៩០
and the members of the committee agreed was that United States currency she nld not be made Icpal tender, in the islands, as the silver dollar would then be worth twice as much as the pesó, containing more silver than the dollar, which would encourage counterfeiting of the United States dollar
--
THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN JAPAN.
[FROM OUR TOKYO CORRESPONDENT.] ..
[Januarý 17, 1908.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
tinuance of the land tax at its present rate. Minister, Kuto's. Marquis Ito and Count The naval programme ag eed to by the Okuma shook hands for the first time for Ministers of the Crowu at a Cabinet mesting many years. This is, however, a hollow fares beld on 23th Oct be⋅ was to come into op ration | and.cinnot, it seems to me, continue for any The Diet was opened on from the fiscal year 1903-4 and to extend over length of time. eleven years. The capital to be assign d for the 9th December, and the Cabinet submitted to the purpose was estimated at about 11,500,000 yen, | Legislature the Naval Expansion-Bill and the and the principal classes of ships to be bailt | Land Tax Bill at the very outset of the session, Some party were three battleships of 15.0) tous, three to decide their fate at once. armoured cruisers of 10,0 0 tons, and two leaders intended to crush the Government by second-class oraisers of 5,000 tons. The Gov-pissing first of all a vote of lack of confidence erum ut proposed to take the mouey required in it, but Marquis Ito objected for some reason or for the scheme from the proceeds of the other to this plan. Meanwhile, the Marquis enhanced land tax only aud not to resort to proposed to examine rigidly the draft Budget any other soU TC2, The programme did not, with a view to economise funds for the naval programme and then to reject the land tax however, tend to an increase of the navy in the real sense of the term, but rather to the bill but circumstances afterwards caused the Parlimentary leaders of the Opposition to think maintenance of the country's naval'strangih.
it advisable to strike at once, as any delay would in their opinion have had a bad effect on their followers, whose enthusiasm on the land tax queston was at fever pitch; consequently. at the special committee meeting of the party held on the morning of 16th December, the Land Tax Bill was r-jected by 24 to 3. At the formal sitting in the afternoon of the same day, the Lind Tax Bill w 8 brought in by an urgency motion, and when the bill was to be disposed of the Diet was prorogued-for five days; that is un'il 2th December,
OPPOSITION TO THE LAND TAX.
Tokyo, 30th December. Owing to the interesting condi'ion of Japanese domestic politics at the present moment, and to the serious consequences that may follow from the present feadlock, it may not be out of place for me to go lack a 1 ttle, at the beginning of a The Progresives, Count Okuma' party, who new year, in order to show how things got into have always been opposed to the increase of the the tangle in which they are in to-day. land tax-although one is surprised to find them The subject will be of all the more interest to in opposition to the naval expansion programme readers of the Hongkong Daily Press inasmuch considering that they number in their rank; not a few Chauvinist politicians who spoke very as some knowledge of it is requisite for a due understanding of the rejection of the naval ex-excitedly at the time of the crisis in regard pansion scheme. The latter phrase is somewhat to Manchuria early in 1901-the Progressives, misleading, however, as it was not the naval I say, promptly announced in an informal expansion scheme which was rejected by the manner that they would oppose the continuance of the current land tax and also the naval ex- parties in opposition, but the land tax con- tinuation measure on which that scheme pansion programme-the former because they depended; but this matter will explain itself in bad always been opposed to it, the latter because due course.
it was "inconsistent with the country's financial
-
WHY THE ITO CABINET FELL.
I shall only go back a year and a half, to the time when the 1to Cabinet fell in May 1901. Its fall was due to the prolonged suspension of the Government works insisted on by Viscount Watanabe, then Finance Minister, who saw or fancied he saw, fluaacial rocks ahead and who thereupon raised the ory of national bankruptcy."
THE KATSURA CABINET.
in
On 2nd June a new Cabinet was rather unexpectedly organised by Viscount Katsura, now Count Katsura. The premature death of the Tto ministry just as the ministers and the other office-holders of the Seiyu-kai were beginning to feel soug their new billets, and the unexpected success of Count Kitsues in forming a ministry, cansed the members of the displaced Cabinet and their friends to regard their's coessors with a dislike which was not unuatural in the cirkumstan- 088, especially as the "strings" of the new cabinet wire pulled by the House of Peers which is mainly opposed t› Marquis Ito and which is a firm disbeliever in Government by pirty, Marquis Ito did not, it must be oɔD- f.ssed, share the dislike with which his followers regarded the Katsura Cabinet; but strong and rusé as he is he could not prevent the Feiyu ku from gradually drifting int the position of a 1egular Parliamentary Oppositio. Owing, liowever, to the Marquis's tour abroad, to a la k of homogeneity among the memb.rs of his party, and to the Marquis's telegrams to the Seiyu- ku leaders.counselling patience and moderation. the lattor felt themselves compelled to make various decided concessions to the Governmout, especially on the matter of the Budget. But this only served to make them feel more bit erly towards the Cabinet.
NEW IPORTANT QUESTIONS. They had not long to wait for a chanc, of tiking revenge.” The land tax had been rais d to 35 pes dent. from 2.5 per cent in 1899, and the Government which had raised it had promised at the time tir duce it to its original level in 193. The people feired, however, that the Government would bring in a new bill and 192 for the ex'eason of the period of enhancement by five years more, so at the general election held last August, they made a number of candidates pledge themselves to op: 030 any sncli measure.
In the meantime the Government had elaborate a plan for the increase of the nary, a step whiõli (he whole country befieres to bo necessary owing to the s'ate of affairs in the Far East, to the alliance with England, and to the fict that t n years heno, Japan will be low down on the list of naval powers if she does not. begin a new naval programme now that
is completed.
Un
carry
y the money required for tho lhi: schems could only, in the opiniontoglie Cabinet, be secured by the con
resources.
**
WHAT MArquis itɔ DID.
Marqu's Ito, who is a very deliberaty and rusć politician, and who, being old, is par- and baps coming to prefer compromise discussion on almost all subjects, would probably have hemmed and hawed ab at the matter until the bills wore introdued and then decided to support them so as not to derange the political machinery or to oppos such an evidently a cessary mensure as the naval expansion programme; bat the task of deciding
very abruptly taken
Was
out
EFFORTS AT COMPROM188.
During the interval, efforts were made by Baron Kodima, Governor-General of Formosa. with a view to mutual concessions and, later on, Prince Konoye offered to not as mediator. These attempts failed, and another pro- rogation was announced, this time for seven days. This shows that the Government was desirous of bringing about some s rt of a com- promiss. Baron Kodama subsequently resumed the role of peace-miker and at the fustance of the Premier, he called on Marquis Ito in his villa at Oiso. Thus a peace conference was held on 28th December between the Government and the Opposition, when the former intimated that it was prepared with the object of arriving at an of his hands by the General Committee amicable settlement, to 3 per cent, as against the of the Seiyu-kai, which flatly decided to original 3 5 per coat, and to cover the deficit that oppose both measures, without the know. would thus be caused, by the postponement- of
some Government enterprise‹ and by “adiminis ledge of the Marquis and before he had had time to express his own views on the sabject.trative reform." But the parties in opposition Their objections appear to Then the Marquis became wonderfully bris'c all flatly refused to lay before the Cabinet their of a sudden and emphatically endorsed the coun'er-proposal. decision of his party. On 1st Nor mber he have been sentimental and were at the same cilled on the Prime Minister to get from him time tantamount to a vote of no confidence in some particular about the Budget for the next the Ministry.
RUPTORE INEY TABLE, fiscal year and of the flaancial programm›,
Thus a rupture became inevitable, - the On 25th November, Marquis Ito had a 011-
Cabinet Ministers being firmly `united. But ferauce with Marquis Yamigata, who had been
to allay general staying in bis villla at Kyoto, and who is styled it is interesting to note that the party the "enstodian" of the present Cabinet; bat leaders did their best
nussiness among the rank and file by declar- the alter is said to have actually pooh poohed
that the Land Tax Bill would be withdrawo. Marquis Ito's views on the pending disputing that the Cabinet would resign en masse or
that occasion no
10AER HOUJĖ DISŠOLVEN, and to have given on definite reply. In the next interview with
The refractory House of Representatives was Count Matsuk ta, Marquis Ito's plau also failed to secure that statesman's endorsement. at last dissolved when it resumed its sittings on Premier Kats:rra and three of the principal 28th December to finish the first reading of the Ministers of State respectfully listoned to Land Tax Bill, and at the same time, the House Ito's exposition of his views, of Poors was further prorogued. This deve- | Ma quis
lopment of the situation is nadoubtedly dǝplor. but did not adot the n asuros her.com
Marquis Ilo's plan Was to able, espec`ally sincit tends to shackle finan- manded. carry out the naval programme by offecting cial circles, which were hoping that the money drastic curtailment with railway a d telephonic market wou'd recover in the cours of the 8 ring. Setting aside the m›tives ‹f both undertakin 8. Irresptive of a remarkablo retrenchmant in many items of expenditure, sides, it cannot bị denied they they fought the present Cabinet contemplat d to expend out their battle in an orderly manne and 7,115,0 K), 00 yes in the course of ten years for that the session, now broken off, was more full of the purpose of such railway ant telephonic life and spirit than ever. This cannot bat make works as it regardel as productive. Marqais | 000 It had been hitber'o a strong advocate of a positive" policy, but since his return fr.m his latest roun l-the-world tou: his opinions seem, strange as it may appɔir, to have become somewha tineturelly pessimism. Th› financial views which he recently expounded, were partly derived from Count Iusuye, his old friend, who alwys eatertuins a pr_ference for a somewhat "negativa"olicy and hynkers after the intro- dution of the mercantile system into the region of la haule potilique.
Altogether, Marquis Ito's plan was given the cold shoulder in an unmist kihls minuer by the present Government and its “guvedi 10s."
CURIOUS SPECTACLE. The public was next confronted with a curious political phenomen«n'; at a “social diu- ner" given on the 3rd Dicember, at ex Foreign
|
conclude that the Japanese may in das cours) adopt to greater perfection. the Western representative system.
TE MARQUIS IN A STRANIN POSITION, In any case, that Marquis Ito has become the atual leader of the opposition is an unprece- dented fact in the political annals of Jupaņ. Prognosticatio is now useless. But it may be noted that the hands of Marquis Ito, who has ben naturally dissatisfied at the manne· in which the Cabinet and some of the "elder statesmen met bis last overtures, wero gradually force 1 by the leaders of the Seiyu-kai” It may be that the at itule of the Marquis during thị present political crisis is res something to be explained. It is, howev r, mainly due to Marquis Ito's clover directions that bis followers have now cone to hold to the im portance of the naval programme, despite of
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