The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-17
WI TING FANG IS
PROMINENT FIGURE
Conference Between the War
ring Factions to Take
Place at Shanghai.
STRONG HOPE OF PEACE
Large Majority Of the Repre-
SentativeS in Favor of
Republic.
STRONG HOPE OF PEACE
BY Associated Press.

SN Associated IfeSS.
SHANGHAI. China. Dec. l6.-The
coming week VIII he perhaps the most
notable IN the history Of the revolu-
ton in China. Tang Shao vi. the inn
peral plenipotentiary appointed by
Premier Yuan Shi Kai 10 negotiate
terms of peace with the victorious
revolutionarioS is TO arrive in Shanghai
on Sunday.
On their arrival here they will have
Travelled about 500 miles along the
river Iangtse. which is patrolled by a
score Of revolutionary cruisers anil
gun boats. Tang Shao VI will not,
IN fact, have seen an imperial soldier
or n yellow flag since he left Hankow.
Included in Tang Shao Yi's party are
two leading officials. Yen Shi Shi, con
nected with the board of finances, and
Yang Shi Chi, former president Of the
board Of communications. who viii act
"a his counsclorS, He also has with
him twenty-five representatives of diff
ferent provinces of China, who have
been selected by Premier Yuan Shi Kai
10 Offset the revolutionary convention
now sitting at Marking.
Travelled OH Boat
-Four representatives Of Ii lTuen
Heng. the revolutionary leader, are
travelling on the same boat with Tang
Shao y and his party,
WI Ting Fang. former Chinese min
lister at Washington. and recently Sc
lected as foreign minister of the re
publican cabinet, who is directing the
reception of Tang Shao VI, will send
two representatives 10 meet the party
at its landing mt the settlement.
The municipality Of Shanghai has
offered the town hall for the meetings
of the peace conference. This proposal
has been accepted by Wu Ting Fang on
the condition that Tang Shao vi ap-
proves.
The best observers among the influ.
ential Chinese believe there is good
choice Of settlement being made
through mutual concessions.
The republicans at present arc deter
mined to demand that the dynasty be
brought TO a close and that the Manchus
as a class or clan he merged with the
Chinese, together with their depcnden-
cies.
On this point compromise eventually
may be reached, namely, that the em-
peror be retained as a Chinaman at the
head Of the new dynasty. IT may he
that he will become constitutional mon
arch with regent to be elected by the
people but on an extremely limited
franchise.
Rebel Demands.
The national congress, If the PROPOSE
ton is accepted, will have its members
elected by each province and VIII con
troll the imperial finances as we'll as
the army and navy, Each province.
however. will be autonomous In regard
to it's own affairs and will elect It's
own governor
There is reason to believe that If the
lrevolutionaries coucede the question of
a republic, Yuan Shi Kai will accept
their terms. The chief difficulty ap.
pears to be with the botheads, students
and extremists who are demanding n
republic.
| a census taken among the reprcsen'
tatives Of the republicans now assem-
bled in convention at Marking shows
that a large majority of them is in favor
of a republic, but at the present crisis
IIf DR.. Sun Vat Sun. General LII Guen
Hueng and other Influential republi
cans, whose names have not hitherto
been mentioned, should counsel 4 com
promise, the cud of the trouble might
bo IN sight.
Should the conference at Shangha,
fail to reach an agreement, the rcpub
lcan military leaders are confident that
| they can eventually take Pckln;
1t is believed Tang Shao Vi Is advis
ing Premier Yuan Shi Kai TO accept
the presidency of the republic with Sun
Vat Sen as vice president. 1T is
thought that the Manchu dynasty vii
be forced to abdicatc and to accept
len. terms offered by the republicans,