El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-10

| Tor constitutional reform is the basis
] of tOday's disturbance, it was a dead
/ lock over expenditures which brought
/ matters to the fighting point. A diet
/ Is supposed to hold office for four
/ years, but there have been p in the p
| years Of constitutional government
! and II ministries for the same period
I Nine Of these diets We're dissolved for
| opposing extravaganza on the part of
I the ministry. The combination Of the
{ cabinet and the elder statesmen always
was too strong to overcome.
First Diet in 1890.
The very first diet, organized in No
Vember, 1890 cut the budget by SOC. 900
yen Ca yen is equivalent to so cents in
! United States money! besides eXactidg
I promises of further retrenchments.
The second diet rejected all the gov
ernments bills because the promises
made 10 its predecessor had not been
kept. 1t was dissolved for its temerity,
and in the subsequent election the
bureaucrats used force at the polls.
BloOdshed resulted in some localities,
and this intimidation Of the electors set
a precedent which has not been wholly
ignored from that day to this. The
third diet was allowed to live only one
month because IL passed a vote of cen
sure upon the government for its
abuse of power. The 18th diet was dis
solved for fighting the governments
usual method fOI- incJ eased taxation The
18th diet had short lease of life for
opposing expenditures for increased
=
was accepted only after a compromise
suggested by the emperor The later
diets have been fairly peaceful, owing,
however, to Katsura's cleverness in
pretending to work in harmony with
the political parties.
Party AIignments.
Party government, now in the as
tendency has gone through many Wis
cissitudes and is entwined with the
fight for constitutional and financial
reform The ConstituuOnalists, Lib
erals and PrOgressives were maIeshifts
of the early days. They were ridicuIed.
and when they finally did combine and
carry the 18th diet by an overwhelming
majority in 1898, they failed miserably
under the leadership Of count Olluma,
the premier. and soon dissolved them
selves. At the subsequent election the
.bureaucrats carried all but 20 seats
A better day came with the Organiza-
ton Of the Rikken Seiyukai (COnstitu-
tional association by prince Ito in
1900. The party did not come up to its
founders expectations until the recent
leadership of MarQuis. Saionji. who has
with great artfulneSs been at once the
liberal minded chief Of the party and
the lieutenant Of the despOtic KatsUra,
who acknowledges no party SaiOnji as
premier, has been backed by his party
as has no other chief minister. In the
election of the 23d diet in 1908, the
party had an absolute majority. It
was the first time that a single party
dominated legislative affairs. 1t was
also in majority during the second
katsura ministry, but was induced to
sanction some Of his financial methods
which it now refers to with such bit
terness.
Ministry eff SaiOniL
When SaiOnji began his second min
istry in May, 1911, he continued to hold
the presidency Of the constitutional
association party This was unpre-
cedented and would have been hoOted
out of court 10 years before. The party
"a
Jrenchment measures In fact, 1t has ,
gone beyond him and is now forcing
the fight, whereas. he, yielding TO the
personal admOnitiOn Of the young en-
perOr, seems willing to compromise for
the time being. The kokuminto, or
Nationalist party, is in the minority
and is more conservative In the pres
ent struggle however. it has Joined
hands with the majority against the
bureaucrats-
National Debt is Large.
A glance at japanese finances will
show the acUteness Of the situation
For example, take comparison with
the United States; The japanese num-
Der approximately $4,000, 600 people.
whereas there are nearly 100,0OO,OOO
Americans. Their total trade is S465,-
100000 annually. whereas ours IS ST.
500, 000, 600. America. rich and strong,
has a national debt of about $1,000
600, 00O- Japan, much smaller and much
poorer, grOans under national bur-
den OF $1,35O,O00,O00 The annual eX-
penSes of the American government
average $1,000, 00O,0 600, while Japan's
are S285, 900, 900.
In other words, Japan's national debt
is almost three times as great as its
total annual trade. In this connection
it is interesting to note that for the
past three years Japan's own balance
of trade has been unfavOrable, the I'M
ports exceeding on the average the 6X-
ports by So. O00. 000- Japan's annual eX-
for
navy and other departments is three
fifths Of its total trade, while IN the I
United States the annual appropria-
lions are less than One-seVenth Of our
total trade Also, we have substan-
tiaI balance in our favor, imports be
ing $500, 100000 and exports S4sOOO,-
900, 900. And still the japanese army /
demanded 40. 600 more men on the pre-
text Of guarding and pacifying Korea, |
a task with which the present army OF /
$4,000 is apparently considered too
small to cope.
According to the Japan Year Book Of /
1912 the national expenses have
Jumped in IS years from 100000 an |
nually to S285,O0O,000. as stated above. |
Prior to the war with emma the prln-
cipal taxes were on land, incomes and
sake (natiYe wine). Following the war I
registration and business TAX laws, an /
increased tax on sake and the estab-
lishment Of the tobacco monopoly ad-
OeQ ZO.UVUrUDU yen u T4"soN'5N1D ~ 49, ]
annual revenues.
In 1899 the country already was pre- /
pairing for its coming war with Rus I
STA and an additional annual revenue I
Of $4,000, 900 was provided by another /
increase all along the line and the Gre I
alton of the convertible note tax ana I
tonnage dues. Two years later another I
$4,000 600 per year was yielded the Z
government by a third raise OF the sake l
tax and the creation of a new beer tax /
and a sugar. excise. Only small tax /
on playine cards was added from that |
time to the outbreak Of the war win !
Russia three years afterWard.
War SyveIl's Nations DEBT.
As a result of the war, the heavy /
taxes that the people paid before nave 1
been added to twice, and the naIlohaI /
debt sweIled enormously. Today they /
are paying $75,0OO.000 per year more 4
than they did IS years ago. Inc IN /
creases made necessary by the war 4
with Russia were called emergency /
taxes" implying that they were Tor tAe /
time being. But the country mas con- /
tinued to borrow, and these emeI-
gency taxes" are now permanent IN I
creases were made on lana. income,
business. sugar, soy, registration, STOCK /
and rice exchanges and mining anu I
the import duties were raised me I
second increase put a stamp uuLy en- 4