The situation had, however, developed so far and so rapidly that
this expression of opinion had little weight. The Vice-President
of the Republic, General Feng Kuo-chang, unwilling or unable to do
anything, had already tendered his resignation from Nanking,
declaring that he would maintain the "neutrality" of the important
area of the lower Yangtsze during this extraordinary struggle; and
his action, strange as it may seem, typified the vast misgivings
which filled every one's mind regarding the mad course of action
which the rebellious camarilla had decided upon.
Until Saturday the 9th June, the President had seemed adamant. On
that day he personally saw foreign press correspondents and
assured them that, in spite of every threat, he would in no
conceivable circumstances attempt the unconstitutional step of
dissolving Parliament,--unconstitutional because the Nanking
Provisional Constitution under which the country was still
governed pending the formal passage of the Permanent Constitution
through Parliament, only provided for the creation of Parliament
as a grand constitutional Drafting Committee but gave no power to
the Chief Executive to dissolve it during its "life" which was
three years. As we have already shown, the period between the coup
d'etat of 4th November, 1913, and the re-convocation of Parliament
on 1st August, 1916, had been treated as a mere interregnum:
therefore until 1918, if the law were properly construed, no power
in the land could interrupt the Parliamentary sessions except
Parliament itself.
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