Hujiwara Maoto
The Hon. Lord Maoto Hujiwara Maoto PC | |
|---|---|
ふじわらのきみまおと | |
 Maoto in 1892 | |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office Dec. 23, 1910 – Oct. 5, 1914 | |
| Prime Minister | Lord of Mik |
| MP for Saw | |
| In office Aug. 12, 1894 – Apr. 25, 1921 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 2, 1848 Nakazara-han, Dayashina |
| Died | November 4, 1925 (aged 77) Keong-ning, Themiclesia |
| Nationality | Dayashina, Themiclesia |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse(s) | Mako, Lady Maoto |
| Children | Himori, 2nd Lord Maoto |
| Parents |
|
| Education | Cambridge University |
Hujiwara no Maoto, Lord Maoto (Dayashinese:まおとのきみ まおと; Shinasthana: 藤原真詠君真詠; Jul. 2, 1848 – Nov. 4, 1925) was a Dayashinese and Themiclesian diplomat, politician, and businessman.
Early life and career
Maoto was born to aristocratic parents in the Nakazara-han on June 2, 1848, the second of five children. Soon after his birth, the politcal acumen of his parents led to the family's efforts in supporting the opening of Dayashina to the Western world in 1854. This decision, though financially and politically rewarding, also invited hostility from traditionalists who wished to shun foreigners. Maoto was thus sent to multiple Casaterran states both as a student and political refugee at the age of 12, escaping the initial chaos that attended the policy of openness and free trade. His prolonged stay, as a student in Cambridge University in Anglia and Lechernt, profoundly shaped his beliefs about government and international politics. Returning home in 1873, he entered government as a diplomat and was sent on multiple postings and served as an interpreter of communications between Casaterran states and the Dayashinese government.
Maoto's experience in diplomatic service soon gave him an edge over domestically-trained officials and an increased influence, and briefly in the late 1880s he was considered hopeful for a ministerial position. At the same time a protectionist faction appeared in politics, supported by major business owners that wished to reduce competition by tariffing foreign imports. This faction found support from nationalists who believed that Casaterran states were conspiring to restrict Dayashinese influence in the world. Maoto advised government ministers that "tariffs are only a temporary solution; only productivity can overcome competition." Thus, he represented the view that money should be spent on improving education rather than military purchases. Even though he was not wholly against tariffs or armaments, nationalists in government branded him as a public enemy and militated for his removal from office.
While Maoto tried to fend off political pressure diplomatically, sending memoranda to various senior officials to justify his early assertions in more detail, these memoranda were intercepted by nationalist officials and published on the newspaper in Sept. 1889. Extremists, outraged by his apparent defence of foreign interests, took to the streets demanding his resignation and defaced his residence several times. It is understood that the prime minister Ando Takamasa did not wish to remove him and resented the fact that he relied on nationalists for other policy undertakings. Seeing little support from his patron, Maoto reported the incidents to the police, yet the police commissioners replied that "you hold much power, including the power to resolve these problems," implying that Maoto caused his own problems. Isolated, he telegraphed a Themiclesian diplomat he had met in Anglia in 1877, who surprisingly offered to introduce him to "high ranking" Themiclesians.
Move to Themiclesia
Ando awarded him a holidy abroad to avoid the vagaries of domestic politics. In early 1890, Maoto left Dayashina on pretext of illenss and travelled to Themiclesia, where he received a purse for his travels and a temporary lodging. His presence in Themiclesia was detected by the Dayashinese mission and revealed to nationalist mobs at home, much to the dismay of Ando, who again felt unable to suppress a daily mob that gathered at Maoto's house. Learning that the mob wanted Maoto back home, his friend Mada Hirohiko secretly transported his family to Namyang for fear of open violence. This move was not communicated by telegraph for fear of interception that would compromise the plan.
Despite the reception, his initial experience with Themiclesia was negative, mainly due to the ongoing election of 1890. The election was one of the most bitterly fought in history: bribery was rampant, defamation more so, and the political parties appeared to be in disarray. He described Themiclesian politics as "at each other's necks" in his diary and somewhat held the system in distaste. He also considered the election to be a time of danger, as any attempt to approach a faction now could backfire if the other was elected. The Conservatives led by the Lord of Krungh was elected, and his friend introduced him to Krungh's foreign secretary, the Lord of Sloi. Maoto disliked Sloi because he was "fully politician and no statesman", meaning Sloi only desired to remain in power but had no vision for the country. Nevertheless, Sloi received him courteously and offered him a retainer as a private advisor; Maoto asked for time to consider the offer.
Between May and October 1890, Maoto considered whether his career in Dayashina could be resurrected, realizing that if he accepted the Themiclesian position the Dayashinese government could not restore him to office, giving the political climate at home. While he toured the country, his family temporarily settled in Namyang and whence telegraphed him to his utter surprise. He had assumed that the cessation of telegrammes indicated the situation had improved, whereas in reality his family first sailed to Sundan, Maracaibo, and then Namyang for safety, taking months in the process. His family's expulsion from Dayashina led him to believe that return was now impossible, as the extremists would have noticed his entire family's departure and accused him of desertion. He accepted Sloi's retainer and began working for the Themiclesian government, instructing his agent in Dayashina to sell his house and lands as soon as possible; not more than a few weeks later, he received news that his house in Dayashina had burned down. He lost ₤2,000 on the transaction, per his own assessment.
MP for Saw
The Lord of Sloi initially did not assign Maoto much to do or provide him with much income. At the same time, he was introduced to a Dayashinese businessman, Shimatsu Keisuke, living in Themiclesia, and Shimatsu recommended him to enter politics. Maoto scoffed at the suggestion, saying that Themiclesians would not elect a foreigner into government; however, Shimatsu reminded that Maoto was born of aristocratic blood, and his children would lose honour if he did not work to establish his name in Themiclesia. Shimatsu said that a lot of Dayashinese businessmen in Themiclesia would "see the virtue" of a man born in Dayashina serving in the Themiclesian parliament, implying financial support. Shimatsu, from the Dayashinese Who's Who, knew that Maoto had a considerable inheritance, but he doubted that it would be enough to win both the support of a political party and the ballots at the polls; thus, the pair began working to establish Maoto as a politician in Themiclesia.
Maoto moved to P′a′ in 1892, knowing it as a port city whose fortunes depended on volume of trade. The city had a strong Liberal leaning due to its policy of free trade but most importantly had an elderly MP rumoured to be retiring after the present parliament. The local Liberal party searched for a candidate who was less beholden to local reputation, and they selected Maoto on the condition that he would not support social legislation or other barriers to trade. His lack of local connections made him an easy MP to sway, though in an election they ran a greater risk of public distaste due to his foreign origins. Indeed, in 1894, the Krungh government called an election, which the Liberals under the Lord of N′arh won. Maoto was elected with a sheer margin of 90 votes out of an electorate of 10,290 in the district of Saw; he was advised to dip into his own funds to give out patronage for a better performance in the next election.
Maoto was reportedly unimpressed with the infrastructure of the Themiclesian House of Commons, calling it "an old shack"; however, another MP told him that a rebuilding would be unseasonably costly. Maoto was not particularly happy as MP for Saw, as he had few friends in government and next to no personal influence. He considers himself to have held less power than he did in Dayashina ten years ago, but gradually he became attuned to life as a backbencher and surprisingly won re-election in 1897 despite his party's loss. Reflecting on his performance, he wrote that his foreign nationality was not as large a disadvantage as he thought it would be. As long as he worked with other MPs, it was "virtually never mentioned", and other MPs found little issue in supporting his initiatives or positions.
During the Conservative government of the Lord of Krungh, he feared that Sloi would seek retaliation for leaving his patronage, but ultimately that did not occur. Instead, he sought an additional position as a member of the Board of Trade, and the Conservatives granted this as part of a trade with the Liberals for the seat of Ma-ti. He stood for a by-election in 1898 and won the seat very easily, as the Conservatives by the terms of the agreement did not field a candidate in Saw. Shimatsu became his key advisor on Board of Trade affairs, despite returning to Dayashina in 1899. They had agreed that Dayashina needed to practice free trade both for its own benefit and that of Themiclesia. As the Conservatives won the next election in 1904 with an increased majority, Maoto felt compelled to resign from the Board of Trade to focus on his constituency. Like other Liberals, he opposed universal suffrage on the grounds that it would promote social legislation and erode work ethic, but realizing that the law was likely to pass, he asked for assistance from his party to secure his seat.
Government
In 1907, after the Lord of Rjem-′an resigned due to ill health, the Conservative Party decided to call a general election which the Liberals under the Lord of Mik won. Mik had worked with Maoto on the Board of Trade and recommended him as a junior minister in the Foreign Office, recognizing his perception about Dayashinese and Menghean politics. Due to Mik's sudden stroke in 1910 which left him bedridden for months, the MP Go Mjanh-krje emerged as prime minister, the first commoner (with no heritable titles) to hold it in history. Maoto was astounded because the first commoner took office only six years after universal suffrage was implemented, having formerly believed that the premiership passed within the ranks of the aristocracy to ensure moderate opinions. He later wrote of it as the strength of his party to select the best man for office, irrespective of origins. As Go took office as foreign secretary, the party promoted Maoto in Go's place. In a meeting of Liberal leaders, Maoto decided to address his nationality before joining the Cabinet:
From an alien sojourner to foreign secretary, you have recognized my abilities and eagerness like my native country never has. It is therefore my intention to serve your country like I have not served my native country. To deny my sincerity, I think, is to believe that an accident of birth is more important than 20 years of concerted dedication.
During his tenure as Foreign Secretary, several major accomplishments are attributed to him. Despite persistent personal hostility with extermist politicians in Dayashina, the moderate politics and growing Dayashinese economy of the early 1900s allowed him to establish renewed dialogue with that nation. He concluded an 1911 agreement with Dayashina to reduce tariffs mutually, for which his fluency and deep understanding of international politics allowed him to direct the rather contentious diplomacy personally. In this context, he believed that his nationality was in fact a strength, rather than a weakness. When the Lord of Mik returned to politics in 1912, he was briefly Navy Secretary, until his proposal to purchase a dreadnought was rejected by the Cabinet. In June 1912, he was re-appointed as Foreign Secretary and was additionally made Vice President of the Board of Trade. Even though he was not clearly linked to any major policy in the latter office, he was associated with a quickly-growing economy in the early 1910s.
In 1914, he was elevated to the peerage as the baronet Lord Maoto.[1] He thereby became the first man of Dayashinese birth to be elevated to the Themiclesian peerage. However, quickly after this, he was implicated in a scandal in the Board of Trade, compelling him to resign from the Government. He remained the MP for P′a′ until 1917, when he was defeated in that year's general election by the Conservative candidate Lord Pak.
Life in Retirement
After resigning from the Government, Lord Maoto founded the Dayashinese Benevolence Society that aimed to assist Dayashinese businessmen find customers or set up operations in Themiclesia. The DBS became a very powerful organization especially amongst less wealthy Dayashinese people who moved to Themiclesia for many reasons; it is estimated that, in 1920, over 90% of Dayashinese immigrants were members of the DBS and paid membership dues. The DBS evolved into the parliamentary lobby that would vocally and politically defend the interests of the Dayashinese diaspora in Themiclesia, including cultural heritage and protection from discrimination.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Baronets in Themiclesia are considered peers, though they are not entitled to an automatic seat in the House of Lords and remain eligible to stand as MP.