Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1900 — CHINA TO PAY DEARLY [ARTICLE]

CHINA TO PAY DEARLY

JOINT NOTE OF THE ALLIED POWERS SUBMITTED. Severe Term* of Reparation Imposed on the Empire—lndemnities Amounting; to Two Hum!re l Millions reman led in liehalf of Boxers* Victims. j) -•■ The joint note to China signed in Pekin by the foreign ministers at 11 o'clock Saturday morning. Two hundred million dollars is the maximum sum demanded by the powers for the Boxer outrages, yet the claims to be made by natives and individuals are likely to be many times that amount. The joint note was apparently drawn up with two purposes in view. The chief purpose, of course, hat), been to secure substantial measures of reform looking to indemnities, punishments and the prevention of further uprisings. Incidentally some of the provisions have iteen designed, evidently, for the express purpose of impressing the Asiatic mind with a sense of the dauger of meddling with occidental peoples and their properties. Presumably the proposed reforms of this class, fantastic} as they may seem, have been adopted with a full understifliding of the Chinese character. The compulsory erection of monuments and the dispatch of embassies bearing apologies no doubt mean something to a Chinaman, however trivial these measures may seem to foreigners. As to the more practical measures mentioned in the note several are obviously just and essential. It is eminently proper that China should be compelled to pay* Indemnities, punish leading offenders and permit the fortification of foreign legations. Of even more importance are the various administrative reforms by which the Chinese government will be made to suspend its system of officialism in certain provinces, abolish the anti-foreign societies and punish all officials who countenance anti-foreign disturbances. The indemnity to be paid to the government is in the nature of -the expenditures incurred in dispatching and maintaining troops in China, and may be made to include sums paid to the heirs of those killed in action or to those who received wounds during engagements incident to the capture of Pekin. The total losses of the ullied forces defending the legations were G killed and 210 wounded, and many Chinese in the employ of missionaries and the legations lost their lives. An idea of the indemnity to be demanded for the expenses of the several military expeditions may be obtained from this table showing the strength of the allies: Men. Russia, brought from Siberia 48,509 Japan (transported from "Japan). .22,573 Germany (mostly brought from Germany) 44 guns and 15,000 Great Britain, brought from Hongkong and India v 8,74 G United States, dispatched from the Philippines and the United States 5,618 France, sent to the north from Cochin China 5,378 Italy, transported from Italy..*.. 1,000 Austria, landed from its warships. 294 The societies named in the agreement are the religious bodies which maintained missionaries in China, many of whom were killed. They will want not only heavy sums to indemnify- the heirs of those killed, but to solace those who were insulted, and also to cover damage done in the destruction of mission property. Many merchants suffered losses in consequence of the outrages. The American legation in Pekin was owned by Col. Charles Denby, Mr. Conger's predecessor, and the other legations were owned byforeigners or foreign governments. Administration officials believe the amount demanded should not be more than $200,000,000, and that in case of inability properly to distribute the indemnity the matter should be brought to the attention of The Hague court of arbitration. In case, however, it should develop that it is impossible to agree on a reasonable sum, then this government will urge the immediate reference of the whole indemnity question to a court of five jurists, to be selected from those members of The Hague tribunal nominated by countries whose interests were not largely affected by the Chinese trouble. There are sixteen nations signatory to The Hague treaty, ten only of whom were involved in the Uhiuese trouble. Remaining ones are Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the Netherlands, Roumania and Portugal.