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APPENDIX  A

The  reform  of  the  government  has  been  taken  in  hand,  and
below  are  given  two  Imperial  Edicts  issued  on  November  6,
1906.
REORGANISATION  OF  MINISTRIES  AT  PEKING
I.  We  have  already  issued  an  Imperial  Decree  to  prepare
for  a  Constitutional  Government,  and  we  have  appointed  at  the
same  time  Duke  Tsai-Tse  and  others  to  compile  administrative
reforms  and  Prince  Ching  and  others  to  supervise  the  same  ;
and  such  reforms,  we  have  decreed,  will  be  carried  out  after
receiving  our  sanction.  Now,  the  said  Princes  and  High  Commissioners ­
  have  presented  the  draft  administrative  reforms
for  our  perusal  and  asked  us  to  scrutinise  the  same,  after
which  to  be  duly  promulgated.
Since  the  reigns  of  ancestors  of  our  dynasty  there  have
always  been  Constitutions  and  a  proper  administrative  system,
but  these  were  made  to  meet  the  necessity  of  the  times,  and
the  present  state  of  affairs  is  quite  different  from  the  days  of
old,  and  such  shall  be  taken  into  consideration  according  to  the
circumstances.  However,  it  is  important  solely  to  have  people
who  are  responsible  for  their  acts,  and  to  erase  all  the  abuses
and  to  have  effective  administration  instead  of  nominal,  and  to
re-organise  all  the  offices  in  a  practical  manner.  The  Grand
Council  is  the  centre  of  all  the  departments  of  administration,
and  it  was  at  first  established  out  of  the  Grand  Secretariat  in
the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Yungcheng,  and  lately  the  Council
has  been  in  close  touch  with  the  Throne  and  daily  in  attendance ­
  in  the  Palace  to  receive  Imperial  orders.  This  usage  it
is  desirable  to  maintain,  as  it  is  able  to  maintain  secrecy  and
to  deal  with  state  affairs  more  promptly  ;  and,  moreover,  there
having  been  no  abuse  hitherto,  there  is  no  reason  to  abolish  the
same,  and  therefore  the  Grand  Council  will  remain  as  hitherto
without  any  change.  The  Presidents  of  the  Boards  are  hereby
appointed  also  to  act  as  Tsanyu  Chengwu  Tachen  or  Ministers
°f  State,  and  they  are  ordered  to  attend  the  Palace  on  duty,
deciding  their  date  of  attendance  by  rotation,  in  order  to  communicate ­
  their  views  to  the  Throne  and  to  reply  to  questions
from  the  Throne.