In response to the popular demand upon the Central Government for a Constitution and Parliamentary Representation, a meeting which lasted for several hours was recently held by order of the Throne by some of the members of the Hsien- "thin Pienchienkuan (Department for the Examination of the principles of Constitution) to decide upon the date for actually granting the country a constitutional Government; but, as several members of the Department were absent, no decision was arrived Those who suggested that the Imperial Decree sanctioning the principles of a constitutional Government should be put into force within five years, numbered seven; six years, two; seven years, three and ten years, eleven while Kao Ch'ung, s native of Fokien, alone proposed that the Decree should be put into force within twenty years. He stated that the people must first be thoroughly educated and taught how to cultivate loyalty to Sovereign and love for country before they could be grant ed a constitutional government. He continued that the country would not be fitted for such a form of government for years to come.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.