO-
day, and it was Ito who guided the
ship of state through the storms OF the
wars with China and Russia. He re.
tired once, but the late war agaif
brought him into activity and he IL
now conducting the affairs OF Japar
in Korea, acting as resident genera
and practically autocrat of the -effett
Korean empire. In this long career
Ito has filled every office of importance
which fitted him, has been prime min
lister several times and In rank mas
risen from plain mister to count, mar
quis and prince. He has encountered
much bitter and determined opposi'
ton at home and his foreign policy