The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-30
PLEA ID CANCEL BOXER BALANCE
 ISSUED IN PEK|N
Student Controlled Daily De. clares Germany to Blame for Alleged Excessive
 Amount of lndemnity

Peking, october 29.-CBy Mail. 9-- A plea for remiss-on Of the unpaid balance of the Boxer indemnity as one of the advantages that China nigh reasonably expect as result of the ashington conference is put forth by the Peking Daily News. a stu dent-controlled daily. The paper de- clares editorially that it's appeal Is not to international altruism but IS based on justice.
 Granted that the Chinese were en- tirely to blame for the events of 1900 and the Chinese of the present day are willing to admit it. despite the incendiary record of the powers in the decade that preceded the rebel lion--the indemnity was all out of proportion to the losses incurred by the allies" it is argued.
 When the day of reckoning came the other powers-to her lasting credit Japan was one of them---were aghast at the outrageous claims ad- vanced by Germany and Russia Germany, especially. was rapacious in her demand for her pound of flesh. After much deliberation, all the protocol powers, except Germany, ac* knowledged the unI IeasonablenesS Of the charge on China, and only &C., cepted the position when the Ger man representative imperilled the unanimity of the negotiations
 The writer cities pr. H. B. Morse in his .International Relations of the Chinese Empire" quoting him as fol- lows:
 "The American envoy urged that a demand for lump sum within China's capacity to pay should be made. and the claims of each powes 4 vA
 The German envoy saw no reason why the powers should show exees : sive geneosity in the matter of cut ting down claims. The Amer ican plea for moderation therefore failed.
 "At the behest of Germany" the writer continues, "the other ali @s agreed to saddle China with the debt which they acknowledged in the off cial documents exceeded the 1ustifi- able amount International morality would point to the reparation or that crime of injustice by d remission cf the portion in excess of the net claims. The opportunity is ripe, with the only recalcitrant power of 1900 out of the way The allies can now give expression to the feeling that was thwarted by Germany 20 years ago. The United States rectified- the wrong in 1908 and so eased her na- tional conscience in the matter Now she proposes to go further than a mere act of atonement by an act of grace. .
 At the time when the allies al lowed her to suspend the annual pay ments for five years, China had paid about f40.000, 900 or two-thirds of the whole. In suggesting that f40,ooo,- = 900 should liquidate the initial charges are not pleading for interna- tional aitrusim; the plane of justice Is sufficient ground on which to ads vance the plea. and is warranted Dy the American estimate in 1900. China redressed the wrong of 1900 by de- throning the principal conspirator, and in addition she has paid the greater part of the indemnity. In meeting what must seem to her the eternal payments, she is constantly reminded of something that she would rather forget and have the al- lies forget"
 The paper concludes with DOT trayal of China's illiteracy. and points out benefits that would ac- crue by diversion of the Boxer pay ments to the promotion of education