hat Japan herself offered to do when she declined in 1915 the Allies'
proposal to dispatch troops to Europe. Nor must the fact be lost sight
of that as in other countries so in China, foreign affairs provide an
excellent opportunity for influencing the march of internal events.
Thus, as we have clearly shown, the Military Party, although originally
averse to any action at all, saw that a strong foreign policy would
greatly enhance its reputation and allow it to influence the important
elections for the Parliament of 1918 which, sitting as a National
Convention, will elect the next President. Thus, in the extraordinary
way which happens throughout the world, the whole of February was
consumed in the rival political parties manoeuvring for position, the
Vice-President, General Feng Kuo-chang, himself coming hastily to Peking
from Nanking to take part in this elaborate game in which many were now
participating merely for what they could get out of it.

On the 4th March matters were brought to a climax by an open breach
between President Li Yuan-hung and the Premier, General Tuan Chi-jui, at
a Cabinet meeting regarding the procedure to be observed in breaking off
diplomatic relations with Germany. Although nearly a month had elapsed,
no reply had been received from Berlin; and of the many plans of action
proposed nothing had been formally decided. Owing to the pressure Japan
was exerting from Tokio to get China to come to a definite arrangement,
popular anxiety was growing. Over the question of certain telegrams to
be communicated to the Japanese Government, of which he had been kept in
ignorance, President Li Yuan-hung took a firm stand; with the result
that the Premier, deeply offended, abruptly left the Council Chamber,
handed in his resignation and left the capital--a course of action which
threatened to provoke a national crisis.

Fortunately in President Li Yuan-hung China had a cool and dispassionate
statesman. At the first grave crisis in his administration he wished at
all costs to secure that the assent of Parliament should be given to all
steps taken, and that nothing so speculative as a policy which had not
been publicly debated should be put into force. He held to this point
doggedly; and after some negotiations, the Premier was induced to return
to the capital and resume office, on the understanding that nothing
final was to be done until a popular endorsement had been secured.

On the 10th March the question