t than any other organ in the country;
but when the national welfare is imperilled, we must take action. As
the present Parliament does not care about the national welfare, it
is requested that in view of the critical condition of the country,
drastic measures be taken and both the House of Representatives and
the Senate be dissolved so that they may be reorganized and the
Constitution may be made without any further delay. Thus the form of
the Republican Government be preserved, etc."

Of late petitions and telegrams have been received from the military
and civil officials, merchants, scholars, etc., containing similar
demands. The Senate and the House of Representatives have held the
Constitution Conference for about one year, and the Constitution has
not yet been completed. Moreover at this critical time most of the
M.P.'s of both Houses have tendered their resignation. Hence it is
impossible to secure quorums to discuss business. There is therefore
no chance to revise the articles already passed. Unless means be
devised to hasten the making of the Constitution, the heart of the
people will never be satisfied.

I, the President, who desire to comply with the will of the populace
and to consolidate the foundation of the nation, grant the request
of the Tuchuns and the people. It is hereby ordered that the Senate
and the House of Representatives be dissolved, and that another
election be held immediately. Thus a Constitutional Government can
be maintained. It must be pointed out that the object for the
reorganization of Parliament is to hasten the making of the
Constitution, and not to abolish the Legislative Organ of the
Republic. I hope all the citizens of the Republic will understand my
motives.

A great agitation and much public uneasiness followed the publication of
this document; and the parliamentarians, who had already been leaving
Peking in small numbers, now evacuated the capital _en masse_ for the
South. The reasonable and wholly logical attitude of the
Constitutionalists is well-exhibited in the last Memorandum they
submitted to the President some days prior to his decision to issue the
Mandate above-quoted; and a perusal of this document will show what may
be expected in the future. It will be noted that the revolting Military
Governors are boldly termed rebels and that the constitutional view of