Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-02-02

dCCOLupllC0S were IOuuQ guilty Oh plOC-
ting against the life of the crown
prince and other high officials Of the
empire. Kotoku and his wife and ten
others were sentenced to die. The
sentences of twelve of the conspira-
tors was placed at Imprisonment for
life. The chief Justice in pronouncing
sentence declared that it had been a
fair trial and that the following facts
had been established:
"Kotoku and his associates plotted
violent revolution by means Of ex-
plosives and deadly weapons. They
intended to plumber the wealthy, burn
the government Offices, assassinate
high officials, attack the imperial
palaces, and attempt the life of the
crown prince, whose palace is less So
curely guarded than that Of the
mikado.'
The Japanese papers, as one con-
expresses It, speaks with
out the least sympathy for these
socialists who think that the only way
to usher in the reign Of socialism Is
by first tearing down the political
structure Of the Japanese state, and
reducing it for a time to q condition
of anarchy"
Japan is now having some of the
troubles that must necessarily, or, at
any rate, do come with the present day
civilization. For the past forty years
Japan has been studying and learning
about as fast as it is possible for the
human mind to travel. Much of this
study has been devoted to military
matters. Japan has sent students to
all nations to study their military
tactics and systems-to get detailed
knowledge and make detailed reports.
These students did their work well.
They went home, made their reports,
held public meetings, made inspiring
and patriotic appeals to the people to
become interested in the military side
of government. They became inter
ested in It, It was an easy matter in
Japan to get an audience to listen to a
Warlike talk. In the mixture Of Tartar
and Malay blood of which the Japanese
nation is made, are hundreds of gen.
erations that knew little else but war.
It therefore required but little effort
to work the native Japanese into q
trained soldier. He became soldier
and he went to war. japan whipped
later. It's people have been victorious
in war, but there is no war now in
sight for them, and the country is
heavily in debt, taxes are high and
the people are becoming very restless.
The proportion Of educated citizenship
is very small and, in sense, domi-
mates the uneducated.
The government consists of the en-
peror, house Of peers and a house
Of representatives In the upper
house there are four classes of men,
bers: First, members of the imperial
family holding Office for life; second,
counts, viscounts and barons, elected
by their fellows for seven years; third,
members appointed by the emperor
for life, for meritorious service or
ability; fourth, commoners, who are
elected by vote, but only those are al
lowed to vote who pay a minimum OF
fifteen dollars national tax in addition
to the income tax and are more than
rs years of age.
thousands Of coolie population have
no voice whatever in the government,
and these vast crowds are fertile
field for the socialist:c propaganda. 1t
is evident that the said field Is now
being worked and in a somewhat in
tensified manner.
1t is natural that in such an audi
ence as this, the teachings of equal
rights and ownership should be at
tractive, but are sure sometimes to be
misunderstood. These people have
slight regard for the value Of human
life; under some conditions. to COM
nit suicide there, is to bring fame to
the family name. Conditions make it
natural for socialistic teachings there
to create the belief that to get what
they want, they must do away with
the present governmental methods by
destroying them, instead of substitute
ing others. To bring about desired
conditions among these masses is
going to be q problem for whoever
undertakes it-be 1t the japanese gov
eminent or the promoters of the
socialistic form of government.