Page:Constitutional imperialism in Japan (IA constitutionalim00clemrich).pdf/60

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
50
Constitutional Imperialism in Japan
[Vol. VI
giving much occupation to the soshi [ruffians], who freely made use of swords and revolvers for the purpose of intimidation. As time passed, and men grew wiser by experience, they began to realize that it was more effective and profitable to collect votes by the dispensation of money than by threats of violence. More lately begging has come to be a popular and effective method of collecting votes, and is tried by many candidates side by side with the buying-up process. Some may argue that the change from robber to beggar implies degeneration, while others may consider the change to imply progress as discarding barbarous in favor of more “civilized” methods. Now that robbery, jobbery, and begging have been tried in turn in the electioneering campaigns, Dr. Ukita thinks that perhaps future candidates for parliamentary honors will find it necessary to make an appeal to the reason and sense of justice of the voters. If this should be so, candidates in future must pay more attention to the exposition of their political views on the platform, and oratory may be found to supersede less honorable methods of enlisting the support of voters.[1]

If we turn to consider the work of the Diet, we find one phase quite in line with what is going on in the national assemblies of other countries. The real business of each House is being done in the committee rooms rather than on the floor of the House. Uyehara remarks on this point: The Government has invented a doctrine called “the principle of fugen-jikko, or practice without discussion”.[2] But the discussions in each House are not necessarily checked; the oratorical displays are not shut off; but the decision is often left to the calmer consideration of a committee instead of the excitement of a debate.

The House of Peers is a troublesome element in the political world of Japan. Uyehara claims that it is “a great obstacle to the proper development of constitutional government”. But he rightly acknowledges that “the real usefulness of the House of Peers” will be more evident, if “Ministers become responsible to the House of Representatives”.[3]

  1. ↑ Japan Chronicle, Kobe, April 29, 1915.
  2. ↑ Op. cit., p. 269.
  3. ↑ Ibid., p. 214.

(370)

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.