Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-05-24
OUR DISPUTES WITH ENGLAND.
Synopsis of the Treaty Arranged by
the Joint High Comm1ssion.

Synopsis of the Treaty Arranged by
the Joint High Commission.
The treaty is to be known as the
"Treaty of Washington for the adjust
ment OF claims for injury alleged by
the United States on account of the
British ports and depredations COM
mitted by those vessels during the late
rebellion in this country. " A tribunal
of arbitration is constituted, to con-
sist of five arbitrators-one appointed
by the United States, one by Great
Britain, one by the King of Italy, one
by the President of the Swiss Confed-
Grafton and one by the Emperor of
Brazil
The treaty establishes special rules
of neutral duty and obligation in ad-
dition to the generally received public
law, which rules, although not admit
ted by the British Commissioners,
have been in force at all times here.
This tribunal may either award dam
s5es in detail Or in gross, at its d Gre
ton, on it may refer this duty to a
board of assessors sitting in the United
States. It also shall report from time
to time, with the payment to be made
accordingly. The British Government
frankly expresses it's regret of the oc-
currence of the incidents complained of
by the United States.
For the adjudication of all 9th er
claims of citizens of the United Sat es
against Great Britian, or of Great
Britain against the United States, dur
ing tle same period-that is, from the
18th Of April, 1861, to the 9th of April,
1S65-an ord1nar7 mixed commission
is provided, to sit at Washington, with
an umpire to be nominal ed, if necessa-
ry, by a designed friendly power
This limitation of time is material in
substance, for it confines reclamations
against the United States to incidents
Of actual war, accompanied with de-
claration on the part of the British
Commissioners to the effect of exclud-
ing claims on account of slave proper
ty. Great Britain does not recognize
the claims of subjects for seizure of
cotton in cases where they took up
abodes in the South, as they became
subject to the contingencies of the
war
In regard to the fisheries, in addition
to the liberty always secured to them
by the treaty of 1918, fishermen of the
United States shall have the liberty and
take sea fish on the sea coast and shores,
and in the bays, harbors and creeks of
the provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick, and the colony of
Prince Edwards Island and the islands
adjacent, without being restricted to
any distance from shore, with permis-
sion to land upon such coast, shores
and islands, and also upon the Magda-
lene Islands, for the purposes of drying
their nets and curing their fish, subject,
of course, in this respect, to local rights
of private property; and the same lib
erty is granted to British subjects on
the eastern sea coasts and shores of the
United States north of the 39th paral-
lei of latitude. This liberty is not to
include on either side shell-fish or
salmon, and shad fisheries or other
fisheries in the rivers and mouths OF
rivers. It is further agreed that fisher
men, and their fish of all kinds, except
| fish of the inland lakes and their rivers,
and except fish preserved in oil. the
produce fisheries of the United States
or of the Dominion of Canada OF
Prince Edwards Island, shall be ad-
mitted into each country respectively
free of duty. The privileges thus con
ceded to the United States are obvious
Iy most important ones. 1t is asserted
by the British Government, but mo-
admitted by the United States, that the
privileges accorded to citizens of the
United States are of greater value thar
those accorded to the subjects of Grea
Britain, and to prevent or avert contro
versy on this point, it is agreed that F;
mixed commission, with an umpire t.
be appointed by designated friendl.
power, shall determine whether an,
compensation for such alleged acces
of privileges, and how much, ought t.
be paid by the United States
Next come the various questions O
navigation and commercial transit
which are disposed of by declaring tn
navigation of the river st. Lawerenc,
, and the rivers Yucan, Porcupine an,
Stilline forever free and open to tn
citizens or subjects of both countries
by providing for the equal use of th
+ Welland and st. Lawrence and othe
, canals in the Dominion, on the on
hand, and of Lake Michigan and 81
Clair Flats and canal on the other; b
! providing free transit of merchandis
to and fro, as well in the British pos
! sessions as in the United States, an
abolisbing the provisional export dut
on American lumber on the river S.
o John.
e All these provisions concerning fsl
o,,I 4r,,,,,4
made contingent upon their being al
proved by the Congress of the Unite
States and the British Parliament {
Canada. and the Legislature of Primo
S Edwards Island. By these varior
stipulations, all privileges of the fsl
n cries, navigation and transit accorde
s to the United States by the treaty {
Il 1854 are once more obtained, and in
). better form, and without the burdel
y some conditions of that treaty in til
matter of reciprocal importation.
e Of the pending subjects of contr,
y versy between the two government
5 there remains to be considered tt
IS question of the northwestern boundal
6 linz. It is to be remembered that I'll
3 line of the treaty of 1916 runs by tt
y middle channel which separates tt
II continent from Vancouver's Islan6
n but several such channels exist. Gre
L, Britain contends that the channel
81 that treaty is the Rosario Straits, al
ld the United States that it is the Can
9y de Haro; the two channels being Sc
Is Grated by the island of San Juan. I'll
question having once been reported
by mixed commission, that for 81
=, vey of the line, the Unit
- 80 States are not content to rel
o ,o it to another such commi
ne ae sion, nor has it been deemed conveniel
IL IL even though such tribunal be appoint
'n aa by friendly sovereign power. Inste
90 -, of this, it has been agreed by the pr
re ~e ent treaty to submit the question
10 10 rectly to neutral power, and the E
w w peror of Germany has been selected
'iis that purpose. The government of
"a "a United States has in its hands mu
Tn Tn documentary evidence in support
nc nc it's pretensions, not heretofore ma
4 II