The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-01-02
State Department Has Been Officially
Informed by Fiscal Agents.
CHINA HAS NO MORE GOLD
And the Second lnstallment of the
Blood Money Wrested From China
by the World Powers Must Be
Paid in Silver, But the Silver viii
Not Be in the Ratio Of " to I.

department has been officially ad-
vlsed through its fiscal agents in
China that second installment of the
chinese indemnity fund, which falls
due tomorrow, must be paid in sill
yer, or. rather, on the silver basis.
This result has been anticipated
and the department more than a
month ago was advised unofficially
of what would happen. The first in
stallment of the indemnity, which
was due July l. last, was likewise
paid on the silver basis, the nations
receiving the money reserving the
right to reclaim the difference be-
tween the silver and gold basis.
Therefore. tomorrow the department
will have placed to it's credit $780,
O9S, for it has without hesitation de-
cided to accept the payment on the
basis proposed. Some idea of the
extra charge that would be imposed
on China did she yield to the almost
general demand of the powers for
payment of these indemnities on the
gold basis may be gathered from the
fact that whereas the Chinese tael,
which was the basis of calculation
of Indebtedness, was worth "a cents
at the time the agreement was
signed at Pekin, is now worth only
81 cents. The impression prevails
here among persons who have taken
part in these settlements that the in
n ln,, al
are far beyond Chinas ability. She
may. for a year or two. borrow
enough money from various internal
sources to pay the installmentS fall
ing due every six months. but in
short time the powers will be COM
PEELED, at the risk of losing every
thing, to come to reimbursement of
the whole Indebtedness, either by
submitting the case to arbitration at
The Hague, which China ardently de-
sres, or mutual agreement be-
tween the creditor nations. Most of
the first instalment paid to the
United States last July and amount
ing to nearly half million dollars.
was in payment of missionary claims
for damages arising from the Boxer
the plan of paying but % per cent
of each large claim. This absorbed
nearly all of the first nstallment.
By this method something like two
years will be required for the settle
ment of the claims.
/. \ %
where many of these cases were
handled. and the records of the
American commission, consisting of
Minister Conger. Secretary Balm
bridge and Consul Ragsdale, show
that the same statement was true as
to claims presented in China that
probably never in the history of the
department has there been so many
heavy claims presented to the atten-
ton of the settlement commission as
as result of the Boxer uprising.
The commission has cut into these
with a ruthless hand. The claims
were common to organizations and
individuals. In one case a claim was
submitted, amounting to $250000, for
mission property destroyed. Relia-
bic affidavits show that $780, 900 was
generous estimate for the property.
In individual cases the missionaries
put in claims for jewelry and arti-
cles of luxury. By curious adjust
ment the commission while allowing
some of these claims with liberality,
has placed low valution on human
life. Assuming the murdered mis-
siOnaries of the age of so to be capa-
BILE of 10 more years work at the
rate of $500 per year, it would award
indemnity Of about $4,000 to his or
her heirs. The state department.
which is the reviewing authority in
these cases. probably will raise the
allowances, but it may still further
cut down the claims for personal
property losses.