The sun., 1912-07-28

on all other occasions the eSprrss;o,. 80
his Ministers should have been acco,,,,,,
as sufficient by the Diet demonstro,o'
how far removed from the struacles %
presidents and kings with refractory Ien.
islative bodies was Emperor Mutsub,,n
Mutsubito has governed cxclusjvoi.
through his Ministers, with the cScen,io,
OF the incidents cited abov,. Ec.;d,,.
his Council, he has had the Privy Council
with limited advisory functions. and
above them both the informal body Of
"Genro," or ELDER Statesmen.
The last named body whose roster b,.
included all the great names of Japan for
the last forty years, including perhaps
the greatest of them all, Marquis Ito. has
with the Emperor. bcen responsible for
that continuity OF policy which has ,naie
Japan envied III the United States AMI
Europe. Repeatedly has Mutsuhito ehovn
limitless confidence in the experiencad
statesmen Of the Genro. He even ner.
mitted Ito to proceed with the formation
OF great constitutional party for tho
purpose Of securing to the Government
q working majority in the Diet, especially
in the House of Representatives.
Mutsuhito sustained Ito in his declara.
tion that the Government, In order 10 ppt
its budget regularly adopted, must have a
party upon which 1t can rely to furnish
a majority in the House. despite the fac,
that the Peers cried out against the forms
ton Of parties. The Peers denounoed
ltos proposals as threatened encroach.
ment upon the authority OF the Emperor:
but Mutsuhito declined to postpone the
advent OF party government by taking
refuge behind such defence.
Ito succeeded, and formed party which
has been in power practically ever since
that time. The opposition has continued
scattered into dozen factions. and al.
ways has been irresponsible The En-
peror recognized that the Peers opposed
the formation Of parties not so much for
the preservation Of his prsrogatives as to
save their own influence. and were seeking
to hide behind him.
None of his Ministers ever gave closer
attention TO matters of state than Nut
suhito. He always has insisted upon
being informed as to every important,
step in the Government. and allowed moth
nothing to slip by without his knowledge
and approval. 1t was his habit to preside
in person at the meetings of his Cabinot
and his Council When he did no. per.
sonally attend important ffecisions never
became effective without his knowln,irc
and approval. ard the shadow OF the lni-
perial authority was ever present III the
deliberations of the statesmen.
There is story told o: the Ambae s,ador
OF great western nation. who. with his
oto hul yal in
most difficult and complicated treaty fer
the protection of industrial property.
When the treaty was finally signed, the
Ambassador threw up his hands in mingled
relief and despair, and cried:
Its finished at last but | don't know
q damn thing about it,.
The Diet was about 10 ad journ and her.
was necessity for haste il the treaty WIS
to be ratified before the end OF the II ssior.
The Japanese negotiators assured TIE Am
bassador that there only remained 10
get the approval Of the Emperor. which
undoubtedly would he Il inerc formally
and then the ratification would follow.
The treaty was submitted win ,nemo-
randum explaining its provisions. In
stead of the Imperial signature being
piuceu uDOI ~ ut o!ltt, N''~
fnanded further explanation of tire
terms Of the document. This was fol-
lowed by request for a third memo
randum. more detailed in lis discussion.
In short, the Emperor spent one week
i'll studying the entire subje"i of patent
law relations between the two nations
as covered by tho treaty. until he had
satisfied himself as TO It's provisions
and had reached an Understanding Of its
complicated details The constant pos
sibility that the Emperor Aiut,unito
would insist upon making such searching
investigation into ratters submitted to
him by his Ministers preserved most
wholesome dicipline in his Government
and prevented any attempts on the part
of Ministers to abuse the trust placed in
them by the Emperor.
II would be incorrect 10 say that Nut
suhito was a popular ruler III the senss
in which the term is understood in The DC.
cident. The veneration in which the
institution of Emperor is held by al Japa-
nese places it far above such a thinS
as popularity. In fact, 10 the Japanese
mind questions us to the popularity
Of the sovereign are beyond cornprehen.
sion.
During the war with Russia peasants
coming into Toxic prostrated themselves
in homage to the Emperor as they passed
the gate Of his palace. Such acts were not
compulsory; they were the voluntary en-
pressions of a feeling akin 10 worship
which permeates the Japanese patriot
and every japanese is patriot. Believed
TO be Of divine origin, the Emperor is al
dressed in the deyotions of the people as
Tcnshi. "The Son Of Heaven; or Tinno'
Heavenly Emperor; or shujo' "Spprcne
Master"
Mutsuhito's name was scarcely ever
mentioned in Japan, and II is doubtful a'-
cording to some authorities, If II was even
known to half the populac'. Neither was
he ever spoken of a. the Mikado, except IN
poetry; only foreigners habi,ually siveih
Japanese Emperor that title No hn.-
peror has ever been the subject oil ID"
converse or disputation among Japaler''
The fact that Mutsuhito, IN the face oi l'F
heritage of supposedly divine origin
could nut aside his Orien,alisIn I" the e.
tent of becoming the leader in introducing
in Japan the lcss romantic western ciNi'@s'
, ion is a manifest of his character Us
king among men. .,.,
Neither was his personality familiar 10