New-York tribune., 1921-06-19

~ NJ y
q IN States, and largely also in Europe,
E was another modern translation Of
Horace's joke about the mountain
and the mouse. In Toxic there was quite
different story There mountain and mouse
changed places; it the mouse which was in
travail and mountain was the outcome Of it.
At least that is the way the colorful happen
ings which came to pass in Shba and Uyeno
parks and at the Shibaura grounds on that
fate's red letter day look to most of US. For
to an every day Japanese the laborites in
Japan and petty politicians, who are discov-
cred in every political agitation, ride hobby
horses that are just mice and of no greatly
impressive proportions at that
Fourteen labor organizations gathered at
the spacious Shbaura Reclamation Grounds to
make the day their own--Sunday the first of
Maya perfect brocade Of day, woven out of
the gold and magic of ripening spring The
celebration was scheduled to begin at II a. m.,
but long before 10 the people began to food
into the grounds. Some 1000 or 5000 were
there before the General Association of Miners
advanced into their midst under the banner
bearing the legend, "Those who do not work
must not eat.' Mr.. Maturoka, Of the Yuai-kai,
mounted the platform.
festol day ef labor by singing the May Day
song"
There was no drum, neither fife nor trunl-
pet, nor yet single stringed instrument of any
sort. But there was tremendous tornado of
music, all the same 1t came from countless
tin cans, all empty and of the color of rust, be-
cause every one of them was an empty, dis
carded, rusty kerosene can, to which every
Seishn and the Shinyu, addressed their undi-
vided attention and their free swinging clubs.
Their voices also made no modest musical con-
trlhution. And they sang revolutionary songs
Perhaps it is proper to explain here that when
Mr.. HoInma, of the metropolitan police of To-
kio, summoned Mr.. Matsuoka, of the labor
union, to issue permit for the gathering and
the parade which to follow, it was made
plain to the labor representative that no revo-
lutionary songs should be sung, no red flags
should be used, that no revolutionary tracts
and leaflets and propaganda pamphlets should
be scattered all over the city---these and many
other conditions in which the May Day celebra-
toras were expected to observe most rigdly.
When the aforesaid tin-can tumult broke
forth, attuned perfectly with the revolutionary
songs shouted at the top of thousands of young
the Toxic newspapers reporting the event say
SO. All of which goes to show that the bite
is not so bad as the bark, even in that country
which is so persistently and ably advertised as
the happy hunting ground of despotism and
Oriental autocracy--where every policeman is
an inflated czar, according to some descrip-
tons.
But, of course, the banners and the music do
Np+ rooly $an ae4Nx-
May Day celebration. What does tell just
such tale is this:
The moment the speeches began there rose
unanimous shout: "Enzestu muyo!' It
came from every point of the compass II
was something new. Labor leaders and the
directors Of the gathering stood with the puz-
zled stares Of those who got a cold shower
when they expected showers Of roses.
Down with speeches.! Who wants them?
We know all about that Let's get out--and
act!"
Once more the tin-can melody rose to the
Sabbath skies and harmonized with the shouts
perfectly. And suddenly out over the fields
OF tne Selshin-kai crowd broke loose q red
stfsanaer with the inscription "The sun shines
bright for capitalists, but black are the skies
and the days of the laborer"
buo when they said they did not want
speeches these people did not mean Just what
sney said. This was made plain few min
utes later. MIR. Jukchi Hirano, of the seishn-
KALI leaped onto the platform, unrolled piece
OF paper and read: eve oppose the men out
Of intellectual class seizing the leadership Of
labor movements"
How was this received? It was not re-
celved; 1t simply turned the whole gathering
INTO powder magazine and exploded it. The
applause sounded like hundred free fights
breaking loose all at once.
And what is the meaning of all this,
In the forbidding month of February, 1920,