New-York tribune., 1903-01-01
THIS GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS SILVER.
Gold Payments Considered Too Heavy a
Burden for China

Washington. Dec 31.-The State Department
has been officially advised through it's fiscal
agents in China that the second instaIment of the
Chinese indemnity fund. which falls due to-mor-
row must be paid in silver. or, rather on a silver
basis. This result has been expected and the
department more than month ago was advised
unoffcially of what would happen. The first
instalment of the indemnity, which was due
July last, was likewise paid on silver basis.
the nations receiving the money. reserving the
right to reclaim the difference between the sill
and gold basis. Therefore. tomorrow the
department will have placed to it's credit
S496,09S. for it has without hesitation decided
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 indenlnities a gold basis may be gath
cred from the fact that. whereas the Chinese
tael which the basis of the calculation OF
the Indebtedness. was worth a cents at the time
the agreement was signed in Pekng. it is now
worth only 81 cents. The impression prevails
here among persons who have taken part in
these settlements that the indemnities de-
ma nded by the powers are far beyond China's
ability. She, may for q year two borrow
enough money from various internal sources to
pay the instalments falling due every six
months but in q short time the. powers will be
compelled at the risk of losing everything to
come to a readiustment of the whole indebted
ness either by submitting the case to arbitra-
ton at The Hague. which China ardently de-
sires or by a mutual agreement between the
creditor nations.
Most of the first instalment paid to the
United States last July and amounting to nearly
S5O0OOO was in payment of missionary claims
for damages arising from the Boxer outbreak
The department adopted the plan Of paying out
% per cent of each large claim. This absorbed
nearly all of the first instalment BY this
method something like two years will be re-
auired for the settlement Of the claims 1t Is
said at the State Department, where many OF
these cases were handled and the records Of the
American commission, composed OF Minister
Conger, Secretary Bainbridge and Consul Rags
dale show that the same statement was true as
to the claims presented in China. that prooaoly
never in the history of the department have
there been many heavy claims presented 10
the attention OF a settlement commission as
these coming from the missionaries as result
of the Boxer uprising The commission has cut
into these with ruthless hand. The claims
were common to organizations and individuals.
In one case a claim was submitted amounting to
S250O0O for mission property destroyed AM
davits show that S100.0OO was a generous estl-
mate for the property. In individual cases ms
sionares put in claims for JeWelry ana artlcIeS
of luxury By a curious adjustment the COM
mission, while allowing some of these Claims
with liberaIity. has placed low valuation on
human life. Assuming murdered missionary
of the age of fifty to he capable of ten more
years work at the rate of S4OO a year. II "ould
award an indemnity of about $1,000 TO his or her
heirs The State Department, which is the re-
viewing authority in these cases. probably will
raise the allowances. but it may still further
cut down the claims for personal property losses