El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-11
JapaneseInsist On Economy
Advocates OF Retrenchment Are
strengthened by Overthrow of
Premier kutsurH.
G-raH.-sa HumEHu
BY Frederic J. Hask
AsHINGToN D. c. March II.

budget OF the year before The min
lister also insisted that the reduction
of from 10 to Is percent in all depart
mental expenditures should not apply
TO his department The best he would
agree to was reduction of three per-
cent for a period of three years only.
CONSERVATIVES Opposed Increase.
Saionji refused to sanction this at
tltude. but Uehara, instead of resign
/ ing. voluntarily or under pressure
Stirfened in his tilt with the premier
This was last september, and at once
l the leading newspapers and the ger
I eral public took the side of the pre-
! mier. Leading bankers and business
men, who are naturally conservative
and have always supported the minis
try heretofore, also came out against
| the stand taken by Gen. Uehara in the
face of the difficulties which faced the
country. Such a great financier as
baron Shibusawa, well known in the
| United States as the president of the
party of Japanese business men who
toured the country in 1910, strongly
censured the demands of Uehara.
It was soon seen. however, that the
entire war party Of the empire was be-
hind the minister Of war, and that the
all powerful elder statesmen also sup
ported him. Indeed. it is stiN an open
question whether that venerable qUiR-
tet did not cOncOct the Korean proposal
for the purpose of checking the rise
OF the navy IN popular approval This
has been charged but not proved. The
Z D.
| premier resigned, leaving the Obdurate
minister of war still in the field, al
though minus his extra troops.
The Elder Statesmen.
Instead of losing by the premier's
act OF self abnegation, the advocates
! of retrenchment were strengthened
SaiOnjis party. the Constitutional as
/ ISOLATION. massed for definite action
as no other party had ever done in
[ Japan, and vote Of censure on the
crowns advisers was passed in the
house Of representatives
At this point il Will be interesting to
! glance at the elder statesmen, those
| five old men who have been running
I Japan, and whose grip has by no means
( been effectually broken by the present
/ turn of events. The Genre" or elder
statesmen, are a small body of ex-
Derienced statesmen and soldiers who
are appointed by the emperor TO ne
! his personal advisers They really have
no legitimate place in a constitutional
form of government such as japan
processes but their influence has been
dominant ever since the restoration in
1858. One reason has been the pre-
eminent qualities of the men Only the
greatest have been chosen These men
are among the greatest in Japan today.
But they are also the most cOnserva-
tive standpatters. Hence their wan
ing influence
Prince Ito Heads Advisers.
Prince Ito. one of the greatest states
ard. was head of the body and presi-
dent Of the privy council. His place
/ is now held by marshal prince 1ama-
gaia The other members are marshal
prince Oyama, who was command in
chief of the Japanese army in the vic
torious war with Russia, Marquis
InOuye and marshal Matsukata- The
appointment Of prince katsura year
/ ago to the post Of lOId keeper Of the
privy seal and grand chamberlain Of
/ the emperOr's household. operated au-
| tOmatically to add him to the Genro.
/ A sort of ex-Officio member is count
4 Watanabe, an official of the imperial
/ household TheyNare all old men,
Saionjis resignation exposed the
\ hand of the elder statesmen. They IN
duced the emperor to prevail upon
Saionji TO reconsider has declslon anu
I to have the vote Of censure Withdrawn
| SajCMji respectfully declined to resum .
/ the pest of premier but consented as TO
| tdea seCOLC proposal his party re-
I fused to follow him. however, and the
J CenSdre is still official According 70
the Jill, the Nichi N-chi and other
leading newspapers, marshal prince
Yamagata was responsible 1or
Uehara's proposal and all the trouble
that followed
selection Of Premier.
There was a great furry over the
selection OF new premier 1amaSata
is supposed TO have favored either
prince Katsura or count Terauchl, the
D y
[ ficially he led his colleagues and other
bureaucrats in urging marquis Matsu-
kata TO take the pace This great
man was once a financial wizard and
served twice as premier in his PALMER
days. He was recupeFaung at Kama
kura from the fatigue incident to IS
well spent years when the appeals Of
( his colleagues reached him. he Joyed
with the idea of returning to public
life for several days, and even went so
far as to examine jinriclSlsna load
of financial reports, but finally gave
decisive refusal to be housed from his
repose at the foot of Daibutsu- 1t was
well known that prince YamaGata
I fairly itched to make count Terauchi
premier This was impossible in view
of his close connection with the Korean
reserve scheme which had caused all
the discOrd1 1t was finally decided
that prince Katsura was the one stand
pster whom it would be safe to ap
point in view Of the public's bad tenn
per He became premier December =,
and thus for the third time headed q
national ministry
Premier Katsura's Problems.
Katsura'S return to the public life
merely served as a truce over night.
The change Of premierS did not change
the economic perplexities in the slight
standpater, but what they want and
also stood in with the Korean plan.
and as the nation generally opposed it
as StOutly as before, the Sltua ton was
exactly the same. The press was quite
oUtspoken- 1t was generally admitted
that Katsura was the most accepta Bile
standpater. but what they want. and
will ultimately get is a premier who
represents expanding public sentiment
rather than ingroWing aristOcracy. 1t
was believed that they should have as
premier TatsuO YamamOte, who. as
Saionji's minister of finance unearthed
the financial vagaries Of his pre-
decessOrs.
Katsura was also unfortunate in the
formation Of his cabinet He was IN
able to get the support of the powerful
vice admiral baron Saito. The baron hal
been minister of the navy under Sal
Onji. By keeping him in the cabinet
Katsura would be able to placate the
naval element SaitO repeatedly re-
fused to continue at his post. Katsura
played his last card by inducing the
young emperor to call admiral Saito
before him to receive the following i'm
perial rescript.
Rescript Reacted.
considering that YOU have for q
long time occupied the office for naval
administration and that much is ex-
pected OF you at the present time when
important affairs of diverse descrip-
lions are awaiting settlement. we de-
sire that you continue your czertious
for the furtherance. Of state affairs i'm
spite or the condition Of your health %