File No. 893.00/2680
Minister Reinsch to the Secretary of State
Peking, July 3, 1917.
Sir: Referring to the Legation’s despatch (No. 1525) of the 5th ultimo, I have the honor to forward herewith the following despatches concerning the political situation in the provinces as follows:4
[Page 84]The dismissal of the Premier Tuan Chi-jui on May 23 (reported in my telegram of May 23, 9 p.m.) was followed by the secession of the provinces of Honan, Shensi, Shansi, Anhui, Fukien, Shantung and Fengtien under the lead of General Ni Ssu-chung, Civil Governor of Anhui Province, and the meeting of the Tuchuns of the Northern provinces at Tientsin.
General Chang Hsun does not appear to have been in accord with the Tuchuns from the time they visited him in Hsuchowfu after their convocation at Peking in May. Vice President Feng Kuo-chang from the first has been opposed to the secession of the provinces and has used his influence to try to maintain order and prevent actual hostilities. Feeling that his position as Vice President impeded him in his attempts at mediation and rendered his position somewhat equivocal, he resigned as Vice President on June 5, in order to resume his former position as Tuchun of Kiangsu province. His resignation, however, was not accepted by President Li.
In the meantime General Chang Hsun went to Tientsin to mediate between the Tuchuns and the Central Government. He finally demanded the dissolution of Parliament, which was ultimately forced upon the President on June 13.
The majority of the members of the dissolved Parliament almost immediately left Peking, the Kuo Min Tang members assembling at Shanghai, where a registration bureau was opened, and from where they sent telegrams to the provincial officials stating their views of the unconstitutionality of the President’s mandate ordering the dissolution of Parliament.
The naval officers at Shanghai under Admiral Cheng Pih-kwan met on June 23, the day of the Dragon Festival, and expressed their loyalty to the President and the Provisional Constitution and signified their intention to support the constitutional government against the rebellious Tuchuns. The Legation is still without information as to what further steps the navy has actually taken.
The Southern and Western provinces, as was to be expected, declared for Parliament and the Provisional Constitution, and began military preparations to oppose the Northern generals by force.
A citizens meeting initiated by the local members of the Kuo Min Tang at Canton unanimously approved the following four resolutions:
- 1.
- The dissolution of the national Parliament shall not be recognized as valid, and a military expedition should be despatched forthwith to attack the revolting Tuchuns.
- 2.
- The members of the national Parliament should select immediately a suitable place for convening an extraordinary conference.
- 3.
- The officials of the Southern and Western provinces should speedily despatch military expeditions to attack the rebels.
- 4.
- The people of the whole country and Chinese overseas should be asked to subscribe to the military fund.
Hunan remained neutral during the secession movement. The brother-in-law of General Tuan Chi-jui, however, General Wu Kuanghsin, declared martial law at Yochow, which was under his control.
The disturbances which have been disrupting the province of Szechuan for several months due to the rivalry between Generals Liu Ts’un-hou and Lo Pei-chin, and the general antipathy of the Szechuanese for the Yunnanese as well as the inability of the Central Government to restore order, still continue without any immediate prospect of a settlement.
[Page 85]The cancellation, at the request of General Chang Hsun, of their declarations of independence by the provinces of Chihli, Fengtien, Shantung, Anhui, Shansi, Shensi and Honan, and by the Commissioner of Shanghai, was reported in the Legation’s telegram of June 22, 1 p.m.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed.↩