Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-03
Chinese Indemnity Questions.

New York Tribune: The mauero of pecuniary indemnity appears to be ne
of he chief obstacles in the way of settlement in China. III the powers are
cedes it, u as to the moun of indemnity to be paid there are eported to
be vide nd radhcal diversites ofo opinion. China, of course. desires to pay a
ig millions ofh her people to outright starvation. Some powers are IN ave of
requiring from her onlyth the actual vaue of property destroyed and amoun of
expense incurred, N a round hut reasonable sum for the lives OF those for
elsners VINO We're murdre by the Boxers. such indemnites Chinac ould pay,
ad wou pay. Other powers seem to favor the exacton ofe exemplary damages
of a enormous amount; they hav sent unnecessary troops to China. on dou-
Died or even quadrup pay, intending THAI China shall foot the bills, and tey
seem inclined to draw up a total bill Of claims omewh after the fashion,
long since a byword. for killing W missionaries. me province There is
room for doubt tina Chna would be quit unable to meet II such
demands, n their enforcement would mean simple sponation ofth he empire
Settlement or sponaton. then. is the alternative. Between he W it should
b easy for n nation to make choice. Every nation has proessed a desire
settle is to adopt trns with which 1t Is possible to comply. II demand inpos-
slbe terns is to make settlement impossible and to compel sponauonb ~ nH-
reetnn. 1t would not be pleasant to think that n power deliberately meant
!" 40 IN. latter. M burden Of controlling n governing the teenhng millions
of China and the danger Of violent conflict anon rival claimants in thu part-
toning of hat empire would be far too grave for N power lightly to incur
them Nor is it to be maintained that a vastan n exemplary indemnity nus
be exacted as a lesson to China. 1t is not the amount of indemnity that will
tell so mucha as the simple fact of it, N the manne of it, and the other de-
tails Of thu settlement The occupation of the Forbidden city byforaen troops
prew ill impress both government and people far more than n mere treas
uy footing. The latter would. lin fact defeat it, wv purpose, because it would
the Boxer revolt IN h ave no animosny against regne nj in whose
minds such animosty would surely be engendered by cruhng taxation att alien
demand.
Reference to on other feature o the case ma not b Inappropriate A
little whne various members of the Europea press SON of hem reputed
to reflect official sentment-were lot scmnful toward the United States rs
a country to which" the jnsHng of the guinea helps the hurt that honor feels"
They contumelousy portrayed this ma ton as willing to suffer loss Of honr
n to forego retibutio for outrage ad murder is 50 it could get HI cash
indemnity which, its sordid greed desired. The reproach was uncaled for and
from it former object squarely against its aker h very countriesw whose
mouthpieces were most censonouso of this country for seeking cash Indemnity
are now themselves foremst in seeking a mode of settlement Of which the
prime object will be to squeeze every possible m tut of China, n then in
default Of more cash to mortsage or to spohate her territory. OF course. n
and elsewhere in China last mme Chinas should De made to une for them
n to max all PREPARATION in her power III reparaton is not spolathn, and
raised should certainly not permit that laudahle quest to degenerate into a
mere campaign for loot