Election Fiasco: Parliament Short of a Quorum: Bribery and other Expedients: Cabinet Continuing to Function Peking, Sept. 12.
At the meeting of Parliament to-day there were only 422 members present from beth Houses, including 115 Senators.
This was thus more than 100 short of the number required to form a quorum for a Presidential election, was suggested by certain members that the meeting should be turned: into an informal one. Others disagreed, and proceedings became somewhat disorderly.
The Speaker gave no decision on this point, and members subsequently withdrew without the election h"ving taken place.
Sept. 13.
Following upon the failure to elect Marshal Tsao Kun yesterday, Mr. Wu Ching-lien held a meeting at Kanshihchiao, the headquarters of the Chihli Party, with the political leaders with whom they are understood to have discussed how to collect more money to bribe the M. P.'s at Tientsin to come up to Peking.
It was suggested yesterday that another attempt at an election could not be made as early as Friday of this week, but other dates suggested were September 19 and 21. No decision has yet been reached on this point.
Sept. 14.
The Presidential problem stil! engages the thoughts of Peking, and all kinds of expedients are under discussion. One. suggestion looking to a solution of the deadlock, heard to-day, was that Marshal Tsao Kun might be advised to come to Peking in the capacity of Acting Premier and utilize his presence in the capital in that capacity to smooth out difficulties and create an atmosphere which would ultimately prove more favourable to his election to the position of Chief Executive.
Another problem arising out of the failure to elect a President within the requisite three months is whether the Cabinet can continue to discharge the duties of President. The Presidential election law, which is the only _permanent part of the Constitution, contains no provision to meet such a situation as that which now confronts the country, and it is not at all unlikely that this aspect of the question may have to receive the serious consideration of the Diplomatic Bodly.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.