Parliament, in view of these threatening
developments, had already expressed its willingness (a) to re-
consider certain provisions of the draft constitution in such a
conciliatory manner as to insure the passage of the whole
instrument through both houses within two weeks (b) to alter the
Election Law in such fashion as to conciliate the more
conservative elements in the country (c) to prorogue the second
session (1916-1917) immediately these things were done and after a
very short recess to open the third session (1917-1918) and close
it within three months allowing new elections to be held in the
early months of 1918,--the new Parliament to be summoned in April,
1918, to form itself into a National Convention and elect the
President for the quinquennial period 1918-1923.
All these reasonable plans were knocked on the head on Sunday, the
10th June, by the sudden report that the President having been
peremptorily told that the dissolution of Parliament was the sole
means of saving the Republic and preventing the sack of Peking, as
well as an open armed attempt to restore the boy-emperor Hsuan
Tung, had at last made up his mind to surrender to the inevitable.
He had sealed a Mandate decreeing the dissolution of Parliament
which would be promulgated as soon as it had received the counter-
signature of the acting Premier, Dr. Wu Ting-fang, such counter-
signature being obligatory under Article 45 of the Provisional
Constitution.
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