People Determined (o Make Good Showing in First Application of the Universal Manhood Suffrage Osaka, Feb. 16.
Four thousand people packed the Public Hall here this afternoon to hear the former Foreign Minister. Baron Shidehara, discuss the policies of the Premier, General Baron Tanaks, His eloquence after time aroused tremendous cheers.
Baron Shidehara vigorously ad~ vocated a policy of non-interference in China by Japan, sympathy with China's rightful " aspirations, a brand-minded attitude towards China's present conditions and, at the same time, ample protection to Japan's essential rights and in-"forests, "The keynote of modern diplomacy," the former Foreign Minister concluded, "isnot territorial uggrandizement but the extension of commercial relations, not the conclusion of political al the development of economic cooperation."
The audience was deeply imp ed by Baron Shidchara's His motor-car was surrounded by tun enthusiastic crowd who gave him an ovation, roaring "Banzai.
'A full-page advertisement of the platform of the Seiyukai (Government Party) is appearing in the leading newspapers, It advocates, inter alia a protective tariff as the means of developing home industry to alleviate unemployment.
The Osaka Association for Promoting Freedom in Trade has issued '8 statement contradicting the Seiyukai's argument, at the same time Urging the Minseito (Opposition Party) to clarify its tariff policy. The Minseito was the author of the 100 per cent, luxury tariff—Reuter, Very Close Contest Expected Tokyo, Feb. 19.
At seven o'clock to-morrow morn-temple-bells and sirens nnotnce that opening of first election "ender the Universal manhood suffrage law and nine million people will east their votes for the first time, The developments of the past few days appear to indicate that the struggle will be even closer than At first predicted. Some quarters Go as far as to forecast a Minseito (Opposition) victory, but the gen-oral expectation still is that the Seiyukai (Government party) will win by a narrow margin, not exceeding twenty seats and possibly ess.
For the 406 scats there are 960 candidates, including about 970 ench of the Seiyukai and the Bfinseito, and 88 each of the Proletarians and Independents, the minor groups making up the balance, In spite of the sympathetic attitude of the vernacular papers the Proletarians are not expected to cure more than a dozen seats.
With the time drawing near the excitement is increasing, whi charges and counter-charges of irre. gularities are being freely made on all sides. The Government is personalities. Principles, though they may receive a certain measure Jof lip service, are but a secondary consideration, On the surface the platforms of the two principal parties may appear to differ quite -considerabl but, briefly the only real differenc is that the Seiyukai party advocates an inflationist and positive policy while their main opponents are in favour of deflation and a so-called negative attitude. Each party. places its faith in industrialization as the best means of dealing with the population question and each realizes that something must be done to ease the hard economic lot of the rural communities, where poverty is rife and where peasant troubles are becoming increasingly serious. The platform of each consequently contains planks based on these two. points,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.