Evening star., 1901-04-09
THE DELAY AT PEKIN
Regarded as Cause of Chinese Re-
bellion.
AGREEMENT ON INDEMNITIES DESIRED
Mr.. RockhiII Trying to Keep Down
the Powers Demands.
WILLING TO REDUCE OURS

The State Department has heard further
from Mr.. RockhilI our special commits
sioner at Pekin, touching the effort making
there to reach an agreement respecting the
indemnity to be demanded from the Chi
nese government. Mr.. Rockhills principal
effort, acting under direct instructions from
Secretary Hay, is to induce the ministers
of other powers to keep down the total OF
their claims to the amount which the
financial experts headed by Sir Robert
Hart, have decided to be within the abil-
ity of China to pay. The United States
government has felt that on no account
should the total indemnity claim exceed
100000 pounds sterling, and has stead
fasty sought to make that figure the out
side limit of the claim.
For itself'the State Department claims
S25O0OO0o indemnity, and it has supplied
MIR. Rockhill with data for the presentation
os an itemiZed account showing the expen-
ditures made by the government OF the
United States in the transportation of our
military contingent III China, its mainte-
nance there and the claims of the mission
aries who were American citizens and suf-
fcred in property and person from the
Boxer outbreak.
Foreign Criticism.
This account has oeen subjected to some
criticism at the hands of other countries
because of the disprOpJrtionate expense in
vUlved in the movement of the large Rus
sian and German ContiDgents and the small
american military force. In answer to this
the officials point to the fact that the
United States army is necessarily the most
expensive in the world.
The United States soldiers are paid very
much more than the soldiers of the Euro
pean powers. in some cases five or six
times much. and they are maintained in
L. .,F fl
above the European standards. even of the
best. So the United States army is cost
Iy weapon to use. and the bills IN Mr.
ROckLills possession show that every cent
of his claim of S2J.O0U, OGU was actually eN-
pended.
ChiEa and to secure speedy settlement of
the Chinese question. the United States
government stands willing to make a heavy
cut IN its claim provided the other nations
represented at Pekin will abate their claims
in proportion. 1t is entirely possible that
IL Mr.. ROckhin can induce the other min
listers to make a cut of 81 per cent in their
, indemnity claims. he will do so, though
the apparent result be the loss to the
United States of S12,J01,oo0.
Danger of Delay in Agreement.
The administration is satisfied that the
great danger of the situation at Pekin lies
in delay. Had the representations of Mr..
Rockhin been needed at Pekin, the officials
are confident that the formidable rebellion
which has now broken out under the lead
of Gen. Tung Flu Slang in Shen 81 province
would never have occurred. Mr.. Rockhfl
had satisfied himself that the Chinese gov
eminent absolutely sincere when 1t
pleaded inability to punish this great gen.
eral and Prince Tuan in the fun measure
demanded by the powers. More modest de-
mandS would have perhaps been within the
power of the Chinese government to meet,
and the rebellion would have been averted.
Also this indemnity question has consumed
gnConsci0nable length of time, and If it
had been settled several weeks or even
months ago. the present difficulty would
have been impossible. 1t is the hope, there
fore, of the officials here that Tung Flu
Siang's movement will stimulate the lag
ging ministers at Pekin to final action. If
il does not. if the court is obliged to fee
from Singafu. and the great Yangtse vice
rOys are overslaughed by Gen. Tung Flu
Slang, as seems entirely probable, then will
all China be plunged into anarchy in the
estimate of the officials here