Then I spoke of the movement of which I telegraphed yesterday. The mole object is the voluntary withdrawal of the Court to Jehol pending the of & national convention ordain what form of government China shall adopt in the fature, whether limited Monarchy or a Federal Repablic, Yoan Shih-kai admitted that the scheme had been submitted to bim, that it was sapper ted by many reasonable men and could not be ths for a week past he bad gi weed ighly at thought, and that the qeeation ill ander consideration, What the fears is that the premature depa tare of the Imperis! family might create unnecessary panic and cause the very bloodshed which he hopes will be avoided.
T was tempted to ask, bat refrained, bether the hoisting of the Revolationary flag by all the ships lately ander the command of Admiral Sab Che ping, who is himself a refugee, their bombarding of the Imperialist troops st Hankow woald inflaence the judgement or the fears of the Regent.
He cour p'sray or 1898.
Before I left, Youn Shih kai spoke of the coup d'etat. of 1898. and once more toll me the story of that historic episode, an account of which hr caused to be communicated to me some time ago in writing, defending his action as loyal and patriotic and dictated by the best interests of the country.
The main facts of the story are well On the night of September 18, 1898. the reformer Tan Tzu-tung, one of the Kang Vu-wei party, and Secretary of the Grand Council, called on Yuan. After ordering all the servants out of their presence, and after a few words of introduction, he denounced Juog Lu in scathing terme, and laid the plan before Yuan, saying that the scheme had the Emperor's consent and approval. At the conclusion of his he produced a rough draft of the proposed plot, written in ordinary black ink, invited Yoan's ce-operation. Yoan replied that there was no Imperie) Order for bim to undertake the task.
Tan said that on the 20th a secret order from the Emperor would surely be given, On Yusn's farther objecting that sach a plan could not be execut suddenly, bat needed mature debbers and a Vermilion Deores —"I have the Imperial Order with ud forthwith banded a document to Yoao. Instead of the Imperial Order written in vermilion, it was document in black ink, neatly written, its style couched in the tone of the
on reform, bat sit stated that his Majesty Yang Jio, Lia Kwang-ti, Lin Hou, and Tan' Tza-tong (lour of the most active members of the Reform Party) were to devise some "sound plan of action."
Yuan once more objected that the document was not an Imperial Order, since it was not written in vermilion ink, nor did it mention the execution of Joog In and the confining of the Empress-Dowager in the Summer Palace. Tan enid the Vermilion Order mas in Lin H was produced ly copy, and added that in trath an Imperial Order had been issued three days before. He assated Yoan that the phase " sound plan of action" retened to the disposal of Jong Lu and the imprisonment of the Empress-Dowager, As Yann insisted on a Vermi Order from the Emperor, and Tan could rot show one, there was nothing definite arranged between the two, Ca taking Tan ssid:—" We depend on that the statements. pal pablic Preee, purporting to describe his participation la the episode, are largely misrepresentations of fact. In the automo of 1898, the Reform Party, led by Kang Yi jog that the Iste Empress-Dowager and the of Coibli, Jung Lo, blocked the way of their reforms, conspired for their removal. Jong La was to be pat to death in his yameo at Tieatsin, and the Emprees-Dowager was to br interned ann State prisoner. Ynao Shih-kai, whose progressive views were well koowo. was to execute there pi He wat to go to Tientsio, pat Jong Lo, patron and benefactor, to death, and ence on the 20th he would sound the Emperor on the subject by referring to the reform movement. Accordingly, when he was commoned for audience, he spoke of the new reform and its difficulties, and the late Emperor was much affected by Yui made no reference to the of action."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.