Tue latest issue of the English edition of the Kokumin-no-Toma (The Nation's Friend) Was some very thoughtful articles in it by leading Japanese writers, Miss Clara Parrish being the only foreign contributor, The frontispiece is a very characteristic little bit of: Japanese work Bamboo and Sparrows," painted by Kubota Beisen, who we are! told is ove of the most celebrated painters in Japan, For all that, it is somewhat conventional sketch as it; appears in black and white. The leading article is on "The Last Session of the Diet," a.session which it will be! remembered was looked forward to with some apprehension, The Matsukata Cabinet was a protest against the theory that Ministers of State should be re-! is that so many politicians from the already referred to of the Cabinet's Opposition suddenly changed their atti- marvellous success in the last. session tude; but to those who havea knowledge of the Diet, 'I'he writer remarks how of Japanese politics, this is not surpris- since the Restoration the power has ing." Japanese parties are divided not remained in the hands of the clansmen by opinion, but by sentiment, and so of Satsuma and Choshu; how the other a Japanese politician finds no difficulty political parties were organised solely in changing his party without chang- against this monopoly; and he re-ing his" opinions, fine stra- counts the struggles that took place tagem as well as the credit which the|iu the Diet between the popular party Cabinet has gained as the friend of} and the Government. He inveighs progress and reforms, has attracted this against the rottenness of Japanese large increase of votes, We cannot Society, and declares that Cabinets, bring ourselves to believe what some! political parties, and members of the writers have hinted that this marvellous Diet are all alike guilty of never fulsuccess is due to bribes and threats filling their pledges. And he says the representatives of our nation would not be so corrupt as this view would have us infer." 'T'he article concludes with a review of the work done by the Diet in the session which was such a triumph for the Cabinet. It passed a budget amounting to just under $250,000,000. It passed a budget for Formosa involving an expenditure of $14,000,000 on the civil side and $4,500,000 on the military side, against an estimated revenue of. $8,000,000. It passed Count Matsukata's monetary reforms, giving Japan 'a first-class instead of a second-class standard, with no incidental monetary derangement; and it abrogated Press Laws which had borne heavily on "'The gravest evil existing at present is the blindness of the people with regard to the private morals of politicians, "A slight defect weighs little before a great merit' is an old adage; and this principle is now stretched and extended to everybody, so that politicians have come to be allowed great latitude in their morals. However grave their defects may be in their private morals, the present politicians of Japan can hold their position without any difficulty. Such as they are, they go about unabashed and can enjoy fall liberty without the least restraint. A failure to fulfil pledges by politicians has come to be considered as an ordinary occurrence. Deceitfuluess and cheating have
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.