The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-10
rAE NlpAMoND NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., JANUARY 10 1915


Yuan Shi Kai gIeeu with the Re
publicans to persuade the Manchr
House TO abdicate. and TO unity the
Republic. He was made the second
provisional president and soon began
to httray his trust by unconstitutional
acts. The struggle between democracy
and autocracy began about year
latet. when Sung Chiao Jen. ex-min-
lister OF agriculture and forestry, and
leader of the majority party in Par
lament, was assassinated in Shang-
hal The crime was traced to Peking
and laid at the door of Choa Ping
Chun. the Premier OF Yuan Shi kai.
Shortly after. Yuan defied Parlia
ment by signing the Five Power loan
Of sl2b, 000,0 without its sanction.
From that time 1t was unable to re-
strain him. Thus supplied with ample
funds, Yuan gained control of Par
Lament by bribing some of the mem
hers A new party was formed by
Yuan. known as tie Chinputang, or
Progressive party. which opposed the
kuomintsng. or Nationalist Ma jority
parts. AS n result. only one bill pass
ed Parliament In four months, This
was just what Yuan had planned. so
as % discredit Parliament, and have
an excuse to assume autocrajc powers.
After the Revolution in 1918. Yuan
accused Parliament of attempting to
overthrow him, and issued an illegal
ordN.' eXpelling $40 Kuomintang men,
bers. On January IL. 1914. Yuan for
mally abolished the Parliament elect
ed by the people: but not until he
had forced its members to elect him
as the regular president. On the same
day that he abolished Parliament, all
of tho provincial or State legislatures.
district and municipal councils were
ordered to he abolished What a
stroke of the usurpers pen all of the
elective bodies of the Republic were
destroyed. Since January. 1914, the
Chinese Republic has been forced to
submit to dictatorship; Yuan being
the dictator.
Yuan was elected president October
;. 1918. for term OF five years be-
ing eligible for a second term. After
he abolished Parliament. he promul-
gated an illegal constitution on May
j. 1914. A Council OF State was then
appointed by him, and empowered to
act as the Legislature. He had the
presidential election laws changed by
tina. Council extending his term Of Of
flee to ten years. with no limitation
as to election.
\ Forever Proposition.
"Nuan's permanency OF office was
further secured by providing that in
the year OF the presidential election.
If the Council of State deems IT a
political necessity. that body. appoint
ed by him. can prolong the presidents
term of office to another ten years,
without the electoral college acting,
thus enabling Yuan TO he president
for life; and that the retiring presi-
dent shall nominate three candidates,
out t" which the electoral college shall
choose one as his successor. Thus
Yuan may nominate three of his six
teen sons. and one OF them must sue
coed him,
Even If there were no movement
to create n monarchy in China, the
Republic would not he a real Repub-
lie under Yuan. Ever since his coup
d'etat Of I9f4. the Republic has been
existent.
THE agitation for a monarchy be-
gan last August. The apparent cause
was a paper submitted to Yuan by DR..
Goodnow, then his adviser. and now
president of Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity. advocating a return to the mon
arChy Yuan's proteges formed a So
ciety TO discuss the form of govern
fnent His officials gave IL encour-
agement. Soon after. a second mon
archist society was formed by fdang
Shi-Yi Yuan's most trusted lieutenant,
to organize all monarchist sympathiz-
ers. and to send a combined petition
to the Council Of State asking for
monarchy, and also to Yuan. request
Ing him to ascend the throne
THE Council of State sent these
petitions To Yuan and asked him for
instructions, In a message to the
Council he declared that the opinion
of the country should be obtained. On
October 6, Yuan issued mandate,
calling for the election of national
convention to be made up of 1884
members, and to he charged with the
duty of deciding the question at issue.
IA Picking press correspondent re-
ported that out of n population of l.
$50. 900 in that city, only few more
than 500 votes were cast at this cleo
ton This shows that only a few of
Yuan's 100 600 officials in Picking vot-
ed for him Assuming the proportion
of votes cast throughout China tno
official report has been made) to be
The same. then out OF population of
400, 600, 900 Chinese, only $4,000 per-
! sons voted In the first national cleo
ton that chose the Parliament in 1913,
nVe~ 100000 900 votes were counted.
Yuan arbitrarily reduced the number
uf voters to 1000. or about one
tenth of one per cent of the popula
tion.
"TtJS minority electleF was heiu
only In the provincial and district cap
ital cities. Only persons designated by
the local military and civil authorities
AS qualified were permitted to vote
Eacn province chose electors who as
semhled in the provincial or state
capital. and elected delegates. VINO
/ constituted the National Convention.
Election ON One Days Notice.
"rsou ltWa Sin Pao. chinese
ap"r at Shanghai. reports that the
election in Ranking was called on one
( DAYS notice and that only twenty
six delegates out of about one hundred
were present The meeting was held
at the military governors residence.
and surrounded by armed soldiers ana
police. The delegates came forward
one at a time, and the election Officials
ordered them to write on their ballots.
Il tavor a monarchy" and Il publicly
elect Yuan Shi Kai as the Great En-
peror of the Chung Iiwa Empire In
every province the election of the DEL
cgates and he voting were held in
the same manner.
The United States Government Will
soon he asked to officially recognize
this usurpcr Yuan and his empire.
The United states was the first among
the great powers TO recognize the chi
aese Republic, Win II approve OF the
acts of this usurper and traitor, af-
ter 1t has refused recognition to HUI
aet., rf Tht. Ia nIpStinn