ing absolutely rejected by the President as wholly
unconstitutional, and the Military Governors soundly rated for their
interference, an ominous calm followed.

Parliament, however, remained unmoved and continued its work. Although
the draft of the Permanent Constitution had been practically completed,
important additions to the text were now proposed, such additions being
designed to increase parliamentary control and provide every possible
precaution against arbitrary acts in the future. Thus the new provision
that a simple vote of want of confidence in the Cabinet must be followed
by the President either dismissing the Cabinet or dissolving the House
of Representatives--but that the dissolution of the Lower House could
not be ordered without the approval of the Senate--was generally
recognized as necessary to destroy the last vestiges of the Yuan
Shih-kai regime. Furthermore a new article, conferring on the President
the right to dismiss the Premier summarily by Presidential Mandate
without the counter-signature of the other Cabinet Ministers, completed
the disarray of the conservatives who saw in this provision the dashing
of their last hopes.[25]

By the 21st May, the last remaining Cabinet Minister--the Minister of
Education--had resigned and the Premier was left completely isolated. On
the 23rd May the President, relying on the general support of the
nation, summarily dismissed General Tuan Chi-jui from the Premiership
and appointed the veteran diplomat Dr. Wu Ting-fang to act during the
interim period in his stead, at the same time placing the metropolitan
districts under four trustworthy Generals who were vested with
provost-marshals' powers under a system which gave them command of all
the so-called "precautionary troops" holding the approaches to the
capital. The Military Governors, who a few hours before these events had
left Peking precipitately in a body on the proclaimed mission of allying
themselves with the redoubtable General Chang Hsun at Hsuchowfu, and
threatening the safety of the Republic, were, however, coolly received
in the provinces in spite of all their most bitter attempts to stir up
trouble. This, however, as will be shown, had no influence on their
subsequent conduct. The quiet disappearance of the ex-Premier in the
midst of this upheaval caused the report to spread that all the members
of the corrupt camarilla which had surrounded him were to be arrested,
but the President soon publicly d