Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-20
OR HAVE TO TAKE A SLICE OF
CHINESE TERRITORY.
EXORBITANT DEMANDS MADE
China Cannot Pay, Save With Land
Grants-We Will Not Join
the Steal.

New York, Nov. 20.-The China nego-
tiations, according to a despatch to the
Times, from Washington, have reached
a most serious sta se. The actions of the
powers are making partition almost inc
vitable. The United States faces the
probability that it win either have to
take a slice of China or so without any
indemnity. In that case, it is positively
asserted by high authorities that the
United States will so without indemnity.
The United States may succeed in reduce
ing the demands of others powers, and is
now masking every effort to that end. but
with no immediate prospect of success.
Every ration has ~disavowed any inten-
ton of Remembering China, but that
merely relates to dismstrlberment as a
punishment for he Boxer outrageS. No
nation has pledged itself to avoid taking
a course Which Will sooner or later make
dis1nenl0erment inevitable. 1t is firmly
believed N official ciicles IN Washington
that the powers are proceeding lib
ttely with The intention OF bringing about
a situation which will compel disIntn-
perment. The whole question hinges
upon the amount of money indemnity TO
be demanded. While the United States
has n officially set a maximum figure for
the Indemnity, it is the unofficial opinion
of some OF the highest officers of the gov
that $500, 900, 600 is all that China
can pay. The powers are DESTROYS of
swelling the indemnity to at least twice
that amount. TWO courses are Cons4o-
cred for the payment of this large in
d5mnity. Each is innocent on its face,
but both mean partition, and the Aneri-
can government is SO sure Of it that as
soon as the powers adopt either course,
this country will retire from the concert
and lose all but a faint chance of ever
recovering any indemnity.
One course is to exact territorial
pledges. This is the same thing as parti-
ton, for it simply means a mortgage
which is certain to be foreclosed. The
United States will not have anything to
do with the 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 bonGlolders would
have recourse to the guarantees, who
would not fulfill their guarantee except
by taking territory. Partition by this
means may appear a thing of the distant
future, but a high official of the govern.
ment has recently given it as his DELHI
crate opinion that the bond scheme
would bring about partition almost as
soon as the other. The United States viii
not guarantee any bonds. How the Unit
ed States can collect it's indemnity, if it
does stay out, is a mystery. The govern
ment officials frankly give UP the con-
undrum. The United States will not, of
course, surrender it's claim, and give
China a receipt in full. 1t will endeavor
in every way possible to get it's indem-
nifty, but there is no way open in the i'm
mediate future, if the powers carry out
their plans.
The United States has, therefore, only
one way of getting indemnity. That is
by inducing the other powers to reduce
their demands to an indemnity which
China is able to pay. The af1ministratior
is hopeful of success, but SO far It has
made no progress, and the ~cnancess seem
to be all against it.
The United States spent some $40, OOO,'
600 on going to Pekin, and this country!
demand for damage to person and prop
erty may range from 100000 to $40,
900, 600. But the other powers are active
ly swelling their expenses as much a
possible.