Page:Political Condition of Japan.djvu/14

 Greek or Roman government two thousand years ago, the Japanese government consider it a political speech. Sometimes a lecture, although simply on a scientific subject, has been considered a political speech—as well as lectures on history, commercial business, and all subjects relating to laws of all countries—and the lecture accordingly treated as such. In the same clause the words “public meetings” were construed by a Frenchman, employed under the Japanese government, to mean any meeting held by more than two persons. Thus, the Frenchman, who knew well how to construe this kind of regulation, made away with the distinction between private and public meetings, and gave the police unlimited authority even to violate the freedom of a private citizen. According to the first clause, the outline of a political speech must be submitted to the police of the district, who will decide whether the speech is injurious to the peace of the nation or not. But who are these police? They are men of very imperfect education, receiving a salary of eight or ten dollars a month. They can scarcely understand the duty they are called upon to discharge. The result is a ridiculous one: they put their own interpretation on the subject and try to prevent any public speech at all. So it is with the fourth and sixth clauses. Policemen reject application for permission to hold public meetings, and forbid speakers to continue their speeches, simply from the want of understanding. Often the speaker is punished by being deprived of liberty of speech for six months or a year. I myself incurred the penalty under this clause, and was deprived of my liberty of speech for six months, only for saying, “No despotic government exists long. The French government under Louis XVI. was a despotic government, and therefore came to an unfortunate end.” This seems to be a self-evident truth which any rational man ought to admit. But the policemen thought my speech to be against the public peace, and the meeting was dissolved. The present Japanese government is desirous to make any change in outward appearance, that it thinks will win the confidence of European powers. But I do not think any civilized government will place much confidence in a government which shows such a