Evening star., 1925-12-06

| L III
and bring an end to the clique of poll
ticians. Cow asked me to accompany
him to the capital, aboard his private
car. He then attempted an unusual
thing in any country. and particularly
SO in China: The administration OF a
department OF government after the
fashion of a big business.
My job said he, lis to rout the
robbers from the ministry Of commu-
nications, and compared to it. Cen.
Wu's task with the redbeards was
simple"
whom he had made acting premier to
see Cow regarding a face-saving way
of descent from the stage. Mr.. Cow,
who believed the program recently
published capable of execution. IN
vited me TO the conference. Under
the cool porticos OF the ministry Of
fices We sat and worked out in Eng
lish, which they both spoke perfectly.
a method of procedure for the deposi.
ton of the President of China and the
installation of d successor.
Old Hsu was to resign TO the coun-
try at large-since he lacked a Par
lament TO which to be responsible
the cabinet was to transmit his resig.
nation to the speakers of the two
houses of the original Parliament now
resident in Tientsin, and they, as
spokesmen for Parliament. were in
turn 10 invite Gen. Ii Yuan-hung to
resume the presidency and call ses
sion of Parliament This allowed for
every one to be invited by some one
and face TO be preserved all around.
The outstanding difficulty was:
| Would Ii come back" The min
lister of communications gave me a
special train to go down 10 Tientsin
and find out.
found Ii in the more modest Of his
two mansions--the one in the British
| concession. His fussy little secretary
allowed me 10 minutes and held q
watch on me. l reached my point
automatically.
Why" he asked bluntly, stroking
h!s mustaches, which We're unusually
heavy for a Chinese. should your
friends ask me to leave comfort and
peace here again to become presi-
dent
There is no one else who can do
it, general | said. You seem des-
tined to be the 'draught horse" (the
Chinese version of the goatw.
The secretary was shocked. but Ii
smiled. Yes" he said. that's what |
would be. or rather a stalking horse
for the ambitions of old Tsao-kun. I
have great faith in Gen. WI, although
l have never met him. But l repose
no confidence in that Chihli bunch. If
Old Man Tsao would take written
oath never to seek the presidency
might listen to you
That Is a good deal to ask" l said,
but I will put 1t up to him.
Back at Paoting, l reported Lis
words to the handsome Hsiung. chief
of staff to Daddy Tsao.
You may publish this statement as
coming from the old general" he said.
"He will never impose himself upon
the people. But TO ask a man to
pledge in writing never to entertain
quite legitimate ambitions is absurd"
l went to WI. Tell Lii" he said,
that if he will resume the presidency
I and my forces will be subject to his
orders. Can a man promise more?"
Adviser Bye was all for action. He
said. We'll just put old Hsu out and
escort Ii in!'
Putting Hsu out was easy. On the
afternoon OF June 4 the pathetic old
fellow turned over his seal and left for
Tientsin. with hardly a soul to see
him off at the station.
Chang Tsolin suddenly abandoned
his elaborate trenches at the Lwan
River, withdrawing to Shanhaikwan,
at the Great Wall.
= u - ::
/ A DVISER BYE and Tsao's chief of
staff, Hsiung, now got up a party
which went gayly to Tientsin to escort
the new President to the Yin Tai.
They were much taken back when Ii
declined even to see them and eventu.
ally had his big Sikh gateman put
them of his premises.
china tn 10 yOt, ot
be reorganizers of government. 1t
was necessary to do something to save
face. A much humber delegation con.
! sisting of Surg. Gen. Liu of Wu's
army, Admiral WI of the navy, Min
/ lister Cow and among others myself
| went to beseech the eXPresident to be
more considerate. He received me- as
newspaper man. when he would not
! see the others.
This is foolishness" he said 81
| can't go to Peking as Tsaos and Wus
| President alone. II there were any
sort of nationwide demand ! might
consider it,
| We set about to create the demand
Upon suggestion our friends in vari
Gus provinces besieged the former
President to save his country" The
| newspapers were helpful. Still Lii was
recalcttrant. Cow lost patience.
You know" he said, they had to
drag Ii to take the supreme command
of the revolutionary armies. Once In
| the job. he finished the Manchu
dynasty. Let's kidnap Ii to Peking
Once there, he will not have the face
| to decline to take Office
The plot was laid Lii was asked if
he would go to Langfang to get ac.
! quainted with Gen. WI, who would
we promised, meet him there. Cow
1nl q <~,., ,;.-t~x 4
of way. and put one of the most
| trusty locomotive engineers in gov.
| ernment railway service in the cab
with instruction that as soon as the
President was aboard he should plov
| through to Peking at 60 miles an hour
And then Gen. WI queered our
! game by sending message to Ii to