Evening star., 1901-03-21

tanned and for every hundred men moved in
| military operations. So far, although no less
| than three schemes of valuation have been
considered at gPekin. it has not been pos
| sible to secure the adoption of any one.
So without displacing the pending propo-
sition, the United States has advanced an
other and radical propoS1t1on namely: ::
To divide the total indemnity collected
say, s209, ,000. .090-into eight parts, of which
the United States would receive one. It is
true that ten powers are represented at
Pekin, but at least two of them have no
foundation for claim for indemnity. OF
course, this suggestion has not been warm
ly received by those nations which claim to
have been put to very much more expense
than was the United States through the
Boxer troubles. But the answer to this has
been that in most cases the greater part
of these expenses was absolutely unneces-
sary; that there was no occasion for the
maintenance of large military forces in
China after the fall of Pekin, and equally
unnecessary and even pernicious We're the
various so-called punitive expeditions
which have been dispatched from Pekin at
short intervals ever since that date.
Not only is there a vast difference in the
scale of demands based on military ex-
penditures but there is also very radical
dlHerence of opinion as to the treatment of
the native Christians who have suffered in
person and property by the Boxers, and
1t is believed that if this element is to be
treated with the Hberality proposed by
some of the European nations the indem-
mites claimed will be nearly S5OO,OOO,0O0 in
the aggregate, amount it is declared,
quite beyond the ability of China to meet.
Diplomats Discuss China.
There was an interesting group of for
eign representatives at the State Depart
ment today, all of them interested In China
and all keenly aroused over the rapid
progress of negotiations concerning indem-
mites The group included the Russian
ambassador. Count Cassini; the German
ambassador, DR.. Won Holleben the French
ambassador, Mr.. Cambon; the Japanese
minister, Mr.. Takahira, and the Belgian
minister Count Lichtervelde. Each had
separate and rather long conferences with
Secretary Hay. But aside from these, the
ambassadors and ministers gathered in
groups and in the ante-room leading to the
diplomatic chamber, and discussed with
animation the progress of events in the
far east. The Russian view as to indem-
mites appears to coincide with that of the
United States, being favorable to keeping
the amount down to sum which there is
some prospect that China can pay in
stead of placing 1t so high that China's
inability to pay will result in territorial
scramble. All of the foreign representa-
tives minimized the troubles at Tien Tsin,
one of them pointing out that the clash
between the soldiers did not refer to the
trained soldiers of the several powers, but
TO the native contingent from India and
Cochin China
Proposed Division by Eight.
The idea of gross indemnity Of s2OO, ,GOO-
600, to be divided into eight equal parts,
does not seem to meet much approval in
diplomatic quarters, as it is pointed out
that some countries have been put to far
more expense than others. For instance. it
is said that Great Britain was obliged to
move 1000 troops a great distance, most of
them from India. Japan moved $4,000
troops, but while the number is greater,
the distance from Japan to China reduced
the charge materially. The United States
moved about 5000 men, but the distance
from the Philippines was also short. The
German and French forces We're moved a
long distance. while many of the Russians
came down from the Russian headquarters
in Siberia and Manchuria. In each case it
is felt by the foreign representatives that
there are special considerations that will
interfere with an equal sharing between all
the powers.