Prof. Colgrove,
On behalf of the members of the Com. I want express our greeting and sincere appreciation for the interest which you have taken in our business. I understand that you are going home soon. When you arrive at your homeland, please tell your countrymen that the Jap. people are doing their best to rebuild new & democratic country and are looking forward to collaborating as soon as possible with the peace loving peoples of the world.
彼氏も亦之に答へて簡単な挨拶をしたので満場拍手して之を迎へた。僅か五分問でハあつたが議会にハ珍らしい光景であつた。When we got the draft of Constitution in the Diet we were told (1°) that the Draft was approved en bloc by the Scap, (2°) that except the articles concerning the basic problems the details are opened to the discussion of the Diet. We proceeded along this line in discussing the amendments.
So we left the basic principles untouched. 0nly amendments we made are on three articles, that is, arts. 97. 84. 92.
Williams interrupted, "Art.84 is very important and it involves the basic principle..."
"Well," I said, "we do not think the question of the Emperor's property constitutes the basic principle of our Constitution."
In any way when we stipulate that "All Imperial property shall belong to the State" even hat and pencil must be turned over to the State. According to our legal conception the proprietor must not be deprived of his income of the property. Why the Emperor's property right is restricted to this extent?
Williams said, "We recognize the private property of the Emperor.
We have no objection on it. But among property of the Imperial Household there are many things
which we can not consider as the Emperor's personal belong. The art 84 stipulates exactly that case.
I said that "You recognize the Emperor's private property, that's good, then why we can not say so clearly in this article"
こんな風な問答を繰返した後私は皇室財産の問題ハ政府と宮内省とG.H.Qとの間の協議で解決しうる問題であつて之を憲法に記入することは必要なしと思ふ。憲法に書くには皇室の支出ハ毎年国会の議決を必要とすと規定すれば足ると云つたら、その点ハ上司に話して何分の返事をすると答へた。