Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1912-02-13

CeiVeu anonymous letters warning
them of approaching revolution. The
| delegates held a meeting and decided
that fifteen of their number should
| remain in Pekin. The remainder,
| about a 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 a 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
list 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. 8, 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 a right.
The entire session, however, was a
fiat contradiction Of this theory. On
Oct. % the assembly appointed COM
mite of six to draft a memorial de-
handing an earlier convocation of
parliament
The confidence of the assembly
knew no bounds. and it proceeded first
to impeach the grand councillors, and
next to demand the formation of a re-
sponsible cabinet The Impeachment
failed. but the demand for a cabinet
succeeded. On Dec. %, few DAYS
before the assembly was dissolved, an
edict ordered a cabinet to be formed.
In May 1917, 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
countersigned by all the ministers of
state"
The Revolution.
The meeting of the national assem-
bly, this year has conceded so aptly
with the outbreak of revolution that
there is good reason for supposing that
the two events were planned to take
place simultaneously. Be that as II
may, the immediate occasion of rebel
lion was the edict Of May last ma.
tionalizing all the trunk railways The
railway question had been an acute
one ever since June. 1909, when three
financial groups, the Deutsch-Asia.
tische bank. the Hongkong and Shan.
ghai bank anu the Banque de Undo.
Chine, made preliminary agreement
with the late grand councillor, Chang
Chih-tung, to lend the Chinese gov.
eminent $27.5O0,O00 to enable il 10
build railway from Canton 70 Han.
kow and from Hankow to Ichang. Ow-
ing to various difficulties the loan
hung fire till May last year. when n
was finally arranged and signed
The government appeared to be get.
ting the rebellion in hand, when on
Oct. IL news reached Pekin that w.
chang, which is just opposite Hankow
had been captured by rebels and that
the viceroy had fed. On the follow.
ing day Hanyang was taken, together
with the arsenal in Hankow. and n
became clear that the long expected
antiManchu revolution had at last
broken out under the military leader.
ship of Brig. Gen. Ii Yuan Heng a ma.
tive of Hupeh, educated in Tientsin
and the civilian leadership of Huane
Tanghauling. president of the Huneb
provincial assembly. and Sunyu, broth.
er of DR.. Sun Vat Sen. the famous
Cantonese revolutionary.
With extraordinary rapidity the
torch &C 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.