Page:Political Condition of Japan.djvu/13

 outlines of the speeches, names of the speakers, and the officers and date of the meeting.

The second provides that every society connected with political subjects must obtain the permission at the police station for its organization.

The fourth provides that, if it be presumed by the police authority that the subject of speech, or the society in question is injurious to the peace of the country, the permission shall not be given.

Fifth.—Policemen in their official dress will appear at every meeting.

Sixth.—If speeches pass beyond the subject already set forth in writing before the police authority, or if it is presumed by the police that a speech is injurious to the public peace, the speaker will be forbidden from going on with his speech, and the meeting dissolved.

Eighth.—No one shall advertise the subject of a speech concerning politics, or send out agents, or publish anything in printing or writing for the purpose of attracting the notice of the public. Two or more societies are not allowed to correspond with each other.

Ninth.—Open air meetings shall not be permitted. All offenders are punished with fines varying from two dollars to one hundred dollars, and imprisonment with hard labor from two months to two years. The speaker whose speech is declared by the police to be injurious to the peace of the country is forbidden to make any speech from six months to a year.

Now, the regulations themselves are absurd and utterly unjust; but if their interpretation had been more reasonable the injury might have been less. The general principle of interpretation would be to put the narrowest signification upon terms, so as not to include all the cases which might be brought under the regulations. But it is entirely otherwise. The widest signification is given, so as to include every possible case. For instance, the word “politics” in the first clause is construed in practical application to mean all matters relating to government in all nations and in all ages. Thus, if a speech is made on the subject of