New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-28
CHINESE INDEMNITY QUESTIONS

The matter of pecuniary indemnity appears 10
he one of the chief obstacles in the way of settle
ment in China All the Powers are agreed that
some indemnity must he eXacted. The Chinese
Government comedies il. But to the amount
of indemnity to be paid there are reported to be
wide and radical diversites of opinion China,
of course, desires 10 pay as little as possible, ana
as a matter of fact is not able to pay much
without bringing millions of her people to out
right starvation. Some Powers are in favor of
requiring from her only the actual value of
property destroyed and amount of expense In
Cured, and round but reasonable sum for
the lives of those foreigners who were MUIR
dered by the Boxers. Such indemnites China
could pay, and would pay. Other Powers seem
to favor the eXaction OF exemplary damages or
an enormous amount: they have sent unneces-
sary troops to China, on doubled or even quad
rupled pay, intending that China shall foot the
bills, and they seem inclined to draw up total
bill of claims somewhat after the fashion, long
since byword. "for killing two missionaries,
one province" There is scarcely room for
doubt that China would be quite unable to meet
any such demands, and their enforcement would
mean simple spOliatOn of the Empire.
Settlement or spolation, then. is the alterna-
tive Between the two it should be easy for
any nation to make choice. Every nation has
progressed desire for settlement and has dis
claimed aft purpose of spoliation. And the way
to settle is to settle, to adopt terms with which
II is possible to comply. To demand impossible
terms is to make settlement impossible and TO
compel spoliation ny indirectiOn. 1t would not
he pleasant to think that any Power deliber-
ately meant 10 do the latter. The burden Of
controlling and governing the teeming millions
of China and the danger of violent conflict
among rival claimants in the partitoning of
that Empire would be far too grave for any
Power lightly to incur them. Nor is IL to he
maintained that n vast and exemplary indem-
nifty must he exacted lesson to China. 1t
is not the amount of indemnity that will tell so
much the simple fact of it. and the manner
of it, and the other details Of the settlement.
The occupation of the Forbidden City by foreign
troops and the degradation and punishment of
some of the highest mobiles of the Empire will
impress both Government and people far more
than any mere treasury footing The latter
would. in fact, defeat It's own purpose, because
| 1t would increase the burdens of millions of the
| common people who had no part In the Boxer
revolt and who have animosty against
| foreigners, but in whose minds such luminosity
| would surely he engendered by crushing taxa
| tion al alien demand
| Reference to one other feature of the case
may not he inappropriate. \ little while ago
various members of the European press-some
| of them reputPd to reflect official sentiment
| were hot and sCOrnful toward the United
| States country 10 which "thp jnging of
| the guinea helps the hurt that Honor feels
| They contumeliously portrayed this Nation as
| willing to suffer loss of honor and to foregO
retributiOn for outrage and murder il so II could
| get the cash indemnity which it's sordid greed
| desired. The reprOach unralled for and
unwarranted. and hy the bitter irony
of the progress of affairs il is turned from it's
| former object sQuarely against It's makers The
very countries whose mouthpeces were most
| cpnsorious Of this country for seeking cash in
| demnity now themselves foremost in seek
| ing mode of unSettng settlement of which
| the prime object will be 10 squeeze every DOS
| sible penny out of China, and then In default
| of more cash to mortgage or to spolate her ter
| ritory. Of course, no country wishes to CON
| done the hideOus offences which were perDe
| trated at Picking and elsewhere IN China last
| summer. China should be made to suffer for
them and to make all reparation in her power
| But reparation is not spoliation, and nations
| that are seeking Just and lasting settlement
| OF the issues so acutely raised should certainly
not permit that laudable quest to degenerate
| into mere campaign for loot.