Page:Political Condition of Japan.djvu/19

 is permitted, or even favored and encouraged by one, is often prohibited and destroyed by the other. For instance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is advocating some changes, not only in political, but also in every detail of private affairs, but on the other hand the Commissioner of the Police is carrying out the most cruel laws of prison discipline, unparalleled in the history of any civilized country. While young officials and their wives are dancing the modern waltz, utter disregard is shown to the rights and liberties of the people. Thus there are no consistent principles and no united action in the present Cabinet. Each department is acting independently of the other. The present Cabinet may be compared to a headless centipede whose numerous feet move in all sorts of ways.

Yet the Japanese government thinks to win the confidence of all the European governments by introducing superficial changes. They think the foreign representatives are foolish enough to make important concessions in revising treaties, if they are continually invited to the Japanese public receptions and allowed to dance with Japanese women.

While this kind of thing is done by the Japanese government let us look at the Japanese prisons, where many patriotic Japanese are dying.

Within these prisons there is no suitable place for the prisoners to sleep. They try to sleep, heaped up one over the other. Many become ill, and the most of them die. Their food consists of a mixture of rice and oats, about a quarter of a pound, served sometimes with three pieces of pickle, or with boiled vegetables. Although they are given a meal three times a day, the quantity is so small that the prisoners become as thin as skeletons. As to exercise, each prisoner is sometimes allowed to walk in a small yard for ten or fifteen minutes, but even this is very seldom permitted. All the prisoners are treated alike, whether they are political prisoners or not. Whenever a prisoner is taken out of prison he is put in irons and bound with a strong rope. No exception is made, even in case of a feeble old man or a mere boy. Neither work nor writing material is allowed in the cages. If any prisoner is found with a piece of a pencil