New-York tribune., 1873-02-05

fill positions of public trust and honor learn
this, we shall have no more Credit Mobilier
scandals
THE JAPANESE INDEMNITY FUND.
The House of Representatives has passed
bill granting S125,0OO of the Japanese lndem-
nifty Fund to the officers and crew of the u. ).
sloop- war Wyoming. This was a-simple act
of Justice which should have been done long
ago. The indemnity was exacted i'll this way {:
In 1863 one of the Daimios, in violation of
treaty stipulatiOns, and without authority from
the central government, threw up batteries
along the Straits of SimOnOseld to bar out
foreign vessels After several shots had been
fired on trading ships from these batteries, the
L. S. slOOp- of-war Wyoming became engaged
with them, and was slightly damaged. Subse-
quently a combined naval expedition was sent
against the Japanese by the English, French,
Dutch and Americans, and the batteries were
silenced. The total expense to our own Gov
eminent in the affair was footed up Ill the
Navy Department at Sl9,929. by treaty
concluded between Japan and the United
States in 1864, the japanese Government
agreed to pay an indemnity of S3,OOO,OOO to
represented in the expedition against the
SimonOseli forts. Three installments OF TINS
indemnity have been paid that part which
has been received by the United States, prin-
cipal and accumulated interest, now amounts
to little more than $S000O0. One branch OF
Congress, at least, has passed a bill to
release Japan from any further payment
on this demand. 1t is not likely that any
more will ever be received and there is no
good reason why we should exact it. No por-
ton of the indemnity has been distributed to
the officers and crew of the Wyoming as prize
money, though their claim which is reason
able one, is now i'll a fair way to be recOg-
nized. Beyond this, no demand on the fund
should in any way be permitted or tolerated;
the amount must not be dribbled away in
jobs.
What to do with this Indemnity Fund seems
to be problem which has exercised the minds
of our legislators without result. A somewhat
similar fund of less amount-S5OO OOO-has also
been received from the Chinese Government;
and it's disposition seems certain to deter
mine that taken from Japan. Both are larger
than we had any right to claim; and both are
regarded with cOvetOus eyes by men who
are always seeking chance to tap the golden
streams of the Treasury. 1t would not be
fair nor dignifed for us to use these over
payments for the ordinary purposes of the
Government 1t has been sugges ted that the
money be repaid to our Oriental friends and
that we thus cement the new bonds which
hold them to u.s. But it does not seem likely
that sensitive and proud-spirited Governments
I.I Al. - o,,1 unttl1
back as gift the indemnity which has been
wrung from them. A more sensible and
practical disposition of the funds would be
the endowment of colleges for American and
native students at Pekng and YedO. THE
late Anson Burlingame, who better under
stood the relative interests of China
and the United States than any of his cOtem-
poraries, favored this appropriation of the
Chinese fund. Such use of the japanese
Indemnity Fund is now urged by Prof. Seelye
of Amherst College, who has lately visited
YedO and obtained the views of prominent
Japanese officials; so, too, urge Prof. Henry
and the Hon. B. G. Northrup, Superintendent
of Public Instruction in Connecticut; Presi-
dent Gilman of the University of California
has substantially the same opinion, except that
ue WOulu IlhO w bcO oopahCoo tohtRe
fixed in California. Mr.. Mori of the japanese
Embassy at Washington, and Mr.. 0k the
Minister of Education i'll Japan, are both un-
derstood to favor such use of the Indemnity
Fund as shall promote the educational inter
ests of the two nations, having special refer
ence to their increasing intimate relations.
1t does not seem worth while to make any
argument as to the fitness and expedency of
such disposition of these funds as we have
suggested. Our diplomatic and commercial
intercourse with the great empires of China
and Japan is hampered by the difficulties of
their language. The American Legation at
Peking is dependent on the linguistic attain
ments of O single individual, DR.. s. Wells
Williams, who has spent the greater part of
his life in China, and is now an old man. In
YedO we have Mr.. Portman, also well advanced
in years, without whom our Legation would be
dumb Other governments have trained in
terpreters of their own; and when the Bur-
lingame Embassy was organized, one each
was borrowed from the English and French
Legations. We need a college at YedO TO in
struct Japanese youth in the English language
and literature, as we'll as American youth who
purpose residing in Japan in the language
and laws of taat country. Such an institution
can never be 40 satisfactorily secured in any way
az by intrusting the disbursement OF the fund