The age-herald., 1901-03-21
VARIOUS POWERS HAVE NOT AGREED Cannot Reach Uniform Basis
 For Indemnities, R0CKHiLL ON THE SUBJECI If All Powers Would Settle On Basis Proposed By United States the En-
 tire Amount Would Not Ex-
 ceed $25o,ooo,ooo.
ROCKHiLL ON THE SUBJEC

Washington, March 20-Another com munication was received today from Sps- cial Commissioner Rookhill touching the complications that have arisen at Pekih from the efforts of the various powers to reach uniform basis for their indemnity claims, but there Is nothing to indicate that an agreement Is any nearer than II was when this subject was first taken up by the ministers.
 Although the State Department is more than ever convinced that its suggestion looking to the reference of the entire sub ject of indemnities to The Hague com mission Is the true solution of the diffi- culty, the proposition having been def nitely rejected early in the negotiations, is not now before the ministers. No pre- else instructions have been sent to MT. Rockhill within the last few days on this point owing principally to the absence of the President from Washington. II Is presumed that now that the President $ attention is again directed to the ques- tion there will be a more complete def1ni- ton of policy.
 The situation at Tien Tsin still falls to excite the officers here who feel that the critical point has passed.
 No Official Protest.
 A curious fact In connection with the Manchurian complication Is that so far there is no trace of an official protest to Russia against the enertion of her an nounced programme in Manchuria- It is not for lack of disposition to oppose this policy that the protest has mt appeared, but because there Is no authenticated copy of the reputed China-Russian agree ment, and further, no one of the powers has yet been found willing to take the initiative in challenging Russia.
 Our State Department has exerted what influence 1t could to secure a statement of the facts as to Manchuria, the result of which has been to secure a repetition of the Russian disclaimer of improper motives, but not a definition of the pro- gramme for the future, further than what 1t was defined in the Russian pronuncia- mento of August last.
 It Is stated that the sum total of the indemnity claimed by all nations cannot be calculated because of the lack oi agreement among the powers on the very basis of settlement
 But assuming that the powers are will ing to accept the scheme of adjustment proposed by the United States, allowing a certain amount for each missionary killed, and another allowance for prop erty destroyed the sum total of the claim would be considerably less than S250, ,000, ,00C which 1t Is said the Chinese revenues would be able to meet within a reasona- ble time.
 
 $25o,ooo,ooo Indemnity.
 But 1t appears almost hopeless now tc expect the other powers to accept the same basis of compensation that, would satisfy the United States. Not only Is there a vast difference in the scale, but there Is also a very radical difference of opinion as to the treatment of the native Christians who have suffered by the Boxers, and 1t Is believed that if the settlement is to be treated with the lib erality proposed by some of the nations