China's Indemnity and Coming War
The Chinese peace envoys have at last signed the joint note of the powers, but permission must be obtained from the empress dowager before the impression of the great seal of China can be placed upon the document. This seal is in the forbidden city in Peking, guarded by the employees of the Chinese Government. The plan proposed by the State Department at Washington for appointing an international committee to meet in Washington or some European capital, for the purpose of settling the question of Chinese indemnity, has not been concurred in by the powers. The proposition will not be urged by America. Some of the powers have declared that this proposition was put forward by America for the purpose of delaying the settlement, and they openly accuse the United States of dilatoriness in the matter. A cable from Peking states that, altho it has not been officially announced, it is generally understood that the powers will demand from China an indemnity of $600,000,000. A correspondent of the London Times states that by spring the empress dowager will have an immense, well-drilled army at her command, and that a great war may then be expected. Several steps have been taken by the powers during the past few days which are interpreted as the preliminaries of China's dismemberment.