New Britain herald., 1914-07-31
TOKYO HAS A NEW
 P0u1|cAt MACHINE About One Householder ln Ten Has a Vote. B

Toklo, July 31.-Ihe political n1a- chine which for ten years has domi- mated municipal government, in To- kio was demolished by the reformer at the recent municipal elections. So serious was the reverse that the or ganization, which was known as the Tokiwakai, and which has been called '"Tokio's Tammany," has been dissolved altogether
 The good government party regards the overthrow of the organization as signal victory, and indicative of the general reform movement which is sweeping over Japan in all branches of political life. For the last ten years they had fought to eliminate the Tokiwakai majority in the muni cipal assembly, but each succ essive attempt met with failure, until this year they have not only removed the objectionable majority but also de- feated it's leader, S. Morikubo, in whom they saw all of the party's. cor ruption personif1ed. The charges were similar to those which have characterized so many municipal up- heavals in America-harmful patron age, corruption in the distribution of contracts for public works and gen. eral graft.
 The success this year was due largely to k the younger clement which was organized into an anti machine body. Public meetings were held and .Almpst every means of po- litical'' publicity utilized to. arouse the voters of the urgency of good gov sernRent. The election continued fqr three days, at. the end of which the reforrnfsts had captured all but twenty y-one sok tho sseventy five seats in the assembly. Morikubo, the busted leader, thereupon invited his fellow victims to a meeting at which it was voted to dissolve the associa- ton,
 Municipal Government Club.
 The new organization now in power is known as the Municipal Govern ment club. They are not content with reforming municipal politics alone, however. and have already be- gun vigorous campaign to estab- fish themselves in the national house of representatives. where the sseiyukaii or ;.s conaerxat party will be the ob- ject. of its, attack. The seiyukai has large majority in the diet, and since it was linked with the now defeated Iokiwakai.e .e it appears to be in dan- ger of losing it's power.
 The present Okuma cabinet is backed by groups. hostile to the seiyu- akai. If unable to- carry through his program in the face of an opposing majority, Count Okuma would be likely to dissolve the diet and give the people an opportunity to regis ter their will at the new election.
 An interesting phase of the suf- sfrage question was seen in the re- cent municipal elections The suf- frage is very restricted, there being three classes of voters, classified ac- cording to the amount of tax they pay. -
 Taking the city as whole about one householder in thirteen has vote. Each grade of voters elects twenty-five assent blymen. The voters of the first grade number only l. 187. The second category has 6,135 electors, The great majority of voters, namely 49,94S, out of the to- tai of 57.271, are found in the third grade. To be qualified for this grade the citizen must pay a land tax or else an imperial tax to the amount of two yen yearly.
 The election of the assemh,vroen