Page:Political Condition of Japan.djvu/15

 want of appreciation of these most important means for improving the mass of the people—the right of public assembly and free speech. Again, while speaking in Yokohama of the general condition of trade in Japan, my speech was stopped and the meeting was dissolved by policemen because I said that many people are starving in that city through the depression of trade, owing to the interference of the government in the matter of commerce, and by cutting off suddenly the currency of the country. Such was a simple fact as regards the Japanese trade, but the police thought that no one ought to criticise the financial policy of the government. Many speakers suffer the penalty in like manner.

A meeting is not allowed by the police authority if a speaker intends to use the word “despotic” in his speech. On these questions, too much authority is given to the ignorant police, who are ready to show their power whenever an opportunity presents itself. Even when a slight joke is made upon them by the people, the offenders are punished as in the case of “contempt of officials.” Once a large crowd was assembling in a village fair in the northeastern province of Japan, three policemen came there and one of the village girls said, “There are three pieces of policemen” or “Zhunsa ga san biki.” She was put into prison for one year. In another district a woman sang a song “Shall I kill myself or shall I become a policeman?” or “Shinde simaoka zhunsa ni naroka.” She was arrested and punished with six months’ imprisonment for “contempt of officials.”

Though they assume so much authority over the Japanese men and women, yet they proved most cowardly when some Chinese sailors recently committed outrages in Nagasaki. The sailors belonging to a Chinese man-of-war landed on Nagasaki, and, being drunk, assaulted peaceful citizens and destroyed some shops. The Japanese police being informed of this affair went quietly to remnstrate, but the Chinese sailors struck the Japanese policemen with pieces of melons which they had half eaten. Yet the police could not arrest them, but quietly submitted to the insult. Eventually one of them was wounded by the