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Show YUAN'S GREAT POWER, j Under tho new constitution of China, promulgated Friday, Yuan Shi Kai will bo lord of all he surveys, and woo be unto an3ono who disputes his right. As president of tho so-called republic, ! Yuan is empowered to convoko, open, suspend, close and dissolve tho legislature, legis-lature, submit to it the budget as well as other bills, and refer back to tho legislature for reconsideration tho bills already passed b3' it. Not satisfied with giving the president presi-dent full control of tho legislators and all legislative matters the makers of tho constitution went to extraordinary j lengths in tho bestowal of power. Un-! der tho terms of this precious document docu-ment Yuan has solo power to appoint and dismiss civil and military officials, to declare war and conclude peace, and ho will be in complete coutrol of tho army and navy as well as of all expenditures ex-penditures for theso branches. Tho celestial statesmen who framed the now constitution must havo peculiar pecu-liar ideas as to what constitutes a republican re-publican form of government, as they wero compelled to adopt the articles b3' tho man upon whom such great power is conferred. The latter viow is probably correct. Anyway, the deed is done and tho president of China may now go ahead and show the world how wise a ruler ho is by briuging order out of chaos and not abusing the power placed in his handn. I ( bna 19 in a dtp o"a!''n f- u l'ton. morally, financially and economically. Her efforts to cmergo from dust of dead and gono centuries have not been very successful. Anoicut traditions and customs havo been hard to overcome, and millions of Chinamen at the present moment havo an ingrained prejudice against the slightest departure from methods employed in the days so far back that history has no account of thcniw Wostorn civilization has bad no appreciablo effect upon the masses. Per liaps Yuan needs tho extraordinary powers pow-ers conferred upon him in order to enforce en-force a reform programme. Tho course of China will be watched with absorbing intoresfc during tho next few years. Yuan Shi Kai has it in his I power to write his name high on the scroll of fame or to occupy a place in. history with those mlers who havo sacrificed their countries in order to become be-come despots. His puthwa3 is beset with peril inside tho republic nnd out, for if ho succeeds iu maintaining order at home ho must also pacify tho shy-locks shy-locks of Europe and prevent Bufsia and Japan from further encroachments upon Chinese territory. Porhaps tho selection selec-tion of Mr. Bockhill aa adviser may ro-sult ro-sult In giving tho republic tho needed impotus as it starts along tho road to twentioth century civilization. |