New-York tribune., 1921-11-05

The Lloyd George of Japan, as kci
Takashi Hara was often called, had the
double distinction Of being the first
Prime Minister of Japan who was not
a nobleman or military officer, and
also the first who was called to the
head Of the Cabinet under purely party
government. He was pronounced
Liberal--indeed one of the chief found
ers of the Liberal party--and was con-
sistently and resolutely OPPOSED to mil
itarist exploits and aggressions and,
| consequently, unpopular with the old
clansmen and army chiefs.
kei Takashi Hara was born at Mo-
rioka, an inland city of northern Japan,
on February 2. 1854, and was educated
for the bar at the Foreign Language
journalism to the law, however, he be-
came q member of the staff of the
"Hochi." leading paper Of Toxic.
There he made speciality Of foreign
affairs, and thus established relations
with the. Foreign Office of the govern
ment. In 1882 he went to Corea as a
correspondent of the "Hochi" and also
as q member of the staff of MARQUIS
Inouye, the special Japanese envoy to
the hermit nation" Next he served
as clerk in the Foreign Office. then
as consul at Tien-Tsin, and in 1886 be-
came Secretary Of Legation and charge
d'affaires in Paris. He was private sec
retary to Marquis 1nouye when the
latter was Minister of Agriculture and
Commerce, and became director of the
bureau of commerce in the Foreign
Office under the ministry Of Count
Mutsu. In 1895 he was Vice-Minister
OF Foreign Affairs and the next year
was sent as Minister to Corea.
Received by President Roosevelt
The latter place he resigned to re-
turn for time to his first love, as
editor in chief of the "Mainici' of
Osaka, which journal he made great
political power. In 1900 and 1901 ne
became Minister of Commerce, but
soon returned to newspaper life as
editor of the "Shinpo" at Osaka. While
thus engaged he was appointed Min
of Marquis Saionj in 1906 to 1908.
This was Cabinet representing the
Seiyu-Kai, or Constitutional Liberal
party, of which he had in 1900 been
one of the founders and of which the
late Prince Ito was the head. With
the fall of that Cabinet in 1908 he re-
| tired from Office and travelled abroad,
visiting the United States and Europe,
and being received at Washington by
President Roosevelt.
His return to Office was effected in
1911 as Minister of Home Affairs and
president of the Imperial Railway
Board. A year later that Cabinet went
out, but in 1918 he was again at the
head of the Home Office. Another crisis
sent him into retirement. but in 1918
the Terauchi Cabinet fell and the
SeiyuKai or Liberal party came again
into control of affairs. Mr.. Hara be-
came Prime Minister. Upon the death
of Prince. Ito, the following year, he
the Constitutional Liberal party. His
tenure was challenged.,in May of last
year, in a general election, but the
result was a very decisive victory for
him and the Seiyu-Kai
Life Threatened Last Year
Failing to defeat him by lawful
means. his enemies of the extreme mil
itarist faction resorted to crime. I'm
mediately following the election of May,
1920, an attempt was made to murder
him with bombs. The details came out
in November last by publication of the
findings of preliminary court which
tried former .artilleryman named
Ito, charged with planning an attempt
against the Premier's person Seven
bombs were to have been employed.
Ito came to Toxic and purchased a
revolver and explosives, making his
bombs out of bottles and boxes. On tax
ing them out into the streets, how
ever. he was knocked down accidentally
by an automobile and the police dis
covered the internal machines he had
devised and unravelled the plot. Since
that time there have been other