Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-21
Internal Strife In China

A few weeks ago Sung Chiao-j en,
DR.. Sun Vat Sens lieutenant and lead
er Of the Kuohmin Tang (Nationalist
er OF the Kuo,min Tang (Nationalist
Party). was assassinated in Shanghai.
Before the victim breathed his last. il
is said. he gasped family: He has
done for me; the North and the South
will never be reeenciled.' The man
he referred to was non other than
President Yuan Shih-kai himself.
Sung was a vigorous opponent of the
provisional president, and a bitter
strife had long been going on between
the two political leaders under sem
blance of harmony Sung's influence
was all the more formidable as he was
evidently backed by Sun Yat-sen and
Huang Hsing, whose combined powers
were responsible for the overthrow of
the Manchu dynasty. When Sung was
murdered in Shanghai, it was natural
w rumored that the foul crime was
committed at the instigation of his
political enemies in power. In the
course of the investigation into the
case instituted by Governor Cheng Te-
chuan at Shanghai, many surprising
pieces of evidence were brought out,
casting a lurid light upon men high
er up" Among such evidences, the
Tokyo Jill informs us, the following
were the most significant:
'on February &, Hung Shuh-tse,
secretary of President Yuan, sent
Yung Kweishing, the direct instiga-
tor OF the assassination, message
stating that he had transmitted to
the president Yung's letters in regard
to Vice President LII, General Huang
Hsing, DR.. Sun Yat-sen, and Sung
Chiao-jen, and that the president was
greatly pleased with them and praised
Yungs courage in consenting to un-.
dertake that task. .
20 March 13, Yung wired Secre-
tary Hung in cipher as follows:
Sung Chiaojen has delivered a
speech at Marking; If you do not take
his life at once there will be trouble
TO this the secretary replied on the
same day: Kill Sung. If you accom-
Push that you will be decorated. But
be careful.
The result of the sensational inves-
tigation was submitted bothsto the
president and to the national assem-
bly,, causing much uneasiness en- the
part of the Yuan cabinet, and intense
Indignation on the part of the assem-
bly,. 1t is also reported that the as
sassin was poisoned, presumably by
men who wanted to destroy evidence.
The unfortunate incident inevitably
intensified the enmity of the Kuo-min
Tang, of which the assassinated poll
tician was leader, toward President
Yuan. Its opposition to the conclu-
sion of the quintuple loan is the Pek-
ing correspondent of the Toxic Asahi
believes, largely due to the bitter feel
ing engendered by the assassination
+ of Sung. Now the Nationalist, ac-
|cording to the Jill have an absolute
control of the senate, though in the
chamber President Yuan's progressive
party seems to have slight majority.
The same paper further observes:
The Nationalists both in the sem
ate and in the chamber even threaten
to leave Picking en- masse should the
political situation at the capital de-
velop in such way as to make it
impossible for them to become recon
ciled with the cabinet The corollary
of such an untoward course would be
another revolution The Nationalist
insist that the constitution which is
to be adopted should clearly recog-
nize the responsibility of the cabinet
to, the legislature, and that the presi-
dent should have no power to dissolve
the l6wer house. To this Yuan and
his lieutenants are raising opposition
with all their might and main. To