Administration and orders will
be based on conscientious realization and no one will be allowed
to treat the form of State as material for experiment. At this
time of exhaustion when its vitality is being wasted to the last
drop and the existence of the country is hanging in the balance,
we, as if treading on thin ice over deep waters, dare not in the
slightest degree indulge in license on the principle that the
Sovereign is entitled to enjoyment. It is our wish therefore that
all officials, be they high or low, should purify their hearts and
cleanse themselves of all forms of old corruption, constantly
keeping in mind the real interests of the people. Every bit of
vitality of the people they shall be able to preserve shall go to
strengthen the life of the country for whatever it is worth. Only
by doing so can the danger be averted and Heaven moved by our
sincerity.
THE NINE ARTICLES
Herewith we promulgate the following principal things, which we
must either introduce as reforms or abolish as undesirable in
restoration.
1. We shall obey the edict of Emperor Teh Tsung Chin (Kuang Hsu),
namely, that the sovereign power shall be controlled by the Court
(state) but the detailed administration shall be subject to public
opinion. The country shall be called The Empire of Ta Ching; and
the methods of other constitutional monarchies shall be carefully
copied.
2.
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