Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-05-28

While some Americans look upon the
assassination of Premier Inukai of ia
pan as a gain for the strong arm of
the military caste, the majority inter-
pref the act as evidence of resentment
at the growth of popular government
The premier himself represented the
military party, but his concessions to
constitutional methods are believed to
have come as climax in the fight
against army dictation.
1T is doubtful whether the dreams of
the militarists can be realized" in the
opinion of the San Jose Mercury Her
aid, which points out that industry is
powerful, and it does not want a gov
eminent dominated by the army and
navy" The paper adds that "the work
ers are organized and have the same
consciousness as Western workers." and
that they want state which will
make their aims, aspirations and well
fare its concern" The San Antonio
Express believes that "the mad act of
extreme Nationalist probably will not
block Japan's progress in developing
constitutional government, despite the
present .impediments." The Express
takes note of the fact that universal
manhood suffrage granted a few years
ago, after a long struggle-has aroused
most Japanese to the need for stronger
constitutional guarantees and the pre-
vention of return to conditions which
would be worse than the feudal system
that Emperor Mutsuhito abolished in
1867"
IF resistance to their program was
SO strong in Japan as to cause assassi-
nation" says the Oakland Tribune,
there is evidence of a peace and anti
militarist sentiment which can only be
strengthened by these latest events"
x X
1.-THE situation" in the opinion of
the San Francisco Chronicle, depends
greatly upon the Emperor his character
and who has h. ear. He has an OPP
portunity now. f he has the mofal
strength, to put his country where it
belongs. in the forefront of enlightened
leadership, or. if he falls in with the
glory-mad Chosu generals, to throw it
back to the days of Hideyoshi, the
principles of Genghis Khan. If the
Mikado has not personally the moral
courage, much perhaps depends upon
the aged Prince Saionji, sole survivor
of the elder statesmen, who carried ia
pan through her transformation from
medievalism to modernism, now on
his way to counsel with his En-
peror. The Liberals, headed
by Wakatsuki, declare they will resist
the army's. attempt to dictate. Let us
hope their courage is backed by knowl-
edge that their Emperor, too, is cour-
ageouS."
The danger of further gains by the
military power is emphasized by the
Ann Arbor Daily News, the Toronto
Daily Star and the Birmingham Age
n1,-;I~
that the assassination tells the world
of grave political instability" observing
that economic distress is superim-
posed upon an essentially unstable gov
ernmental set-up-a set-up that Is half
medieval in the midst of all the prob
lens of the modern industrial world
within an average lifetime" &C
cording to the Fort Worth Star-Tele-
gram, "the whole scheme of existence
In the Far East has been transformed
by the activities of a race which has
negotiated the journey from feudal
system to a place among the five great
world powers. Nothing parallel to the
progress of the japanese people exists
in history, but the wonder always has
been modified by the suspicion of su-
perficiality which accompanied the
march. There are those who assert
that the japanese development Is pure
ly superficial and has no greater depth
than q remarkable ability to adopt for
their own uses the items Of military es-
tablishment necessary for control Of
Asiatic areas and the auxiliary units Of
industry needed for furnishing SUBJ
stantial base for the modernized Sa-
mural ethics"
Disregard and even contempt for
the civil arm of the government" is
seen by the Boise Idaho Statesman,
with the Conclusion that ut was evident
to observers that the ruling motive was