The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-31
n, WILLIAM ELLIOT GRIrFIs.

,IIICA and Japan: President
A e: %''%'''' both ,'' 'm '', "a,
and. Npectcd circumstances. Count
oLus. called to be the Premier of
,he t.. nose Empire. The land of con-
,,ru. .lrprises furnishes something
reu i, uar own history. The head OF
collie, . called to be the ruler of the
emp.
IT. . cran has already served twice
bsfor. .It under circumstances, as was
hslicy,d at the time, that would allow
,oly d t.mporary holding of the office.
Now more than probable that, even
,bousA kuma Is 76 years old, his rule
=, pr.l..yr will lost longer. for he has
ratherui around him an unusually
s,,onc ani able body of advisers. who
arc u,.y to work tremendously with
him and the nation wants new Ideas
and n,N men.
Farly in April. 1911, the Yamamoto
.rablnot tell. Miltarism had been re-
buked and the men prominent in the
rayal -.andals had been disgraced or
,o,ired The elder statesmen were sum
moned uy the young Emperor to advise
him As 90 the formation of n Govern
r,ent. They recommended Kyoura,
Winist,r " Justice, but under him no
strong statesmen would serve. At last.
sorsly AGAINST their will. yet yielding -
the pr,s-ure Of public opinion, this nm
ofBcial cabinet Of elders agreed upon
okuma who was at once called to SUI
nrem. service by the Emperor.
Although Okuma has never been
A6broad uc has more the traits of the
Anglo saxon mind that any statesman
ever We, summoned by Mikado To form
a Governments All his life he has stood
for that type of national pollty which
has been created in the evolution OF
Great Britain and the United States of
America As against Ito, katsura and
other men known in the West, he has
rarely been an opportunist hut has
always had steady convictions as to how
the nations course should be steered.
Will, so many Japanese statesmen,
enamourcd Of German imperialism. made
Bismarck their model. this pupil of an
TAmerlcan missionary has, from the
srst. that is. for over sixty years. been
a warm admirer of Anglo-Saxon models
and pr,.odents. This he has shown not
only in his political career. which we
shall outline, but also as an educator.
Yet while heartily committed to what
he considers the nobler path of ma
tonal development. Count Okuma be-
heves in the full equality not only of
THE Government of Japan before the
world but also in the recognition OF
the japanese as the intellectual and
social equals of the people of Christen-
dom. He considers that all hope Of win
ming the fullest political and diplomatic
recognition. OF placing Japan in an I'M
shakah.e position as one of the great
Powers If the world, will be lost unless
this social recognition is in large meas
ure attained. Anything except being
Disseminated against. IL the japanese
show any real ground or just cause
for such ostracism II must be removed
By themselves.
So far from having a trace of the
fear which haunts even some of Japan's
best friends in the Occident that the
Japanese themselves, through "Orien-
tal" inhcrltanc,s or weaknesses, will fail
to keep up in the march of civilization,
Count Okuma believes that nothing can
check the normal development of Japan
except injustice and foul play at the
hands Of the Western nations. No one
knows the history of his country and
people In all phases of politics. eco
nomics. sociology and ethical traits
better than does this seer and scholar.
Il is because he knows them so well,
seeing them without either chauvinism