Evening star., 1923-07-30
EAST is EAST
By Frank H. Hedges


hood of the imperial diet building in
Toxic. Five thousand black uni
formed police, with their ridiculously
inefficient sabers banging their knees.
stood guard or were ambushed as re-
serves in nearby parks and garages
to protect the great barn-iike struc-
ture that looks like an American
branches of Japan's national law
making body.
In their coat lapels or pinned to
the breasts of their kimonos the, 1000
young Japanese wore a single cherry
blossom cut from pink paper. the sign
of the universal manhood suffrage ad-
vocate Of Japan. Ipside the diet
building the house of representatives
was voting on the suffrage bill that
the 1000 had gathered to petition that
the ballot be given them. Because
the Japanese government Is timidly
fearful of demonstrations on the part
had been thrown around the diet
building to prevent their approach.
The crowd was good natured and
apathetic. Up one Of the narrow alleys
of the vicinity orators OF the party
in opposition to the government were
holding forth. Street orations had
been banned. 30 the vocal champions
of the ballot had retired to their
party headquarters, where they stood
on the roof over the little entrance
portico and harangued the crowd
gathered In the yard There had been
tremendous parades through the
streets Of the capital a few days pre-
viously. when thousands had shouted
for suffrage and waved white banners
covered with queer shaped word sym
bols. The petitions for presentation
to the diet had been printed, and
now, on the day set for the presenta-
tion, they were not allowed to ap-
proach the diet building.
Gradually the apathy of the crowd
began to give way to d more bellig-
erent spirit and part of the police
reserves strolled out from their am
buscades to join those guarding the
entrance gates to the diet. The right
to petition is guaranteed by the con-
stitution, and the suffrage workers
insisted on exercising it. Compromise
| them to file past the diet entrance.
in single file, and hand the printed
and signed slips to the doorrnan. Here
and there one of the more enthusi-
astic petitioners drew d knife blade
across his hand or arm. dipped his
! lowed the cut and signed in red the
characters of his name.
Within the walls OF the house of
representatives turmoil was in prog
| ress all afternoon. Opponents and
supporters of the suffrage measure
| hurled bitter epithets at one another
across the floor and the debate grew
warm and warmer. At least one of
/ the 1000 had obtained a pass TO the
! gallery for that afternoon. AS a
member of the government party rose
| from his seat to denounce the bill.
this spectator-agitator leaned over the
| gallery rail and. with unerring aim.
/ pitched small paper bag ar the
| opened and from 1t there crawled a
small. very much frightened. but
harmless snake.
The cry for universal manhood suf-
frage is popular one in Japan. 1t
| rallies the younger generation as the
mess call in the army brings a double
time response. But 1t is little more
! than a call. for the grant of the bal
lot TO all the men of Japan would
work no fundamental change. in the
existing system of government, a syS-
tenn that masquerades as democratic
but that is. in essence, bureaucracy
| of the first order. The ballot might
! give the people control of the lower
| house of the diet. but the lower house
| is helpless in struggle against the
/ house of peers with its equal au-
! thority and joint action by both
would be of no avail if the little
! group of admirals and generals. the
| only men qualified TO hold the navy
and war portfolios, chose to prevent
! the formation of government by re-
4 fusing to serve under any premier
| save one selected by them. Even con-
I troll of the public purse. the real
| source of strength for most national
! legislatures, is but partly in the hands
l of the Japanese diet. Budget in
I creases are possible only when sane
/ toned by the diet. but failure to
! sanction them does not mean the gov
eminent is penniless. Instead. the
| budget of the previous year is auto
matiCally authorized.
! And yet. the spectacular campaign
i for universal manhood suffrage has
grown and waxed with the years 1t
! is today the outstanding issue of
Japanese liberals. They are its real
proponents, but their ranks are
swelled by the minority political
parties. by labor and by all japanese
who nurse a grievance against things
as they are. The political party at
present in control. the party of the
1 farmer, has proved itself strong
enough to withstand the repeated as
saults but it's younger members are
! wavering. 1t. is probable that the
| majority party is not opposed to uni
versal manhood suffrage in principle.
but the granting of such a measure
| would destroy the very efficient po-
| litical machine that has been erected
! on the basis of the present restricted
| suffrage qualifications, restrictions as
to property and education.
The opposition parties champion the
measure for the diverse side OF the
same reason. They believe the re
! Organization of the electorate would
open the road to power for them. The
! support of labor has been won by
| a clever Interviewing of another is
sue. that of unemployment, and the
| workmen of Japan have been taught
! to believe that with a vote for every
man will go a well paid job. To the
ldiscontended, universal suffrage Of
fers an opportunity to strike a blow
at existing institutions.
| + X x
The attitude of the Japanese lib.
! erals the real fathers of the suf.
ferent The liberal leaders realize
that suffrage in itself will not enable
them to reach their goal Of trut
democratic and party Eovernnien bu
they also realize its popular appea
and that it is a necessary first step
IYukio Ozaki, the hero, il not the pI'ac,
ttiCal executive of the liberal move.
ment, expressed 1t we'll last March:
| THE ballot will not give the peo.
file control of the government; it,
value lies in the stimulation it will