Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1900-11-22
GRAVE POINT REACHED
Negotiations Point Inevitably To.
ward Cismemberment
of China.
INDEMNITY IS THE PROBLEM
The United States May Have to Take
Territory or Received Moth
ing for Massacres.

New York, Nov. 20.-The China ne
gotiations, according to a dispatch to
The Times from Washington, have
reached a most serious stage. The
actions of the powers are making par
tition almost inevitable. The United
States faces the probab lily that it will
either have to take a slice of China or
go without any indemnity. In that
case it is positively asserted by high
authorities that the United States will
go without indemnity
The United States may succeed in
reducing the demands of other powers
and is now making every effort to
that end, but with no immediate pros
pect of success. Every nation has dis
avOwed any intention of dismember-
ing China, but that merely relates to
dismemberment as punishment for
the Boxer outrageS. No nation has
pledged itself to avoid taking a course
which will sooner or later make dis
memberment inevitable.
Proceeding Deliberately.
1t is firmly believed in official cir
cles in Washington that the powers
are proceeding deliberately with the
intention of bringing about a situation
which will compel dismemberment.
The whole question hinges on the
amount of money indemnity to be de-
manded. While the United States has
not officially set maximum figure
for the indemnity, it is the unofficial
opinion of some of the highest Off
GERS of the government that 5000 0O0,-
600 is all that China can pay. The
powers are DESTROYS Of swelling the
indemnity to at least twice that
amount.
Two courses are considered for the
payment of this large indemnity.
Each is innocent on its face but both
mean partition, and the American gov
eminent is so sure of it that as soon
as the powers adopt their course this
country will retire from the concert
and lose all but a faint chance of ever
recovering any indemnity.
Territorial Pledges and Bonds.
One course is to exact territorial
pledges. This is the same thing as
partition, for it simply means a mort
gage which is certain to be fOrecloSed.
The United States will have nothing
to do with this scheme. The other
plan Is to have China issue bonds,
guaranteed by the powers. This, in
the opinion of the American govern
ment, means partition just as surely
as the first scheme. The bOndholders
would have recourse to the guarant-
ors, who could not fulfill their guaran-
ties except by taking territory. Par
tition by this means may appear a
thing of the distant future, but high
official of the government has recent
ly given it as his opinion that the
bond scheme would bring about par
titiOn almost as soon as the other.
The United States will not guarantee
any bonds. How the United States
can collect its indemnity if it does
stay out is a mystery.
Small Indemnity or Nothing.
The United States has, Hereford,
only one way of getting indemnity.
That IS by inducing the other powers
to reduce their demands to an indnm-
nifty which China is able to pay The
administration is hopeful of success.
but so far ii has made no pr gresS.
and the chances seem to be all against
it. The United States spent about
S20.O00.000 in going to Pekin and this
country'S demand for damage to per-
sons and properly may raj &c from
$4,000 geo to S20,00O.0G0 But the
other powers are actively swelling
their expenses as much as possible.