The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-06

six months ago that the whole fabric
OF Manchu rule in China could or
would be overturned in little more
than fortnight he would have been
pronounced mad Yet that is what
has happened The Manchu dynasty
is, at the moment of writing, still in
possession of the throne, but it's power
is utterly and irretrievably broken. In
the following article propose to tell
the story of how this surprising event
has taken place.
Constitutional Movement.
We must go back to the year 1901,
in which what may be called the first
of the reform edicts was issued by the
late emperor and empress dOwager
when in retirement at Sianfu after
their fight from Petin in 1900, the
Boxer year" By this edlct they Gre
ated new board called the cheng WI
Ch'u or bureau for government affairs
The board was ordered to memorabilia
the throne in regard to what should
and what should not be done to mod
ernie the government of the country.
Between 1901 and 1906 a great many
edicts were issued in response to the
memorials of the cheng WI chu, some
of them dealing with political and
Others with educational and legal mat.
ters. They were mostly paper reforms
-"yu ming WI shih," as the Chinese
say, or "all talk and no substance" as
We express it.
In January, 1906, five commissioners,
among them Duhu Tsai Use, an uncle
of the present emperor, were sent to
Europe to study the constitutions OF
different nations. In July they returned
and submitted the results of their in
vestigations to the throne, which on
September 1 issued decree beginning
with the words, Our high commission
ers are unanimous in declaring that
the main cause of the backward condi-
ton of the empire is due to lack of
confidence between the highest and
the lowest" After deprecating undue
haste and sketching out a plan " re-
form, the edict concluded: I'm ~ few
years will come the time for appoint
ing a day to inaugurate constitutional
government"
Yuan Shih-Kars Work.
At the head of the progressive party
in Pekin at this time was Yuan Shin
Rai, who, in addition to being viceroy
of Chilli province, was consulting min
lister to the board of state affairs, di-
rector general of the imperial railways
of North China and of other lines, min
lister in charge of the Manchu garrison
at Pekin and commander in chief OF
the First, Third, Fifth and Sixth divis-
ions of the imperial army. AS result
of his influence, the throne on Novem-
Der G, 1906, issued an edict inaugural
ing important administrative reforms,
and promising that in future no dis
tinctiOn should be made between Man
chus and Chinese. Almost immediate
ly afterward palace intrigues resulted
ia Yuan being compelled to resign all
his posts save that of yiceroy, and for
several months Pekin politics were
guided by the reactionares. But in
July. 1907. famine in the Yangtse
valley started revolutionary unrest,
which eliminated in the assassination
of General Min, the Manchu governor
of Anhui province. The throne took
fright, and Yuan was recalled to the
capital There followed whole
string of reform edicts, the most inn
pOrtant being that of October 19, au-
thorizing the establishment of provin-
cial assemblies for the study of gov
eminent affairs, and thar of December
25. which, after reviewing the whole
question of a constitution, declared
that ''the departments for political dis
cussion opened in each province are
intended as 1.-The foundation of the fu-
ture parliament"
During the first six months of 1908
little was done There was pause in
the constitutional movement due to a
recrudesence Of party strife, But on
July % the provisional assemblies, al
ready foreshadowed, were formally
constituted, while on August % a de-
cree was issued definitely promising
constitution at the end of nine years
and assigning a definite preparatory
program to each year
Young China.
In accordance with the program the
provisional assemblies met on October
"A, 1909 They continued in session
till November %, and astonishei
everyone by their orderly behavior and
by the quiet tone of their debates. Mo
ment0us debates these, for in them
young China" first realized its
strength 1t was not long before that
strength was shown In January, 1910,
the assemblies sent delegates to Pekin