The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-11-23
CHINESE
INDEMNITY
The Empire Surely Cannot
Pay the Figure
Demanded by the Powers and
there is Danger of a Gen
eral Land Grabbing
DISSOLUTION WILL FOLLOW
Uncle Sam may Refuse all
Indemnity
If he has to Take Land and
Will try to Hold Down
Other Demands
DISSOLUTION WILL FOLLOW
Uncle Sam may Refuse all
Indemnity

Washington, Nov. 20.-The Chinese
negotiations have reached stage
where the actions of the powers are
making partition almost inevitable.
The United States faces the probable
ity that it will either have to take a
slice of China or go without 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 re-
ducing the demands of other powers
and is making every effort to that
end, but with no immediate prospect
of success.
Every nation has disavowed any in
tention of dismembering China, but
that merely relates to ACKNOWLEDGMENT
as punishment for the boxer out
RACES. No nation has pledged itself
to avoid taking IA course which will
sooner or later make ACKNOWLEDGMENT
inevitable. 1t is believed in official
circles in Washington that the powers
are proceeding deliberately with the
intention of bringing about situation
which will compel ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
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 un> fetal opin-
ion of some of the highest officers of
the government that POO million dol
lars is all that China can pay. The
powers are DESTROYS of swelling the
indemnity to at leasttwice 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
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 except a faint
chance of ever recovering any indem-
nifty. one course is to exact terri
torial pledges. This is the same
thing as partition for it simply means
a mortgage which is certain to be
foreclosed. The United States will
not have anything to do with such a
scheme.
The other plan is to have China
issue bonds, guaranteed by the powers.
This, in the opinion of the American
government, means partition just as
surely as the first scheme. The bond
holders would have recourset to the guar
antcrs, who could not fulfill their guar
antees except by taking territory.
Partition by this means may appear a
thing of the distant future, but high
official of the government has recently
given it as his deliberate opinion that
the bond scheme would bring about
partition 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. The gov
eminent officials frankly give up the
conund rum. The United States will
not, of course, surrender its claim
and give China receipt in full. 1t
will endeavor in every way possible to
get its indemnity, but there is no way
open in the immediate future, if the
powers carry out their plans,
The United States has, Their ore,
only one way of getting indemnity,
That is by inducing the other powers
to reduce their demands to an indem-
nifty which China is able to pay, The
admin istration is hopeful of success,
but so far it has made no progress
and the chances seem almost to be
against it.
The United States spent about q
million dollars in going to Pekin, and
this country's demand for damage tc
person and property may range from
10 million To 20 million dollars