Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1867-04-24
SfiistsIIMteas aseaainp.
WHAT WE GET BY THE TREATY.


The Russian Treaty has been made
public, apparently without authority. In
the first article the boundaries of the ceded
territory are defined in the second is
transferred to the United States the title
of all public property with the exception
Of the Greek Churches, says the New
York Tribune, which are to remain the
property Of their members in the third,
it is stipulated that the inhabitants, ez-
cepting unciviiizcd tribes, shall, after
three years residence, be admitted to citi-
zenship of the United States, while the
E.quimaux aud Indians shall be subject
to our authority; in the fourth, the for
NAL terms of the exchange are defined
the fifth provides for the Withdrawal Of
Russian troops; in the >ixth, the cession
Of territory aud dominion is declared to
be free and unincumbered by any reser-
valions aud in the seventh, the date OF
ratification is fixed.
1t is at least satisfaction to know
that the treaty binds our Government TO
no more than the payment of certain
sum in gold. and tie admission of Rus
sian settlers to citizenship, aud that any
i2ht value the cession may have is not
lcs~eued by reservations in favor of Brit
i>h hunters aud traders. To share the
questionable advantages Of tie territory
would be 10 yield them entirely, for there
are some things which are too small to be
divided Bat though this is theoretically
satisfaction, practically 1t would have
made no aplIeciabIe difference to the Eeo-
pie of This country ii all the traders in
North America had been given equal
rights in the territory by til. treaty. Iu
the deserts Of Russian America the
laws are not likely 10 be enforced. and
the hunters around the Great Bear Lake
viii care little for the Hist degree OF
west ia,i,u'e We simply obtain by the
treaty. the nominal possession OF :aipass-
able deserts Of snow, vast tracts Of dwarf
timber, frozen rivers, Inaccessible moul-
tain ranges, with few islands where
population is supported by fishing aud
trading with the Indians. Virtually We
get, by an expenditure of seven millions
N cold, Sirka and the Prince Of Wa'e>
Islands Ali the rest is waste territory.
aud ~ energy OF the American people
will be sufficient TO make mining spFcu
latious in the sixtirth decrcc north laii-
tude profitable. or to reclaim wIldeTuesses
which border on the Arctic Ocean. We
may make treaty wi;h Russia, but we
cannot make treaty with tie North
wind, or the Snow King. y glance at
the map will show that this mighty acqui-
siiiou, with the exception of 4 few IS
lands scattered along a mountainous and
sterile shore, lies above the sixtieth de-
gree, and is divided into nearly equal por-
tions by the Arctic circle. Ninety nine
huudrctths Of Russian America are ab-
solu:ely useless; the remaining hun
dredth may be of some value to the Rus
slams who settled it, but Is certainly not
worth seven millions Of dollars 70 a nation
adready possessed OF more territory than ;
it can dccently govern, and burdehded !
with debt. Ga the contrary, it is certain !
that the expense and trouble OF Terri-
torial gOvernmert-or SIX governments,
as We hear Mr. Seward proposes-in this |
distant and inhospi,ahle land, would far
outweigh any advantage from Its goldfish ,
or bear-skius. TO Erssia it was an en-
to us it would be an embar
rassnent, and by the mex; session icon
gress we trust the folly Of the purchase
will be made so plain that the House will
rafrSe tn u,,k . the uppasSary artnruprlatlOu.