The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1901-01-05
AS TO INDEMNITY
State Department Attempting to
Secure All Understanding
Among the Powers.
Ministers At Peking Cannot Reach
Any Conclusion on This
Important Point.
Enormous Sums A, ked by Certain
Countries the Main Sub
cct of Dispute.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 5.-The state
department Is making a strong effort 10
secure All understanding among the
powers to serve us u basis for the ad.
justment Of the question Of indemnity
to be paid by the Chriese government.
1t appears from Mr.. Congcr's reports
that IT Is hopeless TO expec; the foreign
ministers ut Peklng 10 reach al agree.
ment on this important subject and il
the problem is TO be solved at all It
must be removed from the Peking
council and dealt with by direct dipio-
matte exchange. Therefore the state
department Is in correspondence with
other foreign Offices respecting this
subject. though the negotiations have
not proceeded to point where ii can
, be said that successful termination is
III sight. The princiIal difficulty III
/ the way Is ieiieyed 10 Le the enormous
indemni,ies demanded by some OF the
powers 1 he efforts Of the Chinese
government TO secure better terms, SO
lar Us they tend 10 lro!ong the ncgo.
uatlons. are also expected TO have the
| result VI adding considerably to the
sum which must be paid in the end
his Is because the question OF main.
tanning the
Foreign Military Estsbi iishm~nss
in China probably will be assessed
! against the Chinese government and
the cost Of keeping foreign troops in
Peking at this season Of the year aud
In a country where every necessity of
life has TO be transported from . dis
tance will make the bill very heavy.
1t IL believed that the bill Of Germany
will be by far the largest. and 1t is u
significant fact that che German gov.
ernment has allowed its officers on serv.
ice in China iivefold their regular sal.
aries. n rate Of pay hitherto unknown
in military history. The Chinese.
however. are expected to pay for this
The attitude Of Russia III Manchuria
has given rise to considerable appre.
hension here. As indicated III recent
news dispatches II series Of regulations
has been promulgated by the Russian
government for the administration OF
affairs III Manciuria. which would
seem to the officials here to warrant an
| apprehension that permanent occu
patton OF tina, territory, with Its
Topu alton "G .O.OOO.OOO.
| is i'll contemplation. 1t is believed
that some representations either have
been or VIII pc mace on the subject 10
the powers. " heu the Russian gov.
ernment announced its intention 10
withdraw its troops from Peklng 1t
also solemnly declared that las soon as
lasting order shall have been estab.
lished III Manchuria aud indispensable
| measures taken for protection Of for.
eigners, Russia will not fail to with.
draw her troops from these territories
Of the neighboring empire. provided
the action OF the powers does not place
any obstacle in the way VI such q
measure.
The contention Of the Russian rep
rcsentatives here is that the conditions
laid down in this pledge have not yet
been realized and they insist that there
is nothing in the published regulations
which would warrant the assumption
that Russia is not acting in perfect
good faith in this matter. To clear up
any doubt that may remain on this
point. however. it is proposed that an
explicit statement from Russia will be
invited upon this point.