Page:League of Nations-Appeal by the Chinese Government.pdf/93

 By the end of February, Fengtien, Kirin, Heilungkiang and the Special District had passed the stages of district and provincial declarations. The Mongol Banners had also given their allegiance to the new State, since it was known that it would mark off special autonomous Mongol districts and would in other ways guarantee the rights of the Mongol inhabitants. The Mohammedans had already, at a meeting on February 15th, at Mukden, pledged their allegiance. The majority of the small number of unassimilated Manchus were also in favour of the new State as soon as it had become known that their former Emperor would probably be offered the post of Chief Executive.

After the districts and provinces had given formal support to the plan of a new State, the Self-Government Guiding Board took the lead in convening an All-Manchuria Convention, which was held at Mukden on February 29th. There were present official delegates from the provinces, the districts of Fengtien Province and the Mongol territories, and, in addition, many others, including representatives of various groups, such as the Koreans in Kirin Province and the Special District, and the branches of the Youth League of Manchuria and Mongolia: altogether over 700 persons.

Speeches were delivered and a declaration and resolution were unanimously approved, the former denouncing the previous regime, the latter welcoming the new State. A second resolution was also adopted designating as the provisional President of the new State the former Emperor Hsuan Tung, now known by his personal name as Mr. Henry Pu-yi.

The North-Eastern Administrative Council met at once in urgent session and elected six delegates to proceed to Port Arthur, to convey their invitation to the former Emperor at Port Arthur, where he had been residing since he left Tientsin in the previous November. Mr. Pu-yi at first declined it, but on March 4th a second delegation comprising twenty-nine delegates obtained his consent to accept the post for one year only. Then the Administrative Council elected its chairman, Lieutenant-General Chang Chinghui, and nine others, to be the Reception Committee. On March 5th, the Committee went to Port Arthur and was received in audience. In response to its request, the former Emperor, on March 6th, left Port Arthur for Tangkangtze, and after two days began, on the 8th, to receive homage as the Regent of "Manchukuo".

The inauguration ceremonies were held at the new capital, Changchun, on March 9th. Mr. Pu-yi, as Regent, made a declaration in which he promised to found the policy of the new State upon the basis of "morality, benevolence and love". On the 10th, the principal members of the Government were appointed; the members of the Cabinet, the Presidents of the Board of Legislation and the Board of Control; the President and Vice-President and Councillors of the Privy Council, the Governors of the Provinces and of the Special District, the Commanders of the Defence Forces of the Provinces, and some other high officials. A notice regarding the establishment of "Manchukuo" was issued by telegram on March 12th to the foreign Powers. The declared purpose of this notice was to communicate to the foreign Powers the fundamental object of the formation of "Manchukuo" and its principles of foreign policy; and to request that they recognise it as a new State.

Prior to the arrival of the Regent, a number of laws and regulations, on which Dr. Shao Hsin-po had been working for some time, had been made ready for adoption and promulgation. They came into force on March 9th, simultaneously with the law regulating the organisation of the Government, while the laws which theretofore had been in effect, in so far as they were not in conflict with the new laws, or with the fundamental policy of the State, were provisionally adopted by special ordinance of the same date.