cannot get the presidency by fair means of election they are prepared to fight for it with the assistance of troops and robbers.  The second revolution is an illustration of this point.  From the moment that the Emperor was deposed, the centralization of power in the government was destroyed; and no matter who may be at the head of the country, he cannot restore peace except by the re-establishment of the monarchy.  So at the time when the republic was formed, those who had previously advocated Constitutional Government turned into monarchists.  Although we have a Provisional Constitution now and we have all kinds of legislative organs, which give to the country an appearance of a constitutional government, China has a constitutional government in name only and is a monarchy in spirit.  Had the government refrained from exercising monarchical power during the last four years, the people could not have enjoyed one day of peace.  In short, China’s republic must be governed by a monarchy through a constitutional government.  If the constitutional government cannot govern the republic, the latter cannot remain.  The question of constitutional government is therefore very important, but it will take ten or twenty years before it can be solved.

Look at the people of China to-day!  They know that something terrible is going to come sooner or later.  They dare not think of the future.  The corrupt official lines his pocket with unrighteous money, preparing to flee to foreign countries or at least to the Foreign Settlements for safety.  The cautious work quietly and do not desire to earn merit but merely try to avoid giving offence.  The scholars and politicians are grandiloquent and discourse upon their subjects in a sublime vein, but they are no better than the corrupt officials.  As for our President, he can remain at the head of the State for a few years.  At most he may hold office for several terms,—­or perhaps for his whole life.  Then questions must arise as to who shall succeed him; how to elect his successor; how many rivals will there be; whether their policies will be different from his, etc., etc.  He personally has no idea regarding the solution of these questions.  Even if the president is a sagacious and capable man he will not be able to make a policy for the country or fix a Constitution which will last for a hundred years.  Because of this he is driven merely to adopt a policy so as to maintain peace in his own country and to keep the nation intact so long as he may live.  In the circumstances such a president can be considered the best executive head we can have.  Those who are worshippers of the constitutional government cannot do more than he does.  Here we find the reason for the silence of the former advocates of a constitutional administration.  They have realized that by the formation of the republic the fundamental problem of the country has been left unsolved.  In this wise it happens that the situation is something like this.