Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-31
THE SECOND PAYMENT
Another Installment of the
Chinese Indemnity.
SILVER TO BE GIVEN
WHOLE INDEBTEDNESS WILL
HAVE TO BE READJUsTED.
The Empire Unablekto Liquidate Its
Obligations-Exaggerated
Claims Tor Damages.

The State Department has been officially
advised, through Its daca1 agents in China,
that the second installment Of the Chinese
indemnity fund, which falls due tomorrow,
must be paid in silver or rather on a silver
basis That result has been anticipated,
and the department was more than a month
ago unofficially advised Of what would hap
pen. The first installment Of the indemnity,
which, was due July last was likewise
paid upon a silver basis. the nations receiv-
ing the money reserving the right to re-
claim the difference between the silver and
gold basis. Therefore tomorrow the de-
partment will have placed to its credit the
sum Of 1886 O9S05, for it has without hesita-
tion decided to accept the payment on the
basis proposed.
Some idea Of the extra charge that would
be imposed upon China did she yield to the
almost general demand Of the powers for
payment Of these indempities upon gold
basis may be gathered from the fact that
whereas the Chinese tael, which was the
basis OF the calculation Of the Indebtedness,
was worth "A cents and 2 mills at the time
the agreement was signed in Pekin, it Is
now worth only 81 cents, and China would
therefore lose 13 cents on each tael If re-
Quired to pay In gold.
Beyond China's ABILITY to Pay.
The impression prevails here among per-
sons who have taken part in these settle
ments that the indemnities demanded by
the powers are far beyond China's ability.
She may for a year oritwo borrow enough
money from various internal sources to pay
the tnstallments falling due every six
months. bEt In short time the powers will
be compelled at the risk of losing every
thing t6 conleNto a readjustment Of the
whole issSsbtedness either by submitting
the case to arbitration az Tbs Hague, which
China ardently desires, or by a mutual
agreement between the creditor nations. !
Most of the first installment paid to the
United States last July and amounting to
nearly a half million OF dollars, was In pay
ment Of missionary claims for damages
arising from the Boxer outbreak. The de-
partment adopted the plan OF paying out
25 per cent Of each large claim and that abb
sorbed nearly all Of the first installment.
By that method something like two years
will be required for the settlement Of the
claims.
Claims Exaggerated.
1t Is said at the State Department where
many Of these cases were handled (and the
records of the American commission, COM
posed of. Minister Conger, Secretary Bath
bridge and Consul Ragsdale, show that the
same statement was TRUE as to the claims
the history of the department have there
been SO many exaggerated and patiently
unjust claims presented to the attention
of a settlement commission as those coming
from the missionaries as a result Of the
Boxer uprising. The commission has cut
into these with ruthless hand, as 1t was
bound to do from the very face Of the pa
pers themselves. The exaggerations were
common to organizations and individuals.
In one case a claim was submitted amount
Ing to $25OOO0 for mission property de-
stroyed.
Absolutely reliable aff1davits show hat
100000 was big estimate. Individual
cases were even worse, and missionaries
did not hesitate to put in claims for jewelry
and articles of luxury not commonly asso-
ciated with missionary work in heather
lands.
Low Valuation on Life.
BY curious adjustment the commission
has, while allowing many of these claims,
with great liberality, placed very low
valuation on human life Assuming muir
dered missionary Of the Eage Of fifty to be
capable Of about ten more years work at
the rate of about $500 per year, they would
award an indemnity of about $4,000 to his
or her heirs. The State Department, which
is the reviewing authority in these cases,
will probably raise these allowances, bu.
t. may still further cut down the claims for
parSonal nr0nartv lnSSps