100 YEARS AGO
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 1912
The abdication of the Emperor of China, daily expected for a week, has at last taken place. The Emperor, in his decree issued on the 12th, narrates the steps which led up to the present crisis — the uprising of the revolutionary armies, the peace conference at Shanghai, the delay in the negotiations, and the consequent great uneasiness of mind prevailing among the people. But since it has become increasingly manifest that throughout middle and south China, as well as in the provinces of the north, the people are in favor of a republican regime, the Emperor decided to acquiesce in the opinion of the millions. The Emperor has designated Yuan Shikai to organize a Provisional Republican Government and to negotiate with the southern leaders to bring about the unification of the country.
The decree is supplemented by several terms relating to the treatment of the Imperial Family, namely that the Emperor shall retain his full imperial title during his life; that the princes shall transmit their titles to their descendants, that the Imperial Family shall receive annually, $4,000,000 from the State, etc.