The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-16
A DIFFICULT PROBLEM
Indemnity from China Will Worry
De Bowers SefOre Settled.
CONGER IS ACTIVE
He Is Proceeding on the Instruction.
TO Procure as Broad a CONNER.
Cial Treaty as Is Possible
for China 10 Give.

Washington, Jan. 16.-The instruc
tions to Minister Conger at Pekin, III re.
gard to the attitude of the United States
in the settlement of commercial privi.
in the future, have not yet been per
fected in detail. Mr.. Conger has been
advised from time to time of the desire
of this country to secure the broadest
possible privileges and to have them
equal between all nations, but no effort
thus far has been directed chiefly to the
latter point and to restraining the hun.
ger of some of the powers for exces.
sve indemn1ties rather than to defini.
tions of what the new privileges shall
be of.
Mr.. Conger himself showed q sense
of the importance and complications of
the problem by his request that negotia-
tions regarding commerce and the in.
IDENTITIES be transferred from Pekin to
some other capitol. Some regret is felt
at the department of state that this pro.
posal was not more cordially welcomed
by the powers, but in the nature of the
case it was not proposition upon which
the United States could we'll insist if it
was not generally acceptable.
Nothing is known at the state depart.
ment regarding the reasons why the
proposal was rejected by several of the
powers, beyond the reason assigned in
one case that a more exact knowledge
of the situation would prevail at Pekin.
That this argument has some force is
frankly admitted, but it is felt that il
would be desirable ON some grounds to
get the negotiations out of the exclusive
control of the ministers, who suffered
so much during the siege of the lega-
tions. AS the matter stands the United
States will probably strengthen Minister
Conger by one or more experts in COM
mercial and financial policies before the
negotiations are completed.
The signing of the protocol by the
Chinese ENJOYS is regarded at the state
department as only the beginning of
serious negotiations. Several matters
fully covered by the protocol can be ad-
justed in a short time through the action
of the military officers in China.
Among these matters are the establish
ment of military posts ON the route to
Pelxin and the distribution of the lega-
tion guards hereafter to be kept at the
Chinese capital. Even these subjects,
simple as they may appear, are not
likely to be free from friction between
the powers themselves and the other
civilized powers ON one hand and the
Chinese government on the other. Then
will come the settlement of tue in
IDENTITIES and the framing of new COM
mercial treaties which shall do equal
justice to the citizens and subjects of
all the civilized powers.
Much care will be given to the in
structions to Minister Conger in regard
to the commercial treaties. So many
plans are likely to rise that will depend
but it may not be possible to set forth
in detail just what the ministers shall
insist upon, and upon what points he
may yield. The instructions will set
forth at length, however, some things
which are considered desirable for the
future development of China by aid of
citizens of civilized countries.
Much of the skill and diplomacy which
has been required thus far on the part
of the United States and to the other
liberal powers will continue to be de-
manded in order to carry out firmly to
the end the policy of the territorial
integrity of China and her protection
from demands which it is believed at
the state department are unreasonable.
All Protest Abandoned.