The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-22

the Canal de Haro Was the intended channel.
BY the former claim the islands Of the Haro
Archipelago OF which San Juan Is the
most important, fell TO the lot of Great
Britain, while by the latter they were thrown
under the jurisdiction of the United States For
ten years the question remained an open one,
without any attempt at settlement, save by an
interminable diplomatic correspondence. FL
nally, in 1856, each Government appointed
commissioner with instructions inspired by its
own peculiar geographical notions for the loca-
tion of the disputed boundary line. Twenty
thousand dollars were appropriated by
Congress TO meet the expenses. The
commissioners met in June 1851, q wrangle
prolonged through several months, ensued,
and the commissioners finally agreed to
disagree, thus leaving the question precisely
where they found It,. Then the diploma
fists went to work again, and continued
writing their epistles until within few months
past. Meanwhile both Governments have con-
tinued TO assert their jurisdiction over San Juan
and the other islands of the Haro Archipelago,
very much to the Inconvenience and perplexity
of each other. During the past winter, however,
a treaty was negotiated which proposes to secure
amicable settlement of the disputed boundary
line by referring its establishment, under the
treaty of 1916, to the arbitrament of the Presi-
dent of Switzerland
1t was against this apparently just and reason
able proposition that Garrett Davis leyelled two
hours of his garrulousness in the executive
sion of the Senate on Tuesday, and so formida-
bic has been the opposiionto its ratification that
we are now told that the treaty must go over
until the December session before il can be rati
fed, even If it should then pass the ordeal sue
cessfully. The opposition, of course, is based
on the presumption that the construction put
upon the treaty by the British Government is
unreasonable, and unwarranted by the terms in
which the boundary line between the two cOun-
tries described 1t possible that this view the
correct one, but If it be so, we are certainly JUS
titled in expecting that the President of Switzcr
land, disinterested person, can be made to rea-
lie the fact much sooner than we can convince
the British Government of it by tons of monoto-
nous diplomatic correspondence. In 1859 the
joint military occupancy of San Juan came near
resulting In an open rupture with Great Britain.
The late General Winfield Scott was despatched
succeeded in effecting temporary arrangement
by which peace was preserved. But ii is evident
that the question in its present state may lead to
serious consequences hereafter, and, as we have
on our hands the Alabama-claims dispute with
Great Britain, policy and justice both demand
speedy settlement Of this irritating side issue
The delay of the Senate to ratify the treaty is
therefore, TO be sincerely regretted
THE PROCEEDINGS of the Senate yester-
day were enivened by rambling debate about
matters connected with appointments. The
Senators from the West and South are evidently
anxious that the Blue Book should be carefully
posted, 80 that the fact may become manifest
that they have less than their proportionate
share of public patronage, while the Senators
from New England and Ohio. being content with
things as they are, do not favor the proposed
investigation. Senator Cameron, of Pennsyl-
vania, improved the occasion to yentilate his
views on the manner in which patronage had
been distributed among the citizens of this
State. He seems to think that the
President should consult the Senators
before making any appointments, and that he
would thus receive authentic information in re-
can't" Whether this information would in all
cases be entirely impartial, and whether an abso-
lutte safeguard against the appointment of 'con-
stitutional drunkards' or constitutional
thieves" would thus be furnished is an open
question, about which in some minds there may
be doubts arising" The Republican party of
the State must also be much more harmonious
than is commonly supposed, If Senator Cameron
is entirely correct In his assertion that nine
tenths of the persons appointed in this State
must be his friends, ''because they could not
have been selected from his party without being
his friends"