The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-17
FORMER PRESIDENT
NOW A PRISONER
Li-Yuan-hung, Once Head of the Chinese
Republic, Now Has Less Power
Than the Lowest Coolie

Correspondence OF The Associated Press.
PEKING. Sept. - Ii Iuan-huEg,
once president OF the Chinese republic pos
sesses today less power here than the low
lest coolic He i prisoner in the cap
ital of the land over which he once ruled.
and for the first time in many years hc
/ holds no office; and except for that 81
4 Prince WA VI he holds no title.
Il Ii j. ii Auan-hung desire To leave
i Picking and seek rest in Ticntsn but the
government has repeatedly denied tins re-
quest Premier Iuan thi-iu and Acting
+ President Feng kwo-chang apparently
/ have no intention Of allowing the veteran
warrior To depart for amy settlement
where he would be N a position to com
municdte with tho revoiutionists IN the
south The government is said to realize
how potent the name Of Ii lmn-hung
would he were lie made president OF a
southern republic such nj sun Gat-sen,
Tang >hao-yi. G T. Wang and other
Kuomirtang leaders are cndeavofng to e.
/ tablish in Canton
Since he surrendered the presidency a
month ago and allowed General Chang
| Hsun to take over the central govern
mcnt Ii luan-hun- has divided his tim,
| between the French hospital and lis homt
| in Tartar ity without the walls Of For
| hidden City He also took refuge for
| short time in the japanese legation, anc
| he handsomely rewarded the Japanese sol
/ diers and officer, who protected him il
/ the trying period when the Republicans
/ were ou>tng tie hoy emperor Fsun Ting
Il end ovcrthrowin4 the shoIt-livcd monarch,
II set M hy Chang Hsun
H III Nuan-hung illness was not seroI
II enough to make hi~ refinement to tn
hospital necessary Eut tie French Eos
II pita is in the legation quarter Ii is m
II der the protection o. the foreign guard
II And III Yuan hung was not the only Chi
II ncse who was ailiug at the time condition
II were so unsettled outside Of the foteig
settlement. Hotels. hospitals legation
Il and private houses within the Icgato
quarters were filed to overlooking whc
H Tuau Chiiuis troops moved against Z,
II kng on july T.
H During the years that II Auln-hun
II scrvcd as vice president under Yuan Nhil
II kai his position was much the same tina
II il is at present. 1t is true he then hcl
II the title Of yicepreSidcnt, but il was
II shallow honor. He had no power IIe la
II no freedom. Most OF those years wei
passed in an isolated palace on an islam
/ in the Forbidden City He was scldor
II permitted to leave the walled compoun
II No visitors saw him without the pc
mission Of the allpowerful Yuan Nh
kai. who lived on the mainland in pa
ace Ii Nuan-hung could see across tic !
" tus covord lake
: The central governments power tod;
. appparently grows stronger every hon
q. n g ~
(: powers They have no thought Of rcco
!: nizing struggling band Of parliament
I: rians in tho south who have only the hi,
!: warm support Of the provinces south
1: the Nang-tzc.
/: All hope OF recovering in legal W
|: the parliament which Ii Yuan-hung Il
!: solved under pressure has apparently disa
|: pcarcd The kuo min tang. or par
/: which is opposed to Premier Tuan Ct
!: iui and President Feng Kwo-chang al
|: their government. controls far less than
+: quorum Of the disbanded parliament Go
Il: scqucntly. even if they could muster tho
1: complete strength at Canton under s.
!: let-scn and Tang Shaoyi, they Won
!: not it is declared have enough to sat
]: fy their demands for government strict
!: under the conditions Of the Marking ID
!: visional constitution.
!: Compromises have been suggested
!: various leaders who are endeavoring
5: harmonic the north and the south, Gull,
= chambers of commerce and other CONNIE
III cidl organizations are tired of the pol
II zeal strife. Overseas Chinese are not |
II eral in their gifts to the southern IeadC
II ard lack of money may prevent the s0ut
crn movement from taking on great pl
II portions
II The action of the japanese banks
advancing the Picking government 81
100000 Mexican money, on possible 10
II Of Sl00000000 Mexican, to be made by t
old Guintuple group of bankers, has
licved the temporary financial embarra
ment OF Premier Tuan Chi-jui and ste3
led the political situation in the north
Within two months President Fe
kwo-chang is expected to be able to c,
vcnc provisional national council,
. legislative body, composed of five me