The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-01
WILL ACCEPT SILVER.
United States Viii Not Demand
--- Pound of Flesh


Pound of Flesh
Washington. Dec 31-The state depart
ment has been officially advised through
| ITS fiscal agents in China that the second
| irbtallment OF the Chinese indemnity
fund which falls due tomorrow. must
/ on paid IN silver. or rather on a silver
basis. This result has been anticipated
a ad the department more than a month
ago was advised unofhciaIly of what
Would happen The first lnstallment of
! the indemnity. which was due July /
| last was likewise paid on a silver basis,
] the nations receiving the money reserv-
| ing the right to claim the difference be-
| tween the silver and gold basis. There
IQre TOMORROW the department will have
placed to its credit S496O9S. for it has
without hesitation 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 demands of the powers for
n'yment of these indemnities on a gold
basis. which is the basis of the calcVla-
{ ton Of the indebtedness. was worth n
! cents at the time the agreement was
signed IN Pekin, it is now worth only 81
cents.
! China Cannot Pay.
! The impression prevails here among the
persons who have taken part in these
/ settlements that the indemnities demand
/ Cd by the powers are beyond Chinas
( ability. She may for year or two Dor
/ row money from various international
] sources to pay the installments falling
due every six months, but in a short
l time the powers viii be compelled at
/ the risk of losing everything to come
to readjustmenf of the whole indebt-
| eoness. either by submitting the case to
arbitration at The Hague, which China
| ardently desires. or by A mutual agree
/ ment between the creditor nations
I Most of the first installment paid to
] me United States last July. and amount
/ ing 20 nearly half a million dollars, was
/ in payment of missionary claims for
| damages arising from the Boxer out
preak. The department adopted the
! large claim This absorbs nearly all OF
| The first installment By this method.
! something like two years viii be required
| Tor the settlement of the claims.
Exorbitant Claims.
| It is said at the state department,
kheEe many of these cases were han
/ nded. and the records of the American
! commission composed of Minister Con-
! ger, Secretary Bainbridge and Consul
I Fagsdale. show that the same state
/ nent was true 10 the claims present
/ ed IN China. that probably never in the
! history of the department. has there
/ pea 50 many heavy claims presented 10
] we attention OF settlement commits
{ sion as these coming from missionaries
/ as result of the Boxer uprising.
INC commission has cut into these with
/ q ruthless hand The claims were COM
/ mon 70 ORGANIZATIONS and individuals. In
/ one case claim was submitted amount
/ IlB 10 SzSl,tM Tor mission property de-
Slfo(ed- Reliable affidavits show that
SlCd,pD vas a generous estimate for the
: property. In individual cases. mission
aries put in claims for jewelry and ar
( 1cies of luxury. BY a curious adjust
ment, the commission while allowing
/ some OF these claims with Iiberalitv has
placed very low valuation on human
! life. Assuming a murdered missionary
] Of the age Of 50 to be capable Of ten
years wo-k at the rate of 500 per year.
/ Il would award an indemnity OF about
Si.e1 70 his or her heirs. The state de-
] partment, which is the reviewing au-
( thOrity in these cases. probably will
! raise the allowance. but il may still fur
I nroporfV lorSqs