The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-24

y 'f lie most ultllrult
matters in connection with
~ the pacification of China. thS
on" alone which stands in
the way of the rehabilitation of the
Chinese government, the withdrawal
of the foreign forces. and the rcSump-
ton of international trade, is the set
tl.mrnl Of the indemnity ON q basis
fair to China and :air To the govern
ments which have demanded compen-
Satiun for the massacre of their sub
iects ana the ruthless destruction Of
the property of the missionaries by the
RoHerS. This sum in round numbers
amounts 10 S3Oo0O0.o00. china drmuls
to tn. bill, but she cannot resist its
payment.
the question is. how can this sum be
raised without prostrating china and
Xasi,eratlng Ia" people t. a more in
fuliat"d pitch against the foreign
de> lis" The United States and Great
Britain are willing, even eager, to
make the collection as Indirect ana ns
little oncrouS as possible. Germany. it
seems. is dcSirouS of pressing her ac-
count To the last tael with summary
insistcnce 1t cannot be denied that
the murder of her minister, Count Von
Ketteler. makes such an attitude not
unjust, M matter how unreasonable
it may appear To those who desire to
see the frankcnStein of massacre and
revolt laid in the Celestial empire But
some consideration should be shown.
surely. tn the millions of passive and
peaceable Chinese who have taken no
part in th. revolutionary atrocities
with which the Boxers are identified,
but who may on the other hand he
driven into fierce action If they are
made To suffer roundly for tn" sins Of
the miscreanls who originated the
trouble.
The resources of China are surel1
ample enough to guarantee the pay
ment of the indemnity in full If its coll
lection is only judiciously adjusted.
No doubt the plenipotentiari"S of the
foreign governments at Pekn have
fonnd the Chinese higher officials diff
cult, perverSe, and mendacious in me-
sotlation, 1t has always been so and
will continue 50 until the Chinese gov
rrnment acts more in accordance with
the ideas of Western civilization. Tn
Ill that time arrives, if ii ever does,
The foreign ministers should exercise
unlimited furbGuranc" and stole pa
tience in dealing with an intractable
and inscrutable race. We know next
Ia nothing of the psychology of the
thinaman. He knows Il good deal
more than he pretends about us.
Lord Cranborne, speaking in the
iiouye OF Commons the other night,
said that The British government is I'M
altorably opposed to raising the inn
port duty ten per cent, as security for
the payment of the indemnity. Great
Britain and the United states are the
only two countries whose trade with
China is at all considerable. Taking
into consideration the chaos into
which Chinese commerce has been
throWp.tnls country and England
would in the eud be sufferers by the
enforcement of an indemnity tariff,
Germany is waiting upon the course
OF events in the Fast. and It might suit
her purpose 10 compound her indem-
nifty at an suspicious moment for
preferential trade treaties. territorial
leases on what not. Neither this coun-
Try nor Great Britain can permit its
trade With China 10 be jeopardized
by ten Per cent import duty.
The Chinese merchants at the treaty