THE MORNING OBEGONIAN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER. 5, lm.
ALASKAN' BOUNDARY CASE AS IT IS PRESENTED TO THE COMMISSION NOW IN SESSION
The dispute between this country and
Great Britain regarding1 the Alaskan
boundary would have been settled long
ago had not an unfortunate streak of
economy permeated the State Department.
Nearly .30 years ago the British govern
ment offered to Join the united States In
a survey td fix the boundary of the pan
handle of Alaska exactly where the maps
place It, and according to the construc
tion of the treaty adopted by the united
States. It was found that it would take
upwards of 52,000,000 to fix the boundary
at specified points. The State Department
and Congress were unwilling to spend this
money. Had they done so there would
have been no necessity for the boundary
treaty Just ratified, the United States
would have retained all the territory It
bought from Russia, and Great Britain
would have had not even a pretext for
securing possession of e port which would
give her access to the Klondike.
There Is no dispute as to the boundary
line of the main portion of Alaska, em
bracing the extreme northwest corner of
the continent of America. The difference
concerns only the question of how wide
the strip of coast Is to be from Mount
St Ellas to British Columbia, The United
States asserts that the strip is, with one
or two unimportant exceptions, 30 .miles
wide, and it has always occupied that
territory without protest from the worm
at large. The United States claims that
this strip Is to be measured inwardly
, from the tidewater in all cases.
The British Contention.
The British contention Is that the
boundary should leave to the United
States only a narrow strip, frequently
less than five miles In width, ana urai me
line should cross all the bays and Inlets,
thus giving the British merchants the un
disputed right to enter the interior with
out rendering an account to a customs
hnnaa nt Y,a. TTnto1 RtntflS. The Bfltlsh
contention now does not entirely deprive
the United States of all mamiana, out it
practically does so, because the atrip of
American territory under the British
theory is so narrow and is so cut up by
the numerous bays and inlets that it
would be practically useless for commer
cial purposes, the only real access to that
coast being by means of the Inlets them
selves, which are generally so wide and
bo deep at the point where the British
line crosses as to prevent anchorage and
preclude the idea of a successful landing.
It Is Indispensable to an understanding of
the Alaskan boundary question to consult
a map. It is one of the points urged by
the Americans that all existing maps show
the boundary of the panhandle of Alaska
to bo a line running parallel with the
windings of the coast 30 miles distant
from salt water. There axe no published
maps of the British contention1. An of
ficial map of the panhandle of Alaska pub
lished by the United States Coast and
Geodetic Survey, which shows the estab
lished boundary line, is reproduced above,
and the boundary claimed by the British,
as well as the modus vlvendl line, is
shown thereon.
Caused By Thirst for Gold.
Before going Into the details of the
boundary question, It should be explained
that there never was any dispute between
the two countries and no one had ever
heard officially of a difference of opinion
as to the interpretation of the treaty un
til August, 1898. A high joint commission
had been appointed to settle various mat
ters in dispute between the United States
and Canada. The Alaskan boundary was
not one of them, and It was not until the
commissioners met In Quebec, in the
Summer of 1898. that anyone heard of the
new and surprising interpretation of the
old treaty, which Great Britain had ap
parently first thought of after the high
Joint commission had been agreed upon
and before Its first meeting. The rush to
the Klondike had begun, and at first
there was no clash between the British
and American authorities. As soon as
the Canadian officials, for they were Cana
dians and not Englishmen, made the ex
traordinary discovery regarding the
boundary, the situation at once grew seri
ous. The high joint commission entirely
failed to agree. The United States com
missioners would not arbitrate for Amer
ican territory provided the umpire was a
European, and the Canadians, although
nominal Americans, were afraid to accept
anybody from this continent. The United
States commissioners finally proposed that
each side should appoint three commis
sioners, and that they should endeavor to
agree without the appointment of an um
pire. This plan was rejected by the
British, but it is the same as that now
adopted. Three men from the United
States and three from Great Britain will
meet in London and endeavor to agree
upon the proper interpretation of the old!
treaties. If they fall, the aispute win do
no different from what It Is now. An
agreement can come only by convincing
a United States or a British commissioner
that his own country is In the wrong.
There has been no danger of a clash
between the British and the United States
authorities at any point along the entire
stretch of coast from British Columbia
to Mount St. Ellas, with the single excep
tion of the trails leading from tne coast
to the Klondike country. There, and
there only, have hostile bayonets glanced,
and the opposing custom houses have
been side by side. If the subsidence of
the Klondike craze had been anticipated
it Is probable the Canadians would never
have raised the boundary question.
The Modus "Vivendi.
The miners going to and fro, excepting
those who chose the long route by the
Yukon, Invariably went up the Lynn
Canal, crossed the mountains at the White
or Chllkoot Pass, and then floated down
the network of Canadian waterways to
the placer diggings of the Klondike.
Along the trails running from the Lynn
Canal, if anywhere, a dangerous clash of
authority and bloodshed might occur.
Therefore, Secretary Hay and Lord
Pauncefote, the British Ambassador
agreed upon a modus vlvendl. or a tem
porary boundary line, which now gov
erns all Intercourse along the usual Klon
dike trails. This Imaginary line Is Just a
short distance north of the town of Kluk
wan, and by means of the Chllkat River
gives the British water access, to the
Klondike. It is, therefore, a distinct sur
render of American rights, but It was, of
course, stipulated in the modus vlvendl
that It should not prejudice the rights of
either party, so that If the commission
agrees on anything at London the tem
porary boundary line need not be taken
into consideration. This modus vlvendl
also runs, as Indicated on the map, across
the summit of the'mountajns, Just beyond
Dyea and Skagway, bif what is known as
the White and Chllkoot Passes. This Is
inside of the usual boundary Una, but It
is generally admitted by the United States
authorities that there Is a distinct moun
tain sange there as contemplated by the
original treaty, and hence, although the
line Is still only about 15 miles f roriitide
water, this country has practically ad
mitted that it is correct.
The real point at Issue being access to
the Klondike, the results of the delibera
tions of the commission will largely be
shown In the extent to which they accept
or reject the modus vlvendl, a mile or
two to the north of Klukwan. It is en
tirely significant of the attitude of the
British government, ana it is a complete
proof of the declaration that these nego
tiations concern nothing except the ac
cess to the Klondike: that the British
government has previously offered to ac
cept all of the boundary line as claimed
by the United States If In return Great
Britain is given the port of Pyramid
Harbor, on the Lynn Canal, and a nar
row strip, or International pathway, to se
cure to British goods transit duty free to
the Klondike gold fields.
Hovr "We Acquired Alaska.
No clear understanding of the points In-,
volved In the Alaskan boundary dispute
can be arrived at. without a survey of the
history of the Alaskan territory. Gov
ernments trace their Tights to real estate
exactly as Individuals do. except that
treaties between nations take the place of
deeds between individuals. It becomes
necessary, therefore, to run back of the
history of Alaska a little for the purpose
of finding Just where and how the bound
ary was originally fixed by agreement
among the nations.
It Is curious to discover, in going Into
the history of Alaska, that the boundary
line was first accurately laid out not be
cause of a dispute as to the boundary
itself, but merely as an Incident to
question as to the Jurisdiction of the high
seas, in which three great nations were
Interested. The boundary question not
only had nothing to do with the original
dispute, but it was lugged In by the cars
merely to give one of the three great na
tions a chance to withdraw gracefully
from a preposterous claim of sovereignty
over the ocean.
In 1S21 the Empire of Russia made an
extraordinary declaration, or ukase, in
which It asserted a claim to the exclusive
Jurisdiction of a tract of ocean 100 miles
from the mainland of Northeastern Asia.
and a similar distance from the northwest
coast of North America, which had long
been occupied by the Russian fur-traders.
In addition to that Russia asserted that
Its strip of coast, now known as the pan
handle of Alaska, ran down among the
fringe of Islands to the parallel of 51 de
grees north latitude. This would have
separated the entire territory of British
Columbia from the ocean. There was then
a boundary dispute between Great Britain
and the United States, and thlB country
claimed that what was then known as the
Oregon Territory ran up to nearly 55 de
grees of north latitude. Russia was.
therefore, claiming a narrow strip of
coast which for 250 miles was also claimed
by GreaV Britain and the United States.
As. soon as the Imperial ukase had' been
promulgated, hoth the United States and
Great Britain made lmmeaiate ana vigor
ous nrotests. Russia was not in a posi
tion to enforce its claims, and probably
cared but little about them. It was en
tirely willing at once to wlthdraaw Its de
mand for the exclusive sovereignty of the
North Pacific ocean, and It also withdrew
Its claim to, the line oT coast south of the
55th parallel of latitude. As a result of this
action the United States without nesita
tion made a treaty with Russia In 1824,
which involved merely a declaration that
this country had general rights In the
Northern Pacific ocean.
Russia's Treaty "With England.
However. In order that Russia might
be permitted to back down gracefully
from its original contention, the diploma
tists of the day conceived the Idea qf
negotlatllng a treaty which would mark
the boundary Between me jttussian pos
sessions in Alaska and the British North
west territory. The negotiations were
continued with various breaks between
the years 1S21 and 1826. In the latter
year the treaty between RusEla and Great
Britain was formally ratlnea, ana this
becomes the original deed by which the
United States claimed the strip of coast
running from Mount St. Ellas down to the
Portland Channel, approximately at the
55th degree of latitude, exactly where the
Russian modified claim terminated more
than three-quarters of a century ago.
In 1S67 the United States bought the ter
ritory of Alaska from the Empire of
Russia. It paid cash for It, and the lim
its of the territory It bought were fixed
as between Russia and the United States
by a citation of those sections of the
treaty of 1S25 which established the
boundary between Great Britain and
Russia. It will be seen, therefore, that
the whole dispute today as to the Alaskan
boundary depends entirely upon the con
struction to be given to those sections
of the treaty of 1825 which limited that
boundary. The United States is in the
position of the undisputed heir to all
the claims of ownership which Russia
may have had In 1825, and which were
definitely nut on naner in the solemn
deed of agreement called a treaty, which
was signed by the authorized representa
tives of Russia and Great Britain. On
the surface the terms of this treaty are
about as plain as the nose on a man's
face. They were not disputed for nearly
three-quarters of a century. If this were
question of ownership between Indi
viduals this mere fact would settle It,
because undisputed ownership for nearly
three generations would create a pre
sumptive title which no court would
overthrow. Unfortunately, however,
there is no statute of limitations as be
tween nations, and although Great Brit
ain apparently slept on its rights
from 1S25 to 1898, a period of 73 years, It
claims the right now to revive the dis
cussion as to the wording of the treaty
In the light of recent geographical dis
coveries. As a matter of course, the treaty be
tween Grea.t Britain and Russia was
written In French, the ancient language
of diplomacy, and there is, therefore, a
great deal depending upon the translation
of certain French words. An English
translation was made, however, and was
published In the official reports of the
British govenunent Immediately after the
treaty was promulgated. The United
States does not, of course, depend upon
this British translation, and in the treaty
just signed the sections which define the
boundary are given In the original French.
The British translation, however, is en
tirely in accord with tho American claim,
and It was this translation which was
made the basis of all the maps prepared
In England and America for three-quart-ters
of a century. The claims set up by
tho British people five years ago are
based on a little different translation of
two French words, one of which is
"crete," referring to the crest or summit
of the mountains, and the other, is the
"lislere," or strip of coast which Is now
In dispute.
Text of the Treaty.
The original British translation shows
sections 3 and 4 of the original treaty as
translated in the British Foreign Office
when the facts were 5l fresh to be as
follows:
"3. The line of demarcation between the
possessions of the high contracting parties
upon the coast of the continent and the
Islands of America to the northwest shall
be drawn In the manner following:
"Commencing with the southernmost
point of the island called Prince of Wales
Island, which point lies in the parallel of
54 degrees 40 minutes, north latitude, and
between the 131st and 133d degrees of west
longitude (meridian of Greenwich), the
said line shall ascend to the north along
the channel called Portland Channel as
far as the point of the continent, where It
strikes the 56th degree of north latitude;
from this last mentioned point the line
of demarcation shall follow the summit
of the mountains situated parallel to the
coast as far as the point of Intersection
of the 141st degree of west longtltude (of
the same meridian); and, finally, from
the said point of Intersection the said
meridian line of the 141st degree, in its
prolongation as far as the Frozen ocean.
shall form the limit between the Russian
and British possessions on the continent
of America to the northwest.
"4. With reference to the line of de
marcation laid down In the preceding ar
ticle It Is understood:
"First That the Island called Prince of
Wales Island shall belong wholly to Rus
sia. "Second That wherever the summits of
the mountains which extend in a direc
tion paralel to the coast, from the 56th
degree of north latitude to the point of
Intersection of the 141st degree of west
longitude, shall prove to be at the dis
tance of more than ten marine leagues
from the ocean, the limit between the
British possessions and the line of the
outside line of the string of coast which
isto belong to Russia, as above men
tioned, shall be formed by a line parallel
to tho windings of the coast, and which
shall never exceed the distance of ten
marine leagues therefrom."
If the people had known as much about
the extreme northwest coast of this con
tinent as they do todav the treaty prob
ably would have been differently worded.
or at any events would not have been
misconstrued, because the preliminary
negotiations would have made perfectly
clear how It was Intended to run tho
boundary line. The whole difficulty arises
from the fact that when Vancouver dis
covered the section of country which gen
erally bears his name he only went a
short distance along the coast. When he
started out It seemed as though tho coast
was bordered everywhere by a range of
mountains, apparently about 25 or 30 miles
away. This Is the range of mountains
which the treaty attempted to fix as the
boundary between'Great Britain and Rus
sia. Unfortunately, Vancouver guessed
wrong as to the part of the coast ho
had not seen. There Is a jumble of moun
tains in various places all along the coast,
but In no case is there a well defined
watershed, except Just on the trail which
leads from the Lynn Canal to the Klon
dike, and It was just at this point, of
course, that the interests of Great Britain
and the United States clashed five years
ago when the gold was discovered on the
headwaters of the Yukon.
Mintake by the Topographera.
The framers of the treaty, however.
knew that they were In Ignorance of tho
actual topography of the country they
were attempting to bound, and therefore
they provided an alternative line which
could be run whenever it was found that
there were no mountains to servo as a
great natural fence between two powerful
empires. The treaty, as the translation
shows, provided that the boundary line
should be run along the "crest" of the
mountains In each case, except whero the
mountains were more than ten marine
leagues, or 30 geographical miles, back
from the coast. To the ordinary observer
this provision meets all the necessities of
the case, and It would seem to be quite
as easy to run It along a range of moun
tains. So it seemed, too, to the geograph
ers of the world and to the statesmen of
all nations. They assumed that the moun
tains were about 30 miles from the coast.
as they were where Vancouver first ob
served them, and so all the maps made in
Great Britain, Russia, Germany, France
and tho United States represent the pan
handle of Alaska as a strip of country 30
miles wide, following closely along the
windings of the coast. The line given on
the map printed herewith Is not any new
claim by the United States, but represents
the boundary line as agreed upon by all
the mapmakers of the world. It has been
published repeatedly by authority of tho
British government, by authority of the
Russian government and by authority of
the Government of the United States. In
buying Alaska from Russia the United
States did It with this map before It. It
bought a strip of country which apparent
ly had no cloud on its title, the limits of
which, while not fixed by human monu
ments, had never been disputed, and
which apparently needed only a scientific
survey to determine questions of actual
distances.
When gold was discovered In the Klon-
lke It was at first supposed the new dig
gings were entirely In American territory.
They were on the headwaters of tho Yu
kon, the great river which flows throueh
the main part, or "pan," of Alaska. The
original treaty fixed the boundary line
from Mount St. Ellas upon the 141st me
ridian of longitude, thus cutting off the
extreme northwest corner of the Ameri
can continent from the Pacific Ocean to
the Arctic, or the "Fruzen Ocean," as It is
quaintly, called In the treaty. This merid
ian crosses the corner of the continent
through an Inhospitable section of tho
country, and It had never been accurately
determined except near the coast. Tho
original Klondike discoveries were made
by American miners, and were supposed
to be well within the territory of tho
United States. It was not until after tho
boom had attained serious proportions
and millions of dollars of gold had been
dug that somebody put In an appearance
with astronomical apparatus enough to
locate the boundary meridian. This proved,
to the surprise of everybody, that prac
tically all of the Klondike strikes, includ
ing the wild mining towns of the region,
were to the eastward of the 141st merid
ian, and therefore belonged to Great Brit
ain. Rival Claims to Gold Fields.
There were two ways of reaching the
Klondike, one by tho Yukon River, which
was open only during a short time during
the Summer, and the other by the Lynn
Canal and a long portage across the
mountains, descending then by various
lakes and rivers to the Klondike region.
The Yukon route was entirely within
American territory until the edge of the
Klondike was reached. Miners going by
tne Lynn Canal and starting from Dyea
or Skagway passed over American terri
tory until they reached the summit of the
mountains and then immediately became
subject to the laws of Great Britain. The
Klondike region could not be successfully
approached wholly upon British territory.
Land practically all of those who tried it
died on the way. It was evident, therefore,
that while the British government actual
ly owned the Klondike region It could not
get to It except by passing over the ter
ritory of the United States. British min
ing supplies and similar articles would
have to be brought Into this country, pay
a duty, and then be taken back Into Brit
ish territory from Dyea and Skagway.
This gave tho United States control of
the food question, and the food question
controls the Klondike. It became abso
lutely necessary for the British to find a
route to tidewater without Btriklng a cus-lom-house,
and from this fact grows the
present contention over the boundary line
of tho Alaskan panhandle. If the Klon
dike had been to thq westward of the 141st
meridian, no one would ever have heard
of the Boundary Commission. There would
have been nothing to arbitrate, and Secre
tary Root and Senators Lodge and Tur
ner would not have been given a vacation
trip to London.
Practically at the same time with the
discovery that tho Klondike was In British
territory there floated down to Washing
ton vague rumors to the effect that cer
tain Canadian officials were laying claim
to the entire coast line and were prepar
ing to drive out the Americans and tako
possession of the prosperous settlements
of Dyea and Skagway and even of Juneau.
These statements were based on such pre
posterous claims that the officials here
received them with absolute ridicule, and
It Is known that Sir Julian Pauncefote,
the British Ambassador, did not consider
these absurd theories entitled to his seri
ous attention until long after they were
originally made. The British were hunt
ing for a tidewater Portland their orig
inal claim, based on the same old treaty,
was not at all the one which they' now
put forward. The first claim heard of here
was based entirely upon a question of the
Interpretation to be given to the French
word "cote," which has always been
translated "coast." and which" In this
country Invariably means the edge of the
continent. The Canadian land-grabbers at
once asserted that the coast referred to
by the Russian treaty meant islands
which fringe almost the entire panhandle
of Alaska. They knew, of course, that
there were no mountains anywhere near
the outside fringe of islands, and that no
one ever thought there were. The Cana
dians merely asserted that the 30-mlle
strip was to be measured from the outside
line of the Islands. This, of course, would
have deprived the United States of prac
tically the entlro mainland south of
Mount St, Ellas. There are .places where
the mainland Is less than 30 miles from the
open sea, but for the most part tho fringe
of islands Is the most significant feature
of the waterscape of lower Alaska.
Canadian Make New Claims.
If this preposterous Interpretation of tho
treaty had been adopted, not only Dyea
and Skagway, but Janeau, the principal
town of Alaska, with Wrangel and other
SriS t S ThS ,h7, beCOn?2 ' graphical miles to the eastward of where
have" ISfl k?t?inl!S W0U 1 " now runa- Had ttat Proposition, which
Sf ? JS' Ef n Bara,noCf Tvas made once, been adopted, the Klon
2 f'tni Z ?Sf feww n0 m.alni.an(i dike would now be In tho possession of the
llJ?n?uJS?UV ' Unlted stats and thQ Panhandle boundary
?.MeSS. ? ?IondiIko I Hne would never have been disputed.
?Mm 5f te? After e coa3t llne of mountains had
rllVl 2SS,?Sv advQnced b' ! been determined upon as the natural
Canadians exclusively. It was so absurd boundary between the Hudson Bay
neJefJenHnnt ? lt Company and the Russian Fucompany
fJJZ&JP'J-Zto one of the English diplomatists began to
..." , , . "V: . -. ""m ,
utu wouiu uujjnve it oi oil noia on tne
mainland, and the firmness displayed at
this time led to another examination of
the treaty by the Canadians, with tho re
sult that an entirely now Interpretation
was evolved, and It Is this later theory of
tho treaty which has now become a seri
ous subject of dispute between the two
countries.
Theso latest British claims are based on
two separate theories. A glance at the
map will show the reader that the pan
S?.lefka l i1"tersectd by num-
erous great bays which are all navieable
tSlr? WWch ?Ulte Yide but '
iUI UUi t
tance. and on most of the maps are called
"canals." Although the geographers and
the statesmen of the world have assumed
that the boundary lino follows the wind
ings of the coast because the treaty spe
cifically declares this, the Canadian
schemers advanced the Idea that these
deep Indentations must be disregarded
and that the general coast line should be
assumed to run from headland to head
land. If the 40-mlle limit were applied
to this kind of a coast line, the boundary
between the United States and Great
Britain would of course cut across "all
these Inlets or canals, thus giving the
British Immediate access by water to the
Interior.
In the second place the rush to the
Klondike demonstrated that there was no
general range of mountains anywhere
near the coast. There was, of course, as
has been frequently stated, a jumble of
mountains and some few high peaks here
and there. Some of these peaks and
lesser mountains ran down quite near tho
coast on the peninsulas between two in
lets. Often they were ,mere. cliffs or
glaciers, the land behind them falling
away and the water courses penetrating
for many miles In their rear. No ono
familiar with the topography of tho coun
try would think of seizing upon these Iso
lated foothills and peaks as a boundary
line. But this Is exactly what" the British
claim does. Not only do they assume
that the coast line shall jump across
many hundreds of miles of salt water
wherever- there is an opening," but they
qlso claim that the boundary fixed by the
treaty as being upon the crest of the
mountains shall jump from peak to peak
long .distances across low lands and fre
quently across these great Inland bays.
By a combination of these two theories
the British-claimants, who have about a3
much right to the strip of coast as the
Australian butcher had to the TIchborne
estates, have succeded In running a line,
as shown upon the KTap, which Is ex
tremely near the real coast and which
practically cuts the United States pff from
the mainland entirely. This line gives the
British access to all of the great bays or
canals and would give to this country so
small a fringe of coast as practically to
be worthless. No one can understand
the Alaskan boundary question without a
map. v ith a map it becomes quite clear.
Question of Intent.
Every court takes Into consideration the
entent of the man who transfers prop-
erty by will or deed. A man cannot even
commit murder without Intending to do It,
For this reason the negotiations which
preceded the signing of the original treaty
between Great Britain and Russia has
vast significance, and when the matter Is
submitted ta the joint commission this
Summer these old negotiations will be
found to play an important part. In .the
first place it must be remembered that the
treaty was originally made for the express
purpose of permitting Russia to give up
Its claim of the exclusive control "of the
North Pacific Ocean. Neither side was at
tempting to grab any land. Russia had
settled tho northwest coast of America
and had a string of trading posts running
all the wav down the ronst nenrlv tn the
I boundary lino between the United States
1 and British Columbia. As is clearly shown
In the original negotiations, Russia was
seeking to protect Its line of fur traders
along the mainland In what Is known as
the panhandle. The Hudson Bay Com
pany had some establishments several
hundred miles in the Interior. The Rus
sians did not care to go far Inland, but
they did Insist on absolute control of the
coast, and no one disputed their right to
this. They were willing to shut off their
Hudson Bay rivals by a range of moun
tains and a well-defined watershed, so as
to prevent the British traders getting any
access to tho coast tribes of Indians, and
thus depriving the Russians of their
prized fur trade. The British were quite
willing to accept the coast line of moun
tains and have clearly Indicated this In
the instructions to their diplomatic
agents. They were also willing, it must
always be remembered, to fix 'the boun
721tu w" JZZZl 'tJt
dary of the main portion of Alaska at
have doubts as to the
accuracy of cur
rent geographical knowledge of Alaska.
He expressed the fear that possibly the
coast mountains might disappear, and in
that case the Russian line would bo ex
tended eastward to the main chain of the
Rockies. The British agents proposed,
therefore, that where the mountain range
should be found to bo farther from the
coast than 50 or even 100 miles, the boun
dary line should be fixed at, "say, 100
miles." It Is thus clearly shown that the
entire purpose of tho treaty, so far as
the land boundary was concerned, was to
of rt tt, -,, r-.,'..
Possible access to the coast fur trade.
Beyond that the Russians had no care and
the British no thought. Tho treaty was
written as It Is for that purpose, and It is
easy to see by a glance at the map that
this purpose would have been entirely
destroyed If the llne now laid down by
tho British land grabbers had been even
contemplated. This new llne crosses all
tho Inlets, and It would really have given
the Hudson Bay Company much better
control of the coast fur trade, because the
Russians would have been limited to an
extremely narrow strip along an Inhos
pitable coast, while the Hudson Bay
traders would have had as their own ter
ritory the shores of all the bays which
Indent the country, furnishing thousands
of easy landing places and' affording ac
cess to the homes of the coast Indians,
which were invariably located In shel
tered nooks along tho still waters of these
Interior highways.
Misled ' as to Mountains.
The intent of the treaty Is still further
shown by the fact that, although the
British had freely offered to place the
boundary line 100 miles back when the
mountain range receded beyond that
point, the Russians were not concerned
about the distance, because they knew
or thought they knew that there was a
great mountain range between them and
the Hudson Bay territory, and no fur
traders could successfuly maintain them
selves on the seaward side of that range
provided they were shut off from access
to salt water by a definite strip of Rus
sian territory. Believing first that the
mountains were there, and not desiring
a wide strip, because the coast tribes were
all gathered on salt water and could not
live In the interior, whero the mountains
were bare and barren, the Russians read
ily agreed to a paragraph fixing the
boundary line at ten marine leagues, but
expressly providing that this line should
be "parallel to the windings of the coast."
In following out these original negotia
tions, it Is shown therefore that tho Rus
sians claimed and the British freely con
ceded absolute sovereignty over a strip of
coast running from the lower end of
Prince of Wales Island to Mount StEUas,
wide enough to keep the British fur
traders forever away from the ocean. The
text of the sections quoted and the use
of v the plural word mountains, on their
face show that the purpose of. the treaty
was to run the boundary line along a
range of mountains supposed to be paral
lel to the coast The Russian boundary
line was not fixed at ten leagues from the
coast, but the distance was only fixed
when the mountains did not manifest
themselves. The wording is not such as to
Indicate that a line could be drawn from
Isolated peaks near the coast, but that It
was expected to run the boundary along
the watershed parallel to the coast,
wherever that was not more than 30 miles
away. It was acting on this theory that
the map-makers of the world showed the
Alaskan boundary as they have done.
Those maps Invariably run the line fol
lowing the great gulfs which Indent the
coast, and which are taken to be the
"windings" mentioned in the treaty. If
the British contention should be adopted
It would be juBt as well for the United
States to move out of the Panhandle of
Alaska, because It would get little or
nothing except the Islands, few of which
are worth anything. If the contention of
the United States Is adopted Great Brit
ain will be no worse off than It ever has
been. It will still retain the Interior of
the continent running up to the Arctic
Ocean, east of the 141st meridian, and
the only thing It will lose will be access
from the sea, which It has never yet en
Joyed, and which It never claimed up to
within five years ago. If Its line Is
adopted, cutting all these Inlets, it will
have access to the Klondike and to all
of the Interior, and that access will be
barred to citizens of the United States,
except through the door of a Canadian
custom-house.
Point of the Dispute.
Practically all of tho present dispute,
therefore, turns upon the Interpretation
of the original treaty so far as It relates
to the windings of the coast and to the
mountain range, which was supposed to
exist at a short distance Inland. There
was some dispute as regards the starting
point of the boundary line. The Rus
sians originally claimed that the pan
handle ran down to the 51st degree of lati
tude, but they abandoned the contention
for a coast south of the 55th degree, be
cause the United States and Great Britain
were then disputing as to the ownership
of that very section. It may not be out
of place to say that Great Britain goflt.
The treaty, therefore. In order to secure
a point of departure. Included Prince of
Wales Island as Russian territory, and
then ran the line up the Portland channel
to the 56th degree of latitude. There
was a dispute between the United States
and Great Britain over the location of the
Portland channel, growing out of a dis
crepancy between Vancouver's map and
his description. There were several
channels called Portland, but tho lines of
both the British and American boundaries
now run nearly the same, although there
is a divergence of opinion as to just where
they strike the 51st degree. This does not
affect the access to the Klondike, how
ever. Points of Arbitration.
In the treaty just ratified by the Senate
th exact points bearing upon the inter
pretation of the old agreement between
Russia and Great Britain are carefully
specified, and the commissioners, who are
to meet at London this Spring, are di
rected to formulate their decision on seven
designated points, which are as follows:
1. What Is Intended as the point of
commencement of the line?
2. What channel Is the Portland chan
nel?
3. What course should the line take
from tho point of commencement to the
entrance to Portland channel?
4. To what point on the 56th parallel
Is the line to be drawn from the head
of the Portland channel, and what course
should It follow between these points?
5. In extending the line of demarcation
northward from said point on the parallel
of the 56th degree of north latitude, fol
lowing tho crest of the mountains sit
uated parallel to the coast until its In
tersectlon with tho 141st degree of long!
tude west of Greenwich, subject to the
condition that if such line should any
where exceed the distance of ten marine
leagues from the ocean then the boundary
between the British and Russian ter
ritory should be formed by a line parallel
to the sinuosities of the coast and dls
tant therefrom not more than ten marine
leagues, was It the Intention and mean
lngof said convention of 1S25 that thero
should remain In tho exclusive possession
of Russia a continuous fringe or strip of
coast on the mainland not exceeding ton
marine leagues in width, separating the
British possessions from the bays, ports.
Inlets, havens and water of the ocean.
and extending from tho said point on the
56th degree of latitude north to a point
where such line of demarcation should In
tersect the 141st degree of longitude west
of the meridian of Greenwich?
6. If the foregoing questions should be
answered In the negative, and in tho
event of the summit of such mountains
proving to be In places more than ten
marine leagues from the coast, should
tho width of the lislere which was to be
long to Russia be measured (1) from the
mainland coast of the ocean, strictly so
called, along a line perpendicular there
to, or (2) was It the Intention and mean
ing of the said convention that whero
the mainland coast 13 Indented by these
Inlets, forming part of the territorial
waters of Russia, the width of the llsiere
wa3 to be measured (a) from the line
of tho general direction of the mainland
coast, or (b) from the line separating the
waters of the ocean from vthe territorial
waters of Russia, or (c) from the head
of the aforesaid Inlets?
7. What, If any exist, are the moun
tains referred to as situated parallel, to
tho coast, which mountains, when within
ten marine leagues from the coast, aro
declared to form the eastern boundary.
Strength of American Case.
When one takes into consideration th
fact that the territory has been In the
unaisputea possesion first of Russia and
then of the United States for nearly
three generations, that the exlstlner mans
have been accepted by all the world, and
that Great Britain, if It had any rights
In the first place, has slept upon Its
privileges so long that It cannot assist
them now. it seems as If no one could
doubt the result of a fair arbitration of
the dispute. Former Secretary of State
John W. Foster, who was a member of
tne high joint commission which wrestled
with the subiect three years aro formu
lated the American position into 25 sep
arate points, which Indicate our argu
ments tnore clearly than anything else,
and which, accordingly, are In -full as the
brief on the part of the United States
of America:
1. Soon after the treaty of 1S23 thn Tins.
slan government published a map claim
ing the strip of territory and all the in
terior waters of the sea inclosed by it.
2. The Russian American Company es
tablished forts and trading posts within
the strip.
3.. By virtue of the lease cited, tvhfrh
was a recognized assertion of Its sover
eignty, it temporarily transferred these
forts and posts to the British company.
4, At the termination of the extended
lease it re-entered and took possession
and remained In nossesion till tho
slon of Alaska to the United States.
fc, .It XeceiVfifl. the nlleglaA exfolia
tive Indians Inhabiting the strip, and ex
erclsed control and supervision over them.
6. Immediately after the cession in 1S67
the Department of State of the United
States likewise caused a map to be pub
lished, setting forth the bounds of Alaska
In accordance with the treaty of 1S25, and
the same claim as to the strip was there
on made as by Russia la Its map of 182T.
7. Upon' the transfer of Alaska a portion
of the United States Army was dispatched
to occupy the territory and a detachment
was stationed for some time on this strip
of the mainland.
8. Since the cession postofflces and post
routes have b'een established and main
tained at various points on the strip.
9. Custom-houses have likewise been es
tablished and duties collected therein.
10. Government and mission schools
have been maintained, and notably so,
for nearly 20 years, at the head of the
Lynn Canal.
11. The revenue vessels of tho United
States have continuously since the date
of the cession patrolled the Interior
waters surrounded by the strip to enforce
the revenue and other laws of the United
States.
12. The naval and revenue vessels of
the United States have for the same pe
riod exercised acts of sovereignty over
the Indian tribes inhabiting the strip,
especially about tho head of Lynn Canal
and the latter have yielded unquestioned
allegiance to the United States.
13. In the census of 18S0 and 1S90 all the
Indian tribes Inhabiting the strip were in
cluded In tho population of the United
States and so published in the official
ports.
14. Theterrltorlal government of Alaska
has exercised various and repeated acta
of sovereignty over the strip and Interior
waters Inclosed by It, and the writs of - tho
United States courts have run through its
whole extent.
15. Under the territorial claim of the
United States and the protection of the
Government citizens of the United States
have entered and occupied the strip, built
cities and towns, and established indus
trial enterprises thereon.
HALF-MILLION RACERS.
Enormous Popularity of Homing?
Pigeons in Englund.
London Dally Mall.
The game of pigeon-racing is a branch
of tho sporting tree that has had an
amazing growth within the last decade.
Forty years ago not more than 100 En
gllshment had the remotest Idea what a
homing pigeon was, and yet the bird
played an Important part In history as far
back as the ancient Greeks. To Belgium,
however, must go the credit of perfecting
the present-day racing pigeon. The thous
ands of this species that provldo a fascin
ating pastime for so many Englishmen
today are all descendants of birds Im
ported from Antwerp, Brussels or the
Province of Liege. The average member
of society looks rather askance at plgeou
flylng. He associates with the sport tho
breaking of Sunday for the purpose of
"tossing" pigeons. He sees a man wear
ing a 'kerchief at the neck and carrying
a pigeon In a paper bag or out-at-elbow
basket, also on the Sabbath. This la as
far removed from real pigeon-racing as
the North is from the South Pole. The
first-named class of bird can be bought
for sixpence, or at most one shilling, but
the genuine aerial racer costs anything
from 1 to 20 pounds sterling.
The modus operandi of the fancier after
Joining a homing pigeon club, and there
aro at least S0o such clubs, Is to get ready
for the races. The distance from the race
in a direct llne to the fancier's loft Is cal
culated even to a few odd, yards. When
the club Is racing, and has dispatched all
Its members' pigeons to tho race point, tha
conductor of the birds immediately tele
graphs home the exact time of release.
As soon as the pigeon "homes" to the loft
the owner catches It, opens the wing to
find the secret race marks, and then tele
graphs the marks to the club officials.
The time of handing in the telegram la
taken as the time of the bird's arrival
home. Thus the exact number of yards
flown and the number of minutes are
easily ascertained. The winner of the
race Is the pigeon that has flown at the
highest speed, or the greatest number of
yards a minute. This velocity, or aver
age rate of speed. Is calculated by divid
ing the total yards flown by the total num
ber of minutes taken to accomplish the
Journey. The secret race marks referred
to are placed upon the pigeon's wing by
the club committee the night before the
nrace, and the owner does not touch hia
pigeon again until it arrives home from
tho contest. This system is an admira
ble check against fraud.
The young homing pigeon, when eight
days old, Is banded on the leg by a metal
ring, which it has to carry always, as un
til cut off or the leg broken the ring can
not be removed. Four hundred thousand
of these rings are annually sold by clubs
to the members at an average charge of
one penny a ring.
The National Homing Pigeon Union
serves a similar purpose to that of tha
governing bodies of other sports and pas
times. It settles disputes among the
members, who number 13,000, and who
purchased last year from the union 2SO.00O
similar rings to those described above.
The union rings, however, are specially
marked N. U., and serve as an excellent
means of Identifying pigeons carrying
such rings, whenever they are lost and re
ported found.
Each of the 0 clubs gives prize money,
ranging from 20 to 200. The popular
race stages ar Crewe, Stafford. Worces
ter, Swindon. l: th, Bournemouth and the
Channel Island u More than 40,000 racing
pigeons were released within two hours at
Worcester on the morning of Saturday,
May 23. Tho great majority homed to
Lancashire, which 13 tho hotbed of tha
sport. This vast army of pigeons re
quired no fewer than 52 railway vans
to transport them to Worcester. As many
as four special trains carrying nothing"
but pigeons have left Lancashire and
Yorkshire on one night.
The sport appeals to all classes. It Is
now generally known that H. M. tho King
and H. R. H. the Prince of Wales have
lots at Sandrigham, and in the recent dis
astrous pigeon Derby from the Shetland
Isles the royal birds were beaten. Four
or Ave years ago, however, they won first
prize from the Shetlands.
A low estimate of the total number of
racing pigeons In Great Britain Is 500,000.
A dozen years ago the number was only a
tenth of this vast total.
Trouble Feared at Finning; Banks.
NEW YORK. Sept, 4. Affairs are seri
ous here among the American fishing
schooners. Bays a dispatch from Burgo,
Newfoundland. The lack of bait and the
certainty that the trip will be almost a
dead loss has made many of the foreign
fishermen quarrelsome. The squid, the
usual bait for the banks, have disap
peared. At Grand Bank the sea is cov
ered with dead caplln, which aro useless
for bait.
As some of the American captains have
left, the attitude of the foreign crews, is
reported to have grown ugly toward those
who remain, and serious trouble Is feared.
Premier Balfour's Discovery.
"Westminster Gazette.
(Which might apply as well elsewhere.)
I've made "Inquiry" up and down and And In
every quarter
That beer at an election time 13 stronger far
than water.
I find that when In Autumn next I have to
fight pro-Boera,
I must have firmly on my side my trustworthy
pro-brewers.
So now I've proved that it 15 clear beyond
all contradiction
That on one point In politics I've got a fixed
conviction.
Pn!n fmm lndlf?eif inn rivariAnctl'x
hearty eating is relieved at once by tak-
Inc nnn nf C.nrtpr'a TAttla T,voi "Dllln t
mediately attedjjmex,.