The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-01-11


ceived anonymous letters warning
thsa Of approaching revolution. The
delegates held q meeting and decided
that fifteen Of their number should
remain In Pekin. The remainder.
about = hundred. returned to their
homes.
In the meantime steps had been Ia
ken to call an assembly destined to
succeed where the delegates had fail
ed. The nine year program provided
for the Inauguration during the third
year Of = national assembly to meet
at Pekin and to serve as training
ground for the future parliament. Ac-
cordingly. on March IL. 1910. the cleo
ton Of members began. and on May
8. 1910. an edict was issued giving 4
HIST OF those nominated by the throne
Further the assembly was brought
together as an advisory body pure and
simple. This was clearly laid down in
Its regulations and was emphasized
by the prince regent when he opened
the assembly Oct. 3. the underlying
theory OF his speech being that what
ever measure Of popular government
the throne had decided to allow was
granted as gift and not as 4 right.
The entire session. however. was .
nat contradiction Of this theory. On
Oct. % the assembly appointed a com.
mite Of six to draft a memorial de-
manding an earlier convocation Of
parliament.
The confidence Of the assembly
knew no bounds. and 1t proceeded first
to impeach the grand councillors. and
next to demand the formation of q re-
sponsible cabinet. The impeachment
failed. but the demand for a cabinet
succeeded. On Dec. Is. a few days
before the assembly was dissolved, an
edict ordered q cabinet to be formed.
In May. 1911. the cabinet came into
existence and article II Of its consti-
tuition stated that laws. imperial
rescripts, and imperial edicts having
reference to state affairs shall be
cocntersigned by all the ministers Of
state"
The Revolution.
The meeting of the national assem-
bly, this year has coincided 70 aptly
with the outbreak Of revolution that
there ID good reason for supposing that
the two events were planned to take
place simultaneously. Be that AZ It
may. the immediate occasion Of rebel
lion was the edict Of May last ma
tionaizing all the trunk railways. The
railway question had been an acute
one ever since June, 1909. when three
financial Eroups. the Deutsch-Asia-
tische bank. the Hongkong and Shan
ghai bank and the Banque dc Undo.
Chine. made a preliminary agreement
with the late grand councillor, Chang
Chih-tung. to lend the Chinese sov-
eminent S27 100000 to enable 1t to
build q railway from Canton to Han.
kow and from Hankow to IchanR. Ow.
ing to various difficulties the loan
hung hre till May last year, when II
was finally arranged and signed.
The government appeared to be zet.
ting the rebellion In hand. when on
Oct II news reached Pekin that WI.
chang, which IL Just opposite Hankow,
had been captured by rebels and that
the viceroy had ned. On the follow
ing day Hanyang was taken. together
with the arsenal in Hankow. and II
became clear that the long expected
anti-Manchu revolution had at last
broken out under the military leader.
ship of Brig. Gen. Ii Yuan Heng. a na.
tive Of Hupeh. educated in Tientsin,
and the civilian leadership of Huank
Tanghauling. president of the Hupeh
provincial assembly, and Sunyu. broth.
er Of DR.. Sun Vat Sen. the famous
Cantonese revolutionary.
With extraordinary rapidity the
torch of revolution has been handed
from province to province. and now
flares from nearly every city of i'm.
portance. In the midst of these events
the national assembly met and,
through them. the revolutionaries
have been able to snatch every YES
! tige of power from the throne.