all the votes of the provinces
unanimously recommending the enthronement shall have reached Peking,
the Government will, of course, ostensibly assume a wavering and
compromising attitude, so as to give due regard to international
relations. The people, on the other hand, should show their firm
determination to proceed with the matter at all costs, so as to let
the foreign powers know that our people are of one mind. If we can
only make them believe that the change of the republic into a
monarchy will not in the least give rise to trouble of any kind, the
effects of the advice tendered by Japan will _ipso facto_ come to
nought.

At present the whole nation is determined to nominate Yuan Shih-kai
Emperor. All civil and military officers, being the natural leaders
of the people, should accordingly give effect to the nomination. If
this can be done without friction, the confidence of both Chinese
and foreigners in the Government will be greatly strengthened. This
is why we suggested to you in a previous telegram the necessity of
immediately substituting the title of "Emperor" for "President." We
trust you will concur in our suggestion and carry it out without
delay.

We may add that this matter should be treated as strictly
confidential.

A reply is requested.

(Signed)

The die now being cast all that was left to be done was to rush through
the voting in the Provinces. Obsequious officials returned to the use of
the old Imperial phraseology and Yuan Shih-kai, even before his
"election," was memorialized as though he were the legitimate successor
of the immense line of Chinese sovereigns who stretch back to the
mythical days of Yao and Shun (2800 B.C.). The beginning of December saw
the voting completed and the results telegraphed to Peking; and on the
11th December, the Senate hastily meeting, and finding that "the
National Convention of Citizens" had unanimously elected Yuan Shih-kai
Emperor, formally offered him the Throne in a humble petition. Yuan
Shih-kai modestly refused: a second petition was promptly handed to him,
which he was pleased to accept in the following historic document:

YUAN SHIH-KAI'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE IMPERIAL THRONE

The prosperity and decline of the country is a part of the
responsibility of every individual, and my love for the country is
certainly not less than that of others. But